The Smurfocalypse Chapter 127: The Search for the Savant Cure Part 21: The Killer Magic Forest
The Flower of Vitality blooms every year for three months when the planet is at its peak temperature. Long ago back before Grandpa Smurf would even begin his journey the Flower of Vitality was vibrant across the land. The end of the Iron Age sparked an Alchemical Revolution in the Smurf race. During this time the fabled Age of Alchemy would occur in the human's current time period as well. During this time alchemists of every species explored the ancient world seeing what they could put together and cram into a potion. It didn't take long even in the ancient world for word to spread across the continent of a flower that holds the essence of health itself within its pollen. The flower was then hunted nearly to extinction for many reasons. Creatures of every race could benefit from having it. Those with human-like intellect or higher seized them for those reasons as a natural arms race challenged all who lived to discover it and become familiar with alchemy and magic in order to continue survival. As though being protected by Mother Nature herself, a magic forest sprung to life over the course of centuries to protect what remained of the species and its natural habitat as though the entire planet yelled in protest to them being snuffed out and actively took steps to save them. Grandpa told Hefty of the killer magic forest that supposedly kills whatever wasn't born in it by magically extracting one's soul from their body by bridging the gap between the afterlife and the living world creating a plain of existence where one could lose themselves by willing going along with an illusion located in the center of a paranormal realm and not return in time to preserve their body's survival. To achieve the key to life one must face death and live to tell about it. This was the reality presented to those who dwell on Earth from their ancestors, individuals they'd likely love had they grown up with them. The generational burden knows no bounds and is not restricted to any time period. Their ancestors could have avoided this entirely, picked their flower, and went home. However Hefty and his forces would stare at the very edge of death to achieve this prize. The very thing in this world a Smurf finds comfort in will be their greatest foe.
"We finally made it! My feet are so tired!" Blossom said.
Sweepy just looked to her and grinned.
"That's starting to become a running gag." Sweepy pointed out.
"Dew don't seem to care." Hefty said with a shrug gesturing to her dirty bare feet.
Dew walks up and stops in her tracks surveying the forest as deep in as her eyes would allow. Blossom walks up to Storm and the entire time she looks like she's about to laugh.
"Carry me Stormy." Blossom said pretending to fall.
"Yeah right." Storm said.
"So Hefty. What can we expect from this place?" Mammoth said walking up being the last to join the group outside the forest.
"This land is very dangerous. We'll see things that will upset or scare us, but through it all is what we came for." Hefty said.
"No matter what you do Blossom don't fall asleep here." Storm said.
"Right." Blossom said with a nod.
"The moment you fall asleep I'm grabbing the shoe." Pearl said calmly stepping up to Dew who was stretching.
"Shut up Pearl. It's me whose gonna grab your shoe." Dew said.
"At least without my armor I won't slow us down. I just wish I felt safer out here without it. Hefty chose to bring me along even though my armor was destroyed. I wonder why." Sweepy said.
Hefty and Storm had strategically chose this team based on what Grandpa knew about the forest. For once neither of them were necessarily looking for a force to train up or to watch over. They begrudgingly made the team so that the team could protect them. Quite a few of the knights here have something that will be their guide in this forest. Hefty and Storm don't have this. So the ultimate test of trust begins. Something that wasn't easy to convince Storm to participate in, but with the group mostly consisting of her friends and Hefty being there by her side allowed her to do it. They began their trek through the forest, stepping inside and into the magic forest. The moment they stepped inside an overwhelming sense of torpor descended upon their consciousness.
"It feels like I didn't sleep last night…" Blossom said.
"Yeah I feel it too." Pearl said.
This was worse than what Hefty had anticipated. This magic was beyond anything anyone he knew that was alive could currently do. His mind began to unintentionally drift as he walked as did everyone else's. This magic and the power it consists of was almost comforting in a morbid sense that they feel like it should be protecting them but it's not. It was beckoning them into a warm embrace. The further they got the more tired they were becoming. Hefty's eyes close for a brief minute and he feels a sting across his face causing him to open them immediately all the way.
"Its not nap time Hefty!" Storm said looking at him visibly tired.
"Thanks Storm." Hefty said with a smile.
Storm nodded. As she walked passed him Blossom followed her and was yawning covering her mouth with her hand.
