The Smurfocalypse chapter 112: The Search for the Savant Cure Part 16: The Living Volcano?! Hefty versus Raptor Smurf of Blood Mountain!
There was an eerie silence as tension built up that was so thick it could be cut with a knife and served with a side of fries. The amount of hate Hefty felt for Raptor was on a level that rivaled a human's distaste for another human. It was a side of Hefty no member of his forces was comfortable seeing. The Smurfs that knew him the most among the spectators knew Hefty was not happy to say the least, and knew that the fight they were about to witness would not be pretty.
"So at last we meet in the arena." Hefty said as he glared at Raptor who had just entered the arena.
Raptor said nothing as he generated the aura of his Smurf essence with a blank expression on his face. Did Raptor want to fight Hefty? Obviously not. Nothing that transpired tonight was fun, cool, or exciting in any way for anyone involved. It was nothing short of a tragedy. Raptor regretted his actions seconds too late, and an innocent Smurf was killed. There was literally nothing he could do other than accept this fate.
"I don't want this…" Raptor said.
"Tough!" Hefty yelled clenching his right fist tightly.
He then points aggressively at Raptor.
"This is all your fault! Timber is dead because of you, and I'm going to tear you limb from limb in his name!" Hefty said.
Everyone was visibly uncomfortable as they anticipated what they assumed was going to be the most brutal beat down in the history of their entire race. Smurfstorm however got front row seats. She sat down on a rock excitedly and popped the cork off her potion before casually taking a sip so as to test what it would taste like. As she took a sip the wound on her face began to rapidly heal for a couple seconds. She looks down at the vial in her hand and smiles with satisfaction before tilting back her head and chugging it resulting in her being fully healed.
"Kick his ass Hefty!" Smurfstorm shouts.
Hefty nods without taking his eyes off Raptor.
Mammoth says nothing as he observes. In his eyes Raptor was getting what he deserved at this point. He was not going to be the next to die just to protect him. As a neutral party who was granted immunity from Hefty he was not going to say anything to make the others think he might still be on Raptor's side. Mammoth was the type of Smurf to remain quiet, vigilant, and carefully mentally analyze a situation before acting and the rumors that made their way to Blood Mountain painted a barbaric picture of Hefty and his forces. He is a very tactical Smurf despite his arms and armor suggesting otherwise. His intellect and tactical thinking skills allowed him to survive the beginning of apocalypse whereas his peers who had lived hundreds of years peacefully were thrown off by the sudden change in the world and began dropping like flies until they were all gone. Hefty was born at just the right time and with just the right skills and talents to flourish in this post apocalyptic world almost immediately. The saving grace of Papa Smurf's family.
"Now face me in glorious battle!" Hefty yells as he flexes every muscle in his body and concentrates as his aura wisps, cracks, swirls, and expands high above his head.
Jupiter finally couldn't take it anymore and stood up from the rock he was sitting on and walked off into the woods presumably to be alone, but Smurfblossom had noticed and knew Jupiter wasn't being himself lately and chose to follow him. She found him sitting against a tree visibly shaking looking as though he was going to break.
"Jupiter? Are you alright?" Smurfblossom said a look of genuine concern on her face as she approaches him.
"Smurfblossom? Don't worry about me… I'll be ok." Jupiter said.
Smurfblossom stubbornly approaches him and sits down next to him hugging her knees. She was forcing a smile, but it clearly wasn't as infectious and warm as one of her genuine smiles. She wasn't going to leave him out here in the burning forest. She's seen this look before and she's snapped friends out of it before so maybe she could help this time. She sat patiently by his side giving him the time he needed as he had broken down into tears.
"I killed another Smurf tonight…" Jupiter said shakily tears still rolling down his face.
"Jupiter…" Smurfblossom said.
"I see his face every time I close my eyes." Jupiter said.
"I did too… We had to Jupiter." Smurfblossom said.
"Did we? Maybe there was another way. Those Smurfs… They had families, friends, jobs. What if we were wrong Smurfblossom? What if Hefty actually is…" Jupiter said.
"Don't think that way Jupiter! We had to do what we had to do to survive." Smurfblossom said.
Jupiter pauses and look at her for a moment.
"I didn't like it either. I hate every time I have to do it, but the facts are that the world has changed. You're not on Turtle Island anymore Jupiter! We have to do things differently here to protect the ones we love. Not every Smurf you meet will be your friend!" Smurfblossom said.
