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Author
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Topic: An As-Yet-Unfinished Story, "Smurfing In Heaven"
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 06:51 AM
One of my "Smurfed Behind" stories which is still not finished yet, under the working title "Smurfing In Heaven":
Empath found the HoloSmurf by the stream fishing. He was happily whistling the smurfsong the same way that Papa Smurf would usually do whenever he was busy with something that kept him occupied.
“Good morning, Empath,” HoloSmurf greeted with a cheerful smile as he saw Empath. “Did you smurf well?”
Empath groaned as he stretched. “This smurf isn’t used to sleeping outdoors since my days in Psychelia, but this smurf is slowly adjusting,” he answered.
“One of the advantages of being an Imaginarium-smurfed being is that you don’t have to worry about sleep,” HoloSmurf mentioned casually. “As long as you smurf me back inside my crystal, I will be as rested and as smurfing to go as you and Polaris.”
“That reminds this smurf,” Empath continued, “how did you get activated this morning without this smurf doing it?”
“Your friend Polaris woke up before you and smurfed the honors, Empath,” HoloSmurf answered. “He thought that I could be smurfful to this threesome by smurfing some food for us to eat. Another advantage of being me is not having to worry about smurfing stomachs.”
“This smurf never remembers Papa Smurf being so annoying,” Empath muttered.
“I smurf your pardon, Empath?” HoloSmurf asked.
“It’s just that to this smurf, you’re so much like Papa Smurf and yet so much like Brainy Smurf,” Empath explained, “This smurf somehow just can’t get used to the fact that you’re not Papa Smurf, because right now you’re all this smurf has of him.”
“I appreciate your smurfiment, Empath,” HoloSmurf replied, “but I was never designed to be anything more than just Papa Smurf’s assistant. I have all 552 years of his memories, but I don’t have his powers or his personality. I can no more run an entire village by mysmurf than I can make fish smurf out of the stream. And while I also have memories of you being smurfed to Papa Smurf, I cannot even be as much a father to you as he was.”
HoloSmurf looked at Empath and sighed. Somehow he didn’t like seeing Empath thinking that he has no other Smurf to turn to when all the others including Papa Smurf had left him, even by accident.
“If it makes you smurf any better,” he finally said, placing his hand on Empath’s shoulder, “I will always be here for you no matter how this adventure smurfs out. Just think of me as smurfing like Papa Smurf’s twin brother, the one who never has to sleep or eat.”
“Well, ‘Uncle Culliford’, this smurf can see we may have a bite,” Empath interjected when he saw the line on the assistant’s fishing line being tugged on.
HoloSmurf never felt so excited, since this was his first time fishing, and yet he recalled Papa Smurf’s previous experiences doing fishing. “Just watch this and see if I can smurf us a big one today,” he cried out as he fought with his pole trying to bring it in. “Papa Smurf’s really going to envy his assistant when he smurfs out...”
But the fish proved to be bigger than HoloSmurf expected. It ended up pulling him in with his pole, producing a big splash that also soaked Empath.
Empath laughed at the sight of HoloSmurf, holding up his broken pole and grimacing at the thought of the big one that got away from him as he stood there in the water.
“By the way, let me remind you of another advantage of being me,” he said in a sardonic manner, not liking Empath’s laughing at him. “I don’t have to worry about being smurfing wet or cold.” He immediately stepped out of the water looking like he hadn’t even fallen into the stream, carrying his pole with him.
Empath stopped laughing when he saw the broken pole. “This smurf sympathizes with you for the loss of your big catch of the day,” he said.
“Well, we’re going to need more than sympathy when Polaris finds out we don’t have breakfast ready,” HoloSmurf scoffed.
“That part we can fix the simple way,” Empath grinned as he picked up a small stone, looked into the stream as he waited, then threw the stone into the water very hard. He picked up a big fish similar to the one HoloSmurf had lost.
“Well, won’t Papa Smurf be envious?” HoloSmurf muttered, already feeling that way.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 01:43 PM
NOTE: There's a gap at this point between the previous "chapter" and this one.
As soon as they traveled a good distance away from where they had encountered Heftargan and his band of Schliphargons in the forest, Polaris used the HoloSmurf to find a good spot where they could sleep for the night without being disturbed by any humans. But even though Polaris was without much of his mind's-eye abilities, he could see that Empath was bitter and fuming. He hadn't so much as spoken a word ever since Polaris had to step in before Empath proceeded to pummel Heftargan's head in with his quarterstaff. Polaris decided to try breaking the silence to see what was wrong and what he could do to help.
"Empath, this one apologizes for having to intercede on your behalf, to prevent you from committing a violent act that would have possibly killed a living being," he said calmly. "However, you should know from your years of training as a Psyche that you should never allow the taunts and rantings of an outsider to disrupt the inner calm of your temperance. It is nothing more than a hot wind trying to topple mere blades of grass."
"How many times does this smurf have to tell you - I am not a Psyche!!!" Empath yelled, pushing Polaris away. "I may have smurfed up as one, but I've smurfed around with my fellow Smurfs long enough to know who and what I really am, so don't lecture to me!"
"Who and what you are, Empath, doesn't change the fact that your loss of control over your temper is an important matter," Polaris responded, unruffled by Empath pushing him back. "This one is not blind to the fact that Heftargan is trying to use disinformation in order to try undermining your self-confidence and self-determination in trying to rescue your fellow Smurfs."