"This is so weird." Blossom said.
"Getting tired yet Dew?" Pearl said with a fatigued smirk.
"Hell no! I could live here! I might build a second hut right here." Dew said looking equally tired.
Mammoth said nothing as he followed the others. Just observed and learned. The others were getting tired faster yet he was the oldest and his journey here wasn't simple in comparison. Was there a reason it was affecting them all differently?
"Hey Sweepy." Mammoth said.
Sweepy looks up at him
"What's up Mammoth?" Sweepy asked.
"Isn't it a little weird how it's not affecting either of us as much as the others?" Mammoth asked.
"You noticed too? Could be a coincidence." Sweepy said.
"Might be… Might not be." Mammoth said.
They made it about halfway in and it was still high noon yet. That's when it happened. Without much warning Hefty collapsed and was out before he even hit the ground. The others stopped immediately.
"Hefty!" Storm yelled rushing towards him with Blossom right behind her.
"It's happening. The magic is starting to take its toll on us." Mammoth said.
The next to fall was Storm. She dizzily stood there trying to stave it off like a champ, but when she crouched down to pick up Hefty she too collapsed.
"Not Stormy too!" Blossom yelled putting her hands on her face.
She began to then lightly smack her cheeks once she was done holding them.
"Come on Blossom stay awake." Blossom thought.
"You going to keel over next Dew?" Pearl asked with a smirk.
"You wish." Dew said.
"I'll get them." Mammoth said approaching Storm and Hefty as they lay on top of each other on the forest floor.
Mammoth bends down and skillfully scoops them up with his tusks as though it were something he did using muscle memory and kept walking.
"We don't want to be in here when the sun goes down." Mammoth said.
"Come on everyone we can do this." Sweepy said.
"I know we can." Blossom said with confidence tiredly as she followed along.
On another plain of existence entirely. Hefty faces a peculiar situation.
Hefty opened his eyes and his surroundings were different. He was standing on a tree branch and the forest he was in felt serene. It brought feelings to him that he hadn't felt since the start of the Smurfocalypse. Everything felt like it was the way it was supposed to be. Then he saw him in the distance with his back turned but Hefty knew. It was Papa Smurf. Hefty felt all sorts of different feelings when he turned towards him with that warm smile that was always so reassuring that things would be ok.
"Hey Hefty." Papa Smurf said.
"Papa Smurf? I… What is…" Hefty said.
Papa Smurf then hugged onto to him lovingly and he felt it. Everything was so real but none of it made any sense.
"I am so sorry about what happened. Maybe if I had been stronger, if I had insisted that you didn't go maybe you'd still be here. Maybe you'd still be with us." Hefty said tearing up.
"There there Hefty. It'll be alright." Papa Smurf said.
Papa Smurf pulled away from the hug but kept an arm around him.
"Take a look Hefty." Papa Smurf said gesturing out to the Smurf Village visible in full scale across the land amongst the forest.
"It's beautiful Papa Smurf. It reminds me of the way things need to be for us." Hefty said.
"Never forget that feeling Hefty. One day when the time comes you too will live here and we will be together once again." Papa Smurf said.
Hefty looks to Papa Smurf and raises an eyebrow.
"However, you can't stay. There's still much for you to do." Papa Smurf said.
"Papa Smurf I don't know." Hefty said.
"Don't let this small little rift in our universe hold you prisoner. You're alive Hefty. I am not. This isn't your reality." Papa Smurf said.
Then before his very eyes a dark rift opened before him and slowly walking out into view was Titan. He glared at Hefty as he stood before him.
"Strongest Smurf in the Universe huh? You think you can just take that title from me and then pull it through the mud!?" Titan asked.
"Titan…" Hefty said.
"How dare you defeat me, and take my title only to die in the middle of the woods like an animal!?" Titan said.
Titan clenched his fists.
"How could you do this?" Titan asked.
"I didn't mean to!" Hefty shouted.
"Hurry the fuck up and wake up!" Titan shouted.
"I'm trying!" Hefty said.
"Don't make me kick your ass!" Titan shouted.
Hefty tried to wake up, but it sucked because how does he even wake up? It's not something you exactly do when you're awake which Hefty feels like he's awake. In another part of the spectral plain Storm was undergoing her own challenge.