Smurfocalypse Chapter 51: The Forest part 1: The Campaign Begins
The events of this morning proved troubling, and yet Hefty was not surprised to learn that demons had somehow made their way towards them again. They were going to be stalked by them for a hundred years after all. Hefty learned that the woods were an excellent place for Smurfs to carry out combat. Due to their size they can hide in many places and ambush the enemy. It is as though nature itself were protecting them. Hefty did not fear these monsters in fact, he viewed them as an obstacle in his way. In order for them to becoming a self-sustaining society again they absolutely must have control over these woods. The woods were rich in resources however they weren't sure just which ones specifically, but common sense says there's wood and alchemical ingredients growing in that forest that are essential for them to carry on living the lifestyle they are accustomed to.
Hefty had returned to his hut after saving Coconut and Dreamy, and began to think. His only solution was of course to use brute force and conduct an assault on the forest. A dangerous event that will take any amount of time to complete, and would probably involve having to use some of the survival skills Tracker had taught every Smurf inside the Great Oak back at the original village during the storm. Hefty thought for about an hour as he worked out. He lifted the heavy weights high up into the air lifting them above his head before setting them back down on the mat. He flexed his muscles and punched his right fist into his left palm. It was time once again to experience the thrill and glory of battle.
Breakfast was just around the corner, and not a single Smurf passed up the opportunity to grab a bite, grab a seat on a picnic bench outside Chef's hut/kitchen, and catch up with each other as they ate a nice hot breakfast. Hefty took this opportunity to begin his plan to make the woods a safe place.
"What we discovered today is very unsettling I understand, but I don't want any Smurf to panic. We are safe within the walls, and my knights and I will fight to protect you all." Hefty said as he addressed the village.
"What do you propose we do? We need those woods." Brainy said.
"There's only one thing we can do… We have to go in and clear them out. Just like we did with the port." Hefty said.
"Sounds a little dangerous. We're not familiar with these lands just yet. Wouldn't you be at a disadvantage?" Tracker asked.
"We're Smurfs. Fighting in the woods is no problem for us." Hefty said.
"We've had sufficient training to handle an assault like this." Timber said.
This earned him a nod of approval from Hefty. Timber had very quickly proven to be a Smurf Hefty could depend on, and has successfully taken Tuffy's spot in Hefty's inner circle. Not that this was Timber's intentions rather his skill in combat earned him this rank just as Archer's title was earned in battle.
"Since breakfast is over and some of you have work to return to you are dismissed except for my knights. Handy I need you to stick around though." Hefty said.
Hefty motioned for the remaining Smurfs to gather. Clockwork had luckily been there despite not needing to eat to survive, and had joined Hefty at the bench he was sitting at along with the other Smurfs and his best friend and sole council member Handy.
"What we are about to do will be our toughest campaign ever. Even more dangerous than the dragon. Some of you… May die… I may die, but this is a sacrifice we simply must make in order for every Smurf to be safe, and for Port Saint Smurf to be a sustainable society." Hefty said.
Hefty turned to Handy.
"Handy… If I don't return you are to lead us in my place." Hefty said.
Handy nodded though the thought of Hefty not returning home filled him with an assortment of various negative emotions. Battle was thrilling, but the thought of his friends dying in battle was the only downside which was a heavy burden to bare when he is both the knight's captain, and their strategist. Hefty had to trust in each of them and know that they themselves possessed the skills they need to survive and rise above this conflict.
"Demons come from underground… Maybe that's how they got here?" Handy asked.
"If they got here through a cave we could create a mine!" Farmer exclaimed.
"That's a possibility, and if that's the case we will need to regroup and clear out the cave in a single all-out assault." Hefty said.
"If we find a cave we won't have to make that two day trip back to the plateau for minerals. We'd have a local mine we could just make our own and use it as we please." Sweepy said.
"That's true. It would be our greatest treasure. We'd have the metal we need to make better weapons and armor, and more durable tools." Hefty said.
"I'm going to build a Smurfless wagon with the metal. I feel like a metal Smurfless wagon would be better than a wooden one." Handy said.
"With Smurfless wagons we can get around this huge port a lot easier, and we can use them for work as well. Brilliant, I like it." Hefty said.
"I think it's time to reintroduce it, but I need that iron." Handy said.
"I'll make sure you get the materials you need if I survive this." Hefty said.
"I'm excited to get started Hefty. Are you ready to go on a hunt Zarus?" Falconer asked.
The adult male Common Kestrel that perched upon his armguard let out a screech.
"I've been training hard all winter I hope you were too." Falconer said.
The falcon nodded.
"We'll use that loose brick as a shortcut into the forest. We'll make camp just outside the walls where we will try to meet up each night. We won't stop until the forest has been routed of the enemy. Let's take the rest of the day to set up camp and get the supplies we'll need. Handy your free to go." Hefty said.
"Good luck Hefty. It's a brave thing you're doing." Handy said as he walked off.
"I'm not sure what we will see out there, but it's for the good of every Smurf that we try." Hefty said.