"No Smurf has the right to take a Smurf's life away… It makes me wonder what would have happened if Pluto had faced one of the others." Jupiter said.
"They would have saved her Jupiter. The Knights of the Smurf Table are heroes you should be honored to be a part of that." Smurfblossom said.
"I don't even know what I feel anymore… I need to get home to Psychiatrist. I feel like the entire world is falling apart and there's nothing I can do about it no matter how strong I am Smurfs are still getting hurt they're still dying… And now I have to use the Star of Jupiter against my fellow Smurf." Jupiter said.
"Hefty's out there right now making the world a better place. You'll see Jupiter it will be ok. Stormy and Hefty will make things right. They've been fighting so hard since this all started to make things normal again." Smurfblossom said.
"What if we can't be normal anymore after all the things we've done?" Jupiter said.
Smurfblossom had never thought of that due to her nearly adamant state of optimism. What if they couldn't be normal again?
"It doesn't matter. The ones we love will be… The ones we've fought so hard to protect will be normal again." Smurfblossom said.
Jupiter pictured a world where Pluto could grow up without ever having to use her star again. He pictured her smiling and happy as an adult working in Doctor's clinic as his nurse, the terrible memories of the past distant. Jupiter stands there with a long brown beard, a look of pride on his face as Pluto succeeds. Jupiter wanted that for her so bad… He wanted it for them.
"Was it really worth taking another Smurfs life though…" Jupiter thinks.
"I had to kill a Smurf tonight that was trying to shoot Hefty." Smurfblossom said.
Jupiter just looks at her unsurprised that she too was forced to into a situation like that was interested in her perspective to see how she deals with it.
"I didn't want to kill him even when I was bleeding to death I still didn't want to do it, but I panicked and aimed a little too high and he died." Smurfblossom said.
"How do you cope with it?" Jupiter asked.
"Stormy says we owe it to those who've died to carry on. I don't think I'll ever really be the same as I was when I was living in Smurfy Grove, but I chose the path of the knight to honor my friends who were killed. I have to keep my friends safe and honor those who have died by carrying on." Smurfblossom said.
"Even the Smurfs we kill?" Jupiter asked.
"No Smurf was like this before the demons attacked… We can build a new world together where no Smurf has to do these things ever again, but we're all that's left. The others can't do these things they need our help." Smurfblossom said.
"But…" Jupiter said.
"What if Pluto was forced to do these things? Do you want that? Because without us she'd have to fight again." Smurfblossom said.
"I don't want that at all." Jupiter said.
"What we did tonight was hard, but remember we're doing it for our friends and family so that they don't have to." Smurfblossom said.
Smurfblossom stayed by Jupiter's side as he calmed down. Meanwhile the fight was just getting started.
"Fine Hefty Smurf! I gave you the chance to reconsider! Now you will be consumed by fire and molten lava!" Raptor shouts as he generates his Smurf essence.
His essence alone caused the ambient temperature to increase. Hefty began to visibly sweat as the temperature increased and the other knights were just as uncomfortable.
"I'm going to rid the world of you Raptor Smurf!" Hefty said as he charged Raptor.
"So you continuously claim Hefty Smurf, but I have yet to see you do anything worthy of your title." Raptor said with a smirk.
As Hefty charges Raptor the elderly Smurf leaps back and generates his Smurf essence causing the ground between them to rip open and spew molten rocks from it. Hefty stops as soon as he can and lifts his sword to block a rock that would have otherwise hit his head.
"Good luck getting past that Hefty Smurf!" Raptor said as he prepared his next attack.
Hefty kicks off the ground and leaps over Raptor's attack dodging rocks and lava left and right as it spewed from the Smurf essence imbued earth. Just then Raptor holds up the palm of his hand as Hefty comes into his range of attack. On both of his hands were long bladed katars each with three long claw-like blades designed to stab and rip enemies apart. This however was not what he had in store for Hefty. From his palm came a torrent of lava which shot at Hefty as he cleared Raptor's setup attack. Hefty tried to dodge, but was struck by the attack. Hefty screams out as he assumed his fate would match Timber's, but his strength type Smurf essence caught the attack and his aura was preventing it from completely destroying him. Hefty flexes every muscle in his body and screams as his aura flares. He was using so much Smurf essence it was stripping the bark on the nearby trees. The very essence of his being was repelling this attack.