"Disinformation?!?" Empath exclaimed. "Heftargan could be smurfing us the truth, for all we would know. But this smurf swears, if this smurf ever found out that they are responsible for killing all the other Smurfs, this smurf is going to avenge them!"
"Empath, listen to yoursmurf," the HoloSmurf counseled. "You're just assmurfing that those Schliphargons are smurfing the truth about the deaths of our lost fellow Smurfs. And even if they are right, what good would smurfing an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth with those warriors smurf you? It won't smurf anything to bring any of those lost Smurfs back, not even from the dead. Is that how you would want any of those Smurfs - Baby Smurf, the Smurflings, even Smurfette - to remember you as?"
"That wouldn't be a problem, HoloSmurf," Empath answered. "After this smurf is done smurfing some serious torment on the Schliphargons, this smurf is going to be joining my fellow Smurfs - wherever they happen to be after this life!"
HoloSmurf couldn't believe his ears. "You're not going to - smurf your own life?!?"
"Empath, you can't seriously believe that terminating your own life will bring you to your fellow Smurfs again in the hereafter," Polaris objected. "From what this one has read in your own people's literature, suicide is more likely to send your spirit into the land of Tartarus, where all condemned souls go when they die. You'll never know the potential happiness you may experience in this Elysium this one also has heard about, and you may be forever separated from your fellow Smurfs if they happen to be there before you."
"This smurf doesn't care about that anymore, Polaris," Empath snapped. "All I want is to smurf away from this horrid life that I happen to be smurfing, all the suffering and disappointments this smurf has to endure, and now this. If there are any Smurfs down in Tartarus by now, this smurf would be happy to have them smurfing by!" With that, he buried his face with his hands and continued to cry, refusing to listen anymore.
Polaris sighed, unable to do anything to allay Empath's fears. "Perhaps it is best for you to allow your feelings about wanting to die prematurely to dissipate on their own accord through your resting period, Empath," he suggested. "By morning, you should be able to think clearly and forget about Heftargan's incessant bragging."
Empath nodded but didn't say anything more. The HoloSmurf sat down beside Empath as he laid down by the base of a tree, holding the sobbing Smurf and trying to comfort him with the same voice Papa Smurf used to lull his little Smurfs to sleep when they were young. Polaris knew that when Empath was quiet and asleep, the HoloSmurf would instantly deactivate himself.
Polaris found a spot around the same tree that he thought would be comfortable for him and focused on drifting off into sleep himself. He hoped by the spirit of the Great Ancestors that he could help bring Empath about from his desire to kill himself and to renew his faith in his belief that his fellow Smurfs are waiting in time for him to rescue them.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 01:46 PM
Throughout the night, Empath found himself haunted by memories of that day, fighting the Schliphargons, hearing their leader Heftargan taunting him by saying that all his fellow Smurfs were dead, and getting ready to pound his quarterstaff into Heftargan's face when Polaris stopped him from doing so, allowing Heftargan more opportunities to get under Empath's skin with his rather vulgar insults. The comments kept repeating themselves on and on, sounding more menacing each time Empath heard them in his sleep. But then he heard another voice calling out to him, a sweet gentle voice drowning out Heftargan's, beckoning him.
"Empath, please wake up."
Empath thought he heard Smurfette calling him. But that was impossible, he thought. She and all the other Smurfs are trapped in time, aren't they? And yet he could hear her speaking to him loud and clear enough for him to hear.
Empath sat himself up from where he had been sleeping and opened his eyes to see Smurfette standing before him. Somehow she appeared more radiant than how he last remembered seeing her, wearing a glowing long sky-blue dress with a gold belt. "Smurfette?" he asked, unsure of what he was seeing.
The being standing before him smiled. "Empath, it's me, Smurfette! It's time for you to smurf home!"
"Come home?" Empath asked, unsure of what that meant. "You mean, you and all the other Smurfs, including Papa Smurf, have found a way back home to the Smurf Village?"
"No, you silly," Smurfette answered. "It's time to smurf home with us...to our new home up in the sky...a new place where Smurfs could smurf in peace and harmony."
Empath was more confused. He still had no idea how Smurfette came to be standing here, telling him all this. And what's with this bright whitish glow that came from her, and the halo on top of her head? He looked around and saw that it was morning, so he must have just awakened and his eyes weren't properly focused, that it was merely the new morning's light reflecting off of Smurfette, making her look angelic for some reason. Or maybe he was hallucinating again, seeing things from his dreams in a state where he wasn't fully awake. He reached out to touch Smurfette's face…and realized that it was no hallucination, and that he was awake.
"What this smurf meant...is how did you get back to this time period?" Empath asked, trying to make more sense about the whole thing. "This smurf thought that you and all the other Smurfs have lost the Key of Chronos somewhere in time and are trapped journeying from one time period to another!"
"Oh, that!" Smurfette realized. "Well, the truth is, we have all died!"
Empath's eyes opened wide with disbelief. "Died?!? But how...? Where...? When...? I mean, if that is true, then how are you standing here telling this smurf?"
"I am standing here smurfing you all this because you have died here, Empath," Smurfette answered. "Last night, you wished that you were dead so that you could be with us once again in case we were dead. Well, the gods have answered your prayers, and they have smurfed me down here to take you home with us."
"This smurf is dead, too?" Empath asked, still not believing all that he was taking in until he noticed that his body was still lying on the ground, the same way it was when he fell asleep. He gasped as he now saw himself as nothing more than a spirit, all translucent and glowing just like Smurfette. He thrusted his hand into his own body and saw it passing through like it was just air. "Great Ancestors!" he gasped. "This can't be happening!"
"It has happened, Empath," Smurfette told him. "The life that you once knew as a Smurf in this world is over. It's time for you to know life as a Smurf in the here beyond, which is greater than anything you have ever experienced."
"But I don't want to leave this world yet, Smurfette," Empath cried. "There's so much that this smurf has yet to experience here. This smurf cannot go with you!"
"You cannot turn back from this journey, Empath," Smurfette insisted. "You must say goodbye to the life you once knew, for it no longer matters. Come with me, and join all your fellow Smurfs again in the here beyond, for they all await you there. Join us, and you'll never have to know the pain of living alone. For in the here beyond, there is no more pain, no more suffering...only eternal happiness!"
At that point, Empath found himself drifting uncontrollably upward with Smurfette as she rose toward the sky, toward the bright blazing light he could now see that wasn't coming from the rising sun. He looked down to see his body still laying there, lifeless.
"Great Ancestors!" he exclaimed. "This can't be happening! All of this smurf's fellow Smurfs couldn't have died...could they?"
"Do not worry anymore about our fates, Empath," Smurfette called out to him, sounding incredibly cheerful about this. "Just let your past go and fly with me to a place where life is eternal and free of all burdens!"
Empath realized he had no choice. He allowed himself to float even higher, as high as Smurfette was flying, until he found the both of them so high above the clouds that they could no longer see the ground beneath them. Up ahead, the bright light grew larger, as if it were a portal into another world opening itself up.
Empath and Smurfette flew into the blazing light, and then beyond it they could see another village that looked very much like the Smurf Village, only now it was much cleaner and more beautiful than the village that existed back in the living world, its roads paved with bright reflecting gold. In fact, the entire village, including its mushroom cottages, looked like it was made of gold. And then Empath saw...all his fellow Smurfs, all living their lives as if nothing had ever happened to them, and they too were wearing halos. They saw Empath and Smurfette arriving and gathered over to where they had landed to greet him. Among them, Empath saw, was... "Papa Smurf?"
"Empath!" Papa Smurf exclaimed, obviously excited about seeing him again.
Empath was so overwhelmed in emotion he couldn't help hugging Papa Smurf. "It's been so long since this smurf saw you back in the village. This smurf didn't think we would ever meet again," he whimpered, unable to keep the tears from flowing.
"It's all right, Empath," Papa Smurf said in the same soothing tone Empath was familiar with. "We didn't expect anything like this to happen oursmurfs. We're just glad that you're back among us, even if it isn't among the living. Do not weep anymore, for you are in Elysium...the place of eternal paradise and happiness."
Empath opened his eyes and saw his fellow Smurfs also greeting him, telling him how much they missed having him around. Apparently, no Smurf ever seemed unhappy about being here, in this place called paradise. Even Grouchy, who seemed very unpleasant to be around, felt as if he was at peace with himself.
"My little Smurfs," Papa Smurf announced, "today we must celebrate the return of our lost Smurf, who has left the land of the living to share in the eternal joy of being a Smurf in the hereafter. May he be as happy as we are now that we are all together again."
Every Smurf cheered, and surrounded Empath with more hurrahs.
Empath never felt so happy in his life. It was as if all the pain in the world had disappeared from his memory - being away in Psychelia, killing Polluxis, reliving the nightmare of his father leaving him in Psychelia, watching Papa Smurf die, and in recent memory, being left alone in the Smurf Village. It was like being born again.
Smurfette took Empath in her arms and kissed him fully on the lips.
Empath felt surprised by this. "What did you kiss me like that for?" he asked.
"Just wanted to let you know that we're also married!" Smurfette answered, smiling.
"Married?" Empath asked, confused. "I mean, back when we were alive, you and this smurf were very good friends, but...how could we be married now? We never exchanged vows or anything like that!"
"That's the best part about being in Elysium," Smurfette told him. "The souls of those who truly love each other are forever joined as one and nothing can break the bond between us now."
Empath was still trying to take it all in, to accept this as actually happening. It was as if everything happening to him was just too good to be true. To hear now that Smurfette truly loved him was beyond his ability to believe. Somehow he found himself walking away from Smurfette, feeling not ready to accept what she was giving him.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 01:50 PM
Sassette came up to him. "What's wrong, Empath?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "Aren't you happy to be back among us once again?"
Empath sighed. "There's just so much that this smurf wanted to do while this smurf was living, that this smurf thought I had all the time in the world to do it, and now we're dead and gone," he told Sassette. "Smurfette never even knew how much this smurf had loved her. This smurf wanted to tell her so much before she went away."
"Smurfette already knows, Empath," Sassette responded. "In fact, every Smurf here now knows how much you love Smurfette, and how much she loves you. No Smurf can feel that much happier knowing that the two of you are back together again."
"But...like this?" Empath asked. "This all seems too good to be true...I mean, something about this just isn't right, and this smurf doesn't know what it is!"
"Smurf a walk with me and let me smurf you," Sassette offered. Empath accepted the offered hand and went with Sassette around the entire village, where they saw various Smurfs doing the things they always loved doing the best - whether it was working, playing, or just resting. He saw Greedy at a table devouring a feast fit for a king, and yet never feeling full. He saw Jokey playing his pranks as usual on unsuspecting Smurfs, but his victims laughed as well as those who watched. He saw Vanity constantly decorating the village with flowers and streamers, and then checking his reflection in his mirror to see how he looked with his personal touches. Yet none of the other Smurfs seem to make fun of Vanity doing this. He saw Brainy lecturing to a group of Smurfs who never seemed bored or even eager to kick him far beyond the village. He saw Clumsy having fun arranging rocks and playing with mud, and even though he still kept bumping into the other Smurfs, no one ever complained about it.
"You see, Empath?" Sassette summarized. "This is the place where all the good little Smurfs go when they die, and here it's much smurfier than it was back in the land of the smurfing because no one ever needs to complain about anything."
"Aye, ain't that the truth?" another voice chimed in. Empath saw that Tapper had greeted him, bringing along two mugs of sarsaparilla ale. He handed Empath one of the mugs. "May we toast our inevitable reunion in a place that no evil can ever smurf us, the ultimate reward for being a Smurf!"
"Tapper, this seems a bit odd for you," Empath commented, taking the other mug. "You don't seem like the kind of Smurf who would just celebrate with a glass of sarsaparilla ale at any occasion."
"Then you have never tasted this kind of sarsaparilla ale before, Empath," Tapper smiled, "because this ale smurfs nothing to you other than tasting so good, it's heavenly." He raised his mug high toward Empath. "To Empath, the last living Smurf who now smurfs in heaven!"
Empath decided to go along with the toast. "To Tapper, the first Smurf to introduce this smurf to the wonders of sarsaparilla ale!" He clinked his mug together with Tapper's and then took a long swig of the frosty ale. He had to admit one thing - it truly tasted better than it did back in the land of the living.
He was so taken in by the whole scene, he didn't notice a slight glint in Tapper's eye that would have made Empath suspect something.
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Meanwhile, in another place, two pairs of eyes looked through Tapper's and saw Empath in this world beyond death, looking as if he was truly happy being where he was right now. They chortled maliciously as they continued to watch Empath through this "window of the soul".
"This is so disgustingly pure and sweet," one of the pairs of eyes spoke with great disdain. "Why are we wasting our time with this 'afterlife' when we can just simply take this warrior Smurf and make him accept your great gift of godhood?"
"Dissonance, you should know by now about the art of evil," the other pair of eyes reprimanded. "You can't make such a noble creature like a Smurf bend to your will by force...you have to give him something to desire, something that would be impossible for him to resist, even if it's the promise of being reunited in heaven with his fellow Smurfs. Besides, another great thing about the art of evil is that you can make your designs so inconspicuous that whoever accepts its forbidden fruit will never know what's happening around them until it's too late. Right now, all Empath knows is that he is with his fellow Smurfs again, and he would do anything they would ask of him, even if it happens to be in this 'afterlife'."
"And what if Empath refuses to go along with this, and finds out the truth behind this 'happy family reunion'?" the first voice asked, not sounding convinced.
"I don't think Empath is going to refuse, one way or another," the second voice answered, very certain of what's going to happen.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 01:54 PM
Meanwhile, back in Elysium, Empath was having the time of his life, playing with his fellow Smurfs in several nonstop rounds of smurfball. Given the state he was in as well as that of his fellow Smurfs, not only were the players so evenly matched that it made matches rather challenging for one team to get the best of the other, but also the players themselves never seemed to tire out no matter how long they played. Also, without Empath's mind's-eye abilities being active in this place, it made Hefty seem less intimidated to keep playing smurfball with him. Nevertheless, Empath was surprised to be making even impossible moves that would have left a normal Smurf seriously sprained trying to emulate had this game been played back down on Earth among the living. He could also see Smurfette standing on the sidelines, watching Empath play and cheering him on - something he rarely if ever saw Smurfette do when it came to being around her fellow Smurfs playing any kind of physical sport. Somehow he could sense that bond that Smurfette said was now between them that nothing could ever break, their now being "married in heaven". He could only wonder what it would be like being with Smurfette like that for eternity in a place that existed for eternity, what the kind of being alone and together with her would feel like. He remembered from what Tapper read in his holy book that those who were worthy of the resurrection would neither marry nor be given in marriage, but would be like the angels in heaven. Maybe here in paradise, Empath thought, it would be totally beyond the mere physical pleasure that is part of marriage on earth. Maybe just being in her presence alone would simply give him all the pleasure he would ever need.
After about what seemed like hours playing smurfball, however, Empath decided to call it quits. "What's the matter, Empath?" Hefty asked, sounding more concerned than condescending, as he usually was around Empath. "Not having enough fun smurfing your best against me in this game?"
"Just something that came to this smurf's mind, Hefty," Empath answered. "This smurf would like to continue playing with you later on, if you're available for another round."
"You'll know that I'll be here, smurfing for you," Hefty reminded him before he resumed playing the game with whatever players were left, with Wild Smurf taking Empath's place on the team opposite Hefty's. Empath briefly looked at Wild, feeling happy to see him getting fully acquainted with all his fellow Smurfs after years of living alone in the forest as a wanderer, even if now he was among the dearly departed. He couldn't think of a better place that Wild could ever feel at peace with himself and others besides Elysium.
A short while later, Empath was somewhere beyond the village, using Dreamy's telescope to look downward upon the earth. He was trying to see something, but looking somewhat disappointed. Smurfette stood by Empath's side, wondering. "What are you trying to smurf with the telescope, Empath?" she asked.
"This smurf is only trying to see if this smurf can find Polaris Psyche down there among the living, Smurfette," Empath answered. "Unfortunately, the only thing this smurf can see are more and more clouds down below us, and the stars and the universe above us."
"You shouldn't need to concern yoursmurf anymore about what smurfs on down there," Smurfette stated. "The living will continue to take care of itsmurf, and whosoever passes away will find themselves either up here in Elysium, wherever they desired to smurf, or down in Tartarus."
"But this smurf still feels the need to go down there somehow and tell Polaris Psyche that everything will be all right, Smurfette," Empath insisted. "Somehow this smurf feels that letting Polaris know is the right thing for this smurf to do, so he can go on with his own life."
"Trust me, Empath, Polaris already knows," Smurfette promised, taking Empath's attention away from the telescope and toward her. "You have a greater role to fulfill up here than down there, for the gods have declared that you shall be smurfed as a god."
"'Smurfed as a god'?" Empath asked. "Which gods are you referring to, Smurfette, that have called upon this smurf to become a god?"
"The ones that smurfed up all of us, Empath," Smurfette answered. "They smurfed your heart and your deeds, and they smurfed you worthy of bearing the mantle of a god. That's why you have been smurfed from your earthly body and smurfed this new heavenly body. Nothing that's earthly can ever enter Elysium, not even someone as wicked as Gargamel."
Before Empath could ask anything more, they both heard Harmony's trumpet - sounding more in tune than it did when they were among the living - blasting out a signal from the center of the village.
"My smurfness...the glorious feast is about to begin!" Smurfette exclaimed. "We're going to be late for it if we don't smurf back there soon!"
"Smurfette, how can we be late if we're in heaven?" Empath asked. "Aren't we supposed to have all the time in the world in heaven, since it exists for all eternity?"
"Oh," Smurfette giggled shyly. "I didn't even realize that…I guess I'm just so used to smurfing in a world of time, I'm still trying to adjust to a world without time! But let's smurf back there right away anyway!" She took Empath's hand and they both flew back to the village, where the large X-shaped table was arranged in the square and all the Smurfs were gathered around it.
"Empath, you're just in time," Papa Smurf called out as Empath and Smurfette landed. "Come, smurf by my side...I've saved the best seat at the table just for the smurf of honor!"
"This smurf appreciates the gesture, Papa Smurf," Empath replied, smiling as he sat down beside Papa Smurf, Grandpa Smurf, and Nanny. "What exactly is on the menu for this 'glorious feast'?"
"Just the food of the gods, Empath," Greedy answered, bringing forth a giant serving dish that he lifted the cover from as he set it upon the table, revealing fresh-baked rolls and smurfberry wine. "Smurf one bite of this bread, and you'll never have to hunger for anything again...though if you know me, it won't stop me from eating!"
Empath chuckled at that as he took a roll from the serving dish and ate it nice and hot. He never tasted bread like this before. It was just like how Tapper's sarsaparilla ale had now tasted up here...simply heavenly.
"May we smurf a toast to the bravest Smurf that's ever smurfed," Hefty stood up and announced with a glass of smurfberry wine in his hand. "He may be star-faced, but he's no double-crosser."
"To Empath," the other Smurfs all responded, raising their glasses skyward in salute before taking a sip. Empath did the same.
"And now smurfs the moment we've all been waiting for, my little Smurfs," Papa Smurf declared as he got up from his seat. "Sculptor, will you please smurf the honors?"
Sculptor nodded, and then pulled a sheet away from what turned out to be a statue. Every Smurf gasped, as did Empath, when they saw that it was a statue of Empath. But what startled Empath was that his likeness was wearing a Grecian warrior's breastplate and a long flowing cape, carrying a sword in one hand and a bolt of lightning in the other.
"What's the meaning of this statue, Papa Smurf?" Empath asked.
"Didn't you already know, Empath?" Papa Smurf answered. "The gods have decreed that you shall be smurfed as the god of conquest, for your very actions among the living have smurfed you as worthy of the title."
"Long smurf Empath, the god of conquest!" the other Smurfs cheered.
"God of conquest?!?" Empath exclaimed. "This doesn't make any sense, Papa Smurf. I mean, we are still Smurfs, aren't we? None of you would have made it here to Elysium if all Smurfs ever cared about was conquest!"
"That was among the living, Empath," Papa Smurf replied. "But now look at what the forest would smurf like without us smurfing in it! The humans who started smurfing in it will overrun and destroy everything we smurf sacred in the forest - even the great oak tree. They smurfed too much from us, and now it's up to one of us to avenge our lost spirits and protect the forest from the humans before they do their worst."
"Yeah," another Smurf joined in, enthusiastic. "That was our forest!"
"Our forest?" Empath asked. "Papa Smurf, you always said that the forest doesn't belong to only us. We don't have the right to decide who should live in the same forest that we do and who shouldn't."
"But now, Empath, we do have the right," Papa Smurf answered, more insistent. "And with you as the chosen one, we can smurf back what was ours and live again among the creatures that belong in our forest. We worshipped you from the day you were smurfed into being, and we will continue to worship you for all eternity…once you become the god of conquest!"
Empath found himself surrounded by all his fellow Smurfs, begging, pleading, insisting that he should accept the role of godhood that he was given. It was like the day his fellow Smurfs wanted him to overthrow Gargamel all by himself and send him away from the forest. But it was worse, for Papa Smurf was now among them who wanted Empath into this role.
Finally, Empath couldn't take it anymore. He screamed, and as he screamed he instinctively threw a punch in the air in the direction of the statue. Instantly, the statue of Empath was shattered into a million pieces.
Every Smurf present was offended by the sight of this action Empath took. "Empath, how could you smurf this to us?" one of them asked angrily. "We smurf you back among us once again, and this is how you repay us - by turning down the offer of becoming an avenging angel?"
"You're not the same Smurf we once knew, Empath," another Smurf joined in. "You've been smurfed away from us for too long, you can't even think like a Smurf."
"No son of mine is going to smurf up on such a decree," Papa Smurf roared. "You disgrace the whole village and your own Smurf heritage with this outright refusal."
"How could I have ever loved a Smurf like you, Empath?" Smurfette hissed. "You make me regret ever smurfing in love with you back among the living."
As Empath watched, every Smurf slowly started decaying - skin, clothes, halos, everything - until he realized that he was being surrounded by zombies, resurrected bodies brought back to life through mystical forces for dark sinister purposes. It was a horrid sight for him to behold. Even the village of gold decayed around him.
"If you will not avenge us," they all said in unison, "then you will join us!"
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 01:58 PM
They all hopped onto Empath, piling on top of him faster than he could fight them off. The weight of their decaying bodies felt like heavy boulders, pinning him down hard and preventing him from struggling free. In fact, the corpses felt so heavy being on top of Empath that they pushed him down into the thick clouds.
Empath found himself sinking through the clouds and now plummeting down toward the ground again, weighed down by the corpses that surrounded and encased him. In fact, he was falling down so fast that he felt himself going straight through the earth and much further down until he hit solid rock. He had no idea where he was now, but he wasn't going to be stuck under a pile of Smurf corpses forever.
"Enough!" Empath roared, erupting with enough strength to knock every Smurf off him. "Whatever you are, you are not my fellow Smurfs! They would not ask this smurf to avenge them in any way, in this life or any other!"
As the Smurf corpses approached him again, Empath swung his arm into one of them and noticed that it suddenly turned into dust, leaving nothing behind. Though he couldn't sense anything with his mind's-eye, Empath had a feeling that these weren't really Smurfs at all…just animated constructs brought to life by somebody.
At that point, Empath held nothing back. He pummeled his way through all of the Smurf corpses that approached him, turning all of them into the dust that they came from. Even the constructs of Baby Smurf and the Smurflings were easily destroyed, for they hardly put up much of a fight.
When there was just him standing alone, Empath now saw where he was. This looked like Tartarus, the other world he heard about where the souls tainted by evil were condemned for all eternity. And yet, even here, Empath suspected that it was no more real than the Smurf Village version of Elysium that he experienced. He touched one of the flames that erupted from one of the fissures in the ground and realized that not only couldn't he feel its heat, but his hand also didn't erupt into flames. It was also an illusion.
"Whoever smurfed me here, you should know that I now know that this afterlife is not real," Empath shouted out loud. "Smurf yourself to me right now and end this charade!"
"Congratulations, Empath," a dark menacing voice boomed. "I always knew that your perceptiveness would come through in seeing through my creation, since I thought it would be the most appropriate venue for my reoffering you my wondrous gift of godhood."
Empath then saw everything around him change. The flames and rocky terrain of Tartarus vanished, replaced by an even grimmer and more realistic view of a castle interior, all dark and demonically lighted with torches and braziers. Sitting on a throne in front of Empath, wearing body armor from the period of ancient Greece, was the being that Empath recognized all too well.
"Ares!" Empath exclaimed. "This time you have smurfed too far in trying to make this smurf become your servant god of conquest!"
"Have I really?" Ares snorted, not really sounding impressed. "You should know by now that when it comes to being a god, there are no limits as to how far you can go to get what you want, even if that means getting your undivided attention. The only thing that matters is getting what you want, and since you're not the easiest warrior to accept anything from your biggest admirer, I might as well make you believe in something that would bring you to me."
"If you believe that your constructed afterlife creation is going to make this smurf change my mind about accepting your gift, you're even more mistaken than you'll ever realize," Empath scoffed. "So if you don't mind, this smurf must get back to Polaris and continue on with this smurf's quest to bring this smurf's fellow Smurfs home."
"That's another reason why I brought you here, Empath," Ares continued. "You're not the same little warrior Smurf that you were when we last met. Your powers are gone, aren't they? All those wonderful things you can do with your mind are now ancient history, as probably are your fellow Smurfs...only now they are actually making history, even as we speak. So you and Polaris set off into the world, thinking that your will and determination alone can help bring them back from their disastrous little time trip, eh? And with every day that passes, you begin to find out just how futile your quest really is, without either of you being able to do what you used to do, what you could easily have done. Every day that passes by is torture for you when there is no other Smurf in your life, not even that one special Smurf you actually care about…and you know who that Smurf is!"
Empath realized Ares was referring to Smurfette. He felt angry and exposed.
"Ah, you do know who I am talking about," Ares stated, sounding very pleased to have hit a nerve. "The most beautiful female Smurf in the world, the one every Smurf in your village wanted to have for their very own, the one Smurf who is probably having her way with them right now and who knows who else she might find interesting in those different time periods."
"Don't ever talk about Smurfette like that, Ares," Empath roared. "She would never give herself like that to satisfy the likes of you or anyone else."
"Ooh, a jealous warrior Smurf is what I like even better," Ares smirked. "Nothing gets somebody into a fighting rage quite like a woman does, isn't that true? But I see that I have made my point, so I won't waste anymore time embarrassing and exposing you."
"How is it that you know so much about what's been going on with this smurf's fellow Smurfs, Ares?" Empath asked, changing the subject.
"The gods have seen everything happening ever since they came to be, my young blue friend," Ares answered. "Even as I was watching every war waged between one tribe of humans and another, I have also seen your fellow Smurfs in various points of time, sometimes right in the middle of a battle that I only intended to see the slaughter of humans in. Sometimes they even helped put an end to those wars, which I despised as much as I despised my mortal half-brother Hercules doing the same. But as noble as they are, I can tell that they're not as happy as they used to be, trying to arrange those crystals of theirs so that they can open the door back home to this point in time...and yet always failing."
"What are you saying?" Empath asked, not sure what Ares was getting at. "That if this smurf had the power of a god, then this smurf could easily bring this smurf's fellow Smurfs back home?"
"Even better," Ares answered smugly. "You can go to whatever time period they happen to be in and just bring them back yourself, and you never have to tell them how or why."
"But that would still mean this smurf would have to be your god of conquest," Empath realized.
"For any god, nothing exists for him other than conquest," Ares stated. "To do what no mortal being could do, even with the strength of Hercules, all with a simple decree - bring two people in love together, break up a union that should never have been formed, cure diseases, cause a famine, make people bow and respect you at every whim. We helped bring this world of yours into existence, and we can also put an end to everything that exists in it." He looked at Empath and noticed there was still a hint of unwillingness that he needed to break through. "I myself was once like you…a favorite son of my own father Zeus, eager to please him by bringing order to such a chaotic world. And then he turns his attention to consorting with mortals, and one of his favorite sons among them, Hercules, gets more attention from him than I do. I fought with my half-brother time and again to try destroying him, but it did nothing to bring back the love my father took from me. And now with us being supplanted by this one greater being that calls himself God…an unknown and invisible one at that…the power I once wielded to control the mortals is in itself weakening. Even my own father Zeus is gone, and there are very few of us left to stop this…God…from taking over our realm."
Empath was surprised to hear that the god of war himself feared something that was far greater than his own father…this "unknown and invisible" God that sounded like the Almighty that Tapper had followed in his heart. Although he had heard that this Almighty had a son through a mortal human woman, this legendary son was nothing like Hercules, who was given great physical strength. But to hear that this Almighty is powerful enough to make even the great gods of Olympus be nonexistent…all because the Almighty claimed to be "the one true God" who has no equal in the heavens, let alone in all of creation?
"I can see you will need some time to think about whether it is worth it to obtain this gift that I'm giving you…all because your fellow Smurfs are counting on you to bring them back home," Ares said as he looked on Empath again. "I will allow you some time before you render your decision…but don't take too long, and don't try to leave this place in case you have second thoughts that you don't want to share with me."
Empath nodded but didn't say anything more. Ares left the room as Empath began to think about what Ares had told him, and whether it was worth it to become a god in order to bring his fellow Smurfs home. The one thing he knew for sure was that there was no guarantee that he would ever find that way somewhere in the world outside of any godly intervention. It was a quest that could take as long as Grandpa Smurf's travels around the world had taken him to complete. He certainly didn't want to wait that long in order to find the solution that would bring them home to a world that has changed around them. More importantly, he didn't want Smurfette to come home to a world-weary Empath that has aged to the point where he may not be able to give her a family of her own like she might have wanted. If there was ever a time that Empath wanted Smurfette to come home to for him alone, it was right now.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 02:06 PM
It was now actually morning, when Polaris woke up by the tree where Empath had slept, and found that Empath was gone. He had left his backpack and the Imaginarium crystal medallion at the same spot, so Polaris could only guess that Empath was abducted...but he had no idea who or what could have taken his friend.
He picked up the medallion and held it in his hand. "Culliford Smurf, appear before this one."
The HoloSmurf appeared, looking briefly around before turning to face Polaris. "Well, what the smurf happened to Empath?" he asked impatiently.
"That's what this one is trying to find out, Culliford," Polaris answered. "This one had just awakened and noticed that Empath is not present. It is not known whether Empath had wandered off on his own without telling anybody or was taken by somebody."
The HoloSmurf stroked his beard as he listened. "Hmmm, and now you just want me to smurf around and see if there's anything I could smurf that would smurf an answer to this mystery?" He sighed heavily, feeling put upon to do yet another task that Empath or Polaris could have done with their own mind's-eyes, except that he knew that their mind's-eyes weren't functioning as they used to. He just stared at the spot Empath was sleeping in and noticed something that Polaris couldn't see.
"Well, I think I just smurfed your answer right there, Polaris," the HoloSmurf reported. "There are resmurfual magical particles in the spot Empath was smurfing in, and judging by the type of magical particles, I smurf that a god had smurfed Empath away before you smurfed up."
"A god?" Polaris wondered. "Being that this region we are currently in is what that human wizard Homnibus called Greece, this one can postulate that one of the Olympian Gods had abducted Empath...and the only one this one can think of that would do that is the god of war, Ares."
"Ares?!?" the HoloSmurf exclaimed. "You mean that god who once smurfed those Hyperions loose that Empath had to outrace and had also smurfed him a bit of his godly powers is trying to smurf him again into making him a god of conquest?"
"This one fears it is the very same one, Culliford," Polaris answered grimly. "We must find a way to stop Ares before he succeeds in turning Empath into his servant, if he hasn't already done that yet."
"That would be impossible for us to smurf, Polaris," the HoloSmurf warned. "No mortal being can ever smurf their way to the temple of one of the Olympian gods, and besides we may not even know where Ares' own temple is. Since you don't smurf any of your mind's-eye abilities, you might also be unable to deal with Ares himself. Only another Olympian god can possibly stand against Ares."
Polaris tried to think about one they could call upon to help them rescue Empath. Then it came to him. "Hermes, the god of speed. He came to choose Empath as the champion who would outrace his Hyperions and send them back into the Pandora's box. He could help us in return for what Empath did for Hermes to prevent the destruction of the world."
"Then we need to smurf his temple," the HoloSmurf suggested. "I happen to know from Hominbus' maps just where the temple of Hermes is located, so all we need is a little transportation to smurf us there." He stuck two fingers in his mouth and made such a piercing whistle that attracted the attention of a nearby stork, who then landed in the clear space near the tree.
Polaris was impressed by the vast amount of knowledge the HoloSmurf had accumulated and displayed, both from Papa Smurf's own memory and from being used outside the village by Empath and Polaris. This "artificial being" proved to be more than just a mere assistant for Papa Smurf. He became an invaluable member of this team determined to stop at nothing to bring the time-lost Smurfs back home.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 02:08 PM
Soon Polaris and the HoloSmurf found themselves in the Temple of Hermes, located somewhere in Greece. For a god, it seemed rather strange that his temple was rather Spartan in appearance, totally lacking in any extravagance whatsoever. But then, they could only reason that such a god who was always on the run, so to speak, would have little time on his hands to concern himself with adorning his temple to his personal liking.
"So how do we get Hermes' attention, now that we are here?" Polaris wondered.
The HoloSmurf noticed a red cord that hung from the rafters of his temple near the god's throne. "I guess this must be the way to smurf Hermes to appear before us," he answered. He pulled the red cord, causing a chiming sound to emanate from the temple, and then stepped back to see what would happen.
Instantly, they saw Hermes, dressed in his usual winged hat and winged sandals, appear before them in front of his throne. "Hermes, the god of speed, at your service," he announced, sounding eager to help. "What may I do for either or the both of you, since I'm a very busy god at all hours of the day?"
Both Polaris and the HoloSmurf bowed their knees before Hermes. "We besmurf your favor, O Hermes, on behalf of our friend Empath Smurf, whom we are smurfing for," the HoloSmurf responded.
"Oh, yes, I remember Empath," Hermes said. "He's the one who helped me put those Hyperions back into the box that Ares' pet demon Dissonance had let them loose from. For a mortal being of his stature, he had such incredible power that would make even the gods of Olympus jealous. What's happened to your friend that you need my assistance?"
"His 'incredible powers', unfortunately, are diminished, Hermes," Polaris answered. "His fellow Smurfs are also missing from his village, reportedly traveling through time as we speak. He and this one had set out some time ago to try finding a way to bring them back home to this time period. We were just entering this region of the world when Empath was abducted this morning, probably by the hand of another fellow god of yours by the name of Ares."
"'Fellow god of mine'," Hermes snorted with disgust. "Ares has been trouble since the day he came into being, always starting one war after another, living to see humans and all sorts of beings shedding blood with one another, never satisfied. If it weren't for some of his 'fellow gods', the world you live in would be in a much worse state than it is right now. But I wonder what Ares wants with your fellow Smurf that he would go to such lengths as to abduct him."
"The last time Empath smurfed with Ares was some years ago," the HoloSmurf replied, "when the god of war smurfed Empath a bit of his power to make him want to become his god of conquest. Of course, Empath refused his invitation when Ares wanted him to kill Papa Smurf, but it smurfs that Ares isn't interested in smurfing no as Empath's final answer. Ares might be smurfing a totally different approach to smurf Empath's attention, and given the state Empath's currently in with wanting to smurf his own life and all, he may try to smurf upon his desire to be with his fellow Smurfs again in the next life - or at least to smurf them back home."
"I see," Hermes said, rubbing his chin as he pondered. "I may be willing to help you, but my help doesn't come cheap. I am a god, you know, and I deserve my due reward to be compensated for putting my life as a god on the line to help rescue your friend from my 'fellow god' Ares. I will settle for nothing less than a few gold coins at the bare minimum."
"Then you should know that neither this one nor the HoloSmurf carry any sort of money upon us, Hermes," Polaris pointed out. "However, would you consider what Empath did for you in regards to containing the Hyperions to be sufficient compensation for your services?"
"What Empath did was a favor, and not one to be taken lightly," Hermes answered. "But that in itself will not be enough for you to call upon my services as the god of speed. Either give me a few gold coins or you can go find another god who's more willing to help you for much less, if that's possible."
The HoloSmurf sighed. "Smurfs like we're not going to smurf any help from this ingrate, if you ask me, Polaris," he commented.
"This one agrees with you, Culliford," Polaris