The knights dispersed and Hefty had to have some tents made so he went to Tailor straight away and insisted his tents be top priority over what he was already working on which was clothing for Secretary. Tailor would spend the rest of his day making enough tents for the knights. Six for the Smurfs Clockwork would be on patrol at night since he apparently lacks the need to sleep to survive. Once the tents were made Hefty returned to Tailor's hut with the knights in full armor to retrieve them. Each Smurf took their tent and they headed for the loose brick in the wall that would lead to the location they would set up camp. They pitched their tents and got all their equipment and rations into the camp. Then they put the loose brick back into the wall. Hefty was going to lead them into the forest first thing the next morning. The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying each other's company in the camp as they set it up. It was uneventful until nightfall.
At nine o clock that night there was a rustling in the tree tops that was getting louder implying it was getting closer. At this time the nights were around a fire and were just about to turn in for the night when out of the trees jumped seven demons. They looked the same as the one found earlier.
"Here they come." Hefty said as he drew his sword.
The knights stood and readied themselves for combat. As the demons fell from the trees they held out their weapons to strike from above. Farmer simply leaped back, swung his scythe with all his might, and completely cut one of them in half before they even touched the ground. He then twirled the scythe in above his head with his right hand.
"Pathetic!" Farmer said.
Archer had one of them dead before they hit the ground too. He readied an arrow and aimed his bow at one of their heads and fired an arrow piercing one of their skulls. They fell lifeless to the ground and hit with a thud. Archer continued to fire arrows at the falling demons. Ambushing from above clearly wasn't a wise approach. Clockwork leaped up into the air to meet one of them. The demon's spear shattered when it collided with Clockwork's obsidian armor. The automaton grabbed the demon by the face and held out his hand so the demon was as far away from him as an arm's reach. They then began to fall fast due to Clockwork's weight, and when they landed the demon's head was the first thing to hit the ground causing its neck to break and the back of its skull to shatter. Clockwork stood back up and stepped on his fallen opponent on his way to provide support for the others.
Once the demons hit the ground they displayed an almost overwhelming speed. One sped towards Sweepy and all he had to do was hold his long shield out in front of him to block the attack. The demon literally crashed into the shield with a loud sound, and with a swing of his mace his stunned opponent was finished. A sickening crack of various bones could be heard as the mace connected with the demon's chest. The attack created a literal dent in the creature's chest causing its ribcage to bust and bones to pierce vital organs along with the mace itself. A demon ran past a tent and got too close to the opening only for Falconer to come out of the tent and pull the demon inside before stabbing it in the chest with his hunting knife. His falcon was asleep and needed his rest in order to perform at his best tomorrow. With no falcon Falconer resorts to stealth. He was a hunter after all stealth is an essential skill for a hunter to have. Timber had a nice new battle axe so that he didn't have to use his wood cutting axe as a weapon any longer. A Two handed battle axe that allowed him to use all his strength he puts into chopping wood into slaying the enemy. The last two opponents were fast as well, appearing as just a blur when they moved at times.
A Demon pursued timber with a sword and began swiftly swinging it at Timber as it moved swiftly about the camp. It was able to easily dodge Timber's attacks with his heavier two handed weapon. However the weapon was good for blocking attacks. Timber needed to switch strategies. When he got the time to do so he tossed his battle axe aside and took the two hatchets off their sheaths on his armor and began to adeptly swing them displaying great skill at duel wielding. The demon swung his sword and Timber swung his hatchet at the blade with all his might sending the blade flying out of the creature's hand. Timber then finished it off by removing its head with the other hatchet in two quick motions.
Then Hefty was pursued. The final demon wielding a one-handed Warhammer disappeared in a blur as it dashed towards Hefty, but Hefty was able to follow it's movements as well as match its speed. As they fought the fight appeared as only a blurry mess, but the knights were able to follow along as they witnessed Hefty fight. Hefty blocked the attack with his shield and swung his sword with all his strength only for his retaliation to be dodged. He pursued the creature and continued to attempt to slay it as he'd swing and swing and swing, and each time the attack be dodged. Hefty was able to display the same speed when dodging his opponent's attacks. There had to be a weakness of some sort, and Hefty had to find it. The battle could easily be ended if Archer just simply shot it in the head, but this speed was currently beyond Archer's skill. He couldn't risk killing Hefty. Hefty and the demon clashed weapons many times as they quickly dashed around the camp as though it were a 3d fighting game and the camp was the arena.
Hefty blocked the next attack with his shield and tried once again to end the battle, but his attack was being dodged again. The hammer was slowly but surely degrading his shield as there were visible dents in it. Was this the demon's strategy? To wear down the opponent's armor and/or tire them out before killing them if its speed doesn't overpower it immediately? Hefty is beginning to understand his opponent more and more. Perhaps he could use his shield as bait and try a new attack he's been working on. Surely using a new skill would throw his opponent off. Hefty held out his shield purposely the next time the demon swung and hammer and the shield took damage, but then hefty held out his sword and leaped upward towards his opponent with his sword straight out. It cut a large vertical strike across the Demon's body. The creature stumbled back and Hefty finished the fight by impaling it through the chest. The battle was over, and this was just a taste of things to come.
"They're getting stronger…" Timber said.
"So what? We are too." Hefty said.
They cleaned the bodies out of camp and piled them up in what would become a big stinky pile of fail far away from the camp and then went to sleep so they could recover their energy for the next day when the assault begins.