"You can't hold it back forever Hefty Smurf!" Raptor claims.
"That's what you think! I can do this in my sleep!" Hefty shouts.
"Hefty…" Farmer said.
"Stay strong Hefty!" Archer said.
"I have a mission to restore my best friend to perfect health, and no amount of evil will stop me from making it a reality!" Hefty shouts.
With one final determined scream Hefty generates enough Smurf essence to completely crush the attack as though it were a tiny pebble. The lava stops in mid-air and falls to the ground immediately setting the grass around it on fire. Raptor gives Hefty almost no respite as he charges him and attempts to slash him with his weapon. Hefty immediately parry's the attack by strategically striking the tip of Raptor's blades and causing him to lose his stance and stagger from Hefty's might putting strain on his wrists which bound the weapons to his hands. Raptor slides back across the ground and staggers and before he can even prepare himself Hefty follows up by charging after him and attempting to impale him. Hefty was so fast Raptor has no time to even really see Hefty. It seemed the battle would end prematurely until a figure flew out from the foliage towards Hefty and Raptor, and then it happened. Before Hefty or Raptor even knew what was going on there stood Terry completely impaled by Hefty's sword that would have ended the battle if it had hit Raptor. The sound of Hefty's sword ripping through her flesh was heard by everyone amidst the chaos. Terry was barely standing at this point. She was facing Raptor the dutiful gaze in her eyes fades and transitions to the face of someone in incredible pain.
"Master…" Terry said, her voice just barely above a whisper.
Blood runs down her face from her mouth and blood was soaking the ground from her fatal wound. Hefty removes his sword and Terry falls forward being caught by Raptor who looked down at her in horror. She begins to tear up, and puts her bloody hand on his cheek staining his white beard and helmet before dying almost as instantly as she reappeared. Raptor's eyes fill with tears as he hold her. His entire life with her flashed before his eyes. Scenes of holding her as a baby, teaching her how to walk, how to read and write, taking care of her when she was sick, playing games with her as a Smurfling, comforting her when she was scared, teaching her how to be an adult, and watching her grow into what he perceived even in this moment to be a lovable kind caring and sweet Smurfette. Now it was all over, and her blood was on his face.
"Miss Terry!" Compy cries out.
"Now you know how it feels." Hefty said coldly his voice deep and harsh.
Raptor stares down at Terry tears streaming down his face dampening his grey beard. Then he began to uncontrollably shake as he was trying his best not to wail like a Smurfling.
"Hefty Smurf… You will pay dearly for what you have done." Raptor finally said.
"Prepare to join her." Hefty says as he flicks Terry's gore off his sword in one clean quick motion before preparing to finish him off.
"I'm going to make you experience hell on earth for this." Raptor said.
"Too late. I've already experienced it." Hefty said.
Hefty continued to boldly downplay Raptor's every attempt at intimidation as he quite literally has no fear on earth not related to heights, but something inside Raptor was changing and this would prove troublesome. Raptor's aura started to change color gradually fading from blue to purple as he still desperately tried to maintain his emotions. Finally Raptor's ascension was apparent, and his aura doubled in size causing Hefty to step back so as not to be consumed by it.
"This isn't good…" Mammoth silently thinks to himself.
"Mammoth… Are we going to die?" Compy asks from his hiding place.
"I actually don't know this time Compy. We may be in serious trouble if Hefty Smurf doesn't win." Mammoth said.
This gained the attention of Archer whose constant vigilance picked up on the conversation. There was no doubt in his mind personally now that Mammoth was not their enemy. Even the Smurf in towering heavy armor equip with a trunk, tusks, and a large Warhammer that looked like he could defeat an army decided that things were getting out of hand.
"We may have to give them more space." Farmer said.
"If you Smurfs want to back away then do it. I'm going to stay by Hefty's side." Smurfstorm said.
Raptor finally decides to make use of his newly awakened Smurf essence to draw out his most powerful technique. Smurf essence envelops him and takes the form of molten rock until he was no longer visible. Where Raptor once stood there was a literal volcano forming rapidly rising into the air.
"Volcano Point!" Raptor shouts.
Upon shouting his technique for the whole forest to hear the top of the volcano exploded and lava started spewing and gushing out of it quickly rendering a large part of the arena inaccessible. With Raptor establishing the perfect defense and offense, and now having even more power than ever will Hefty survive, and what will happen if he doesn't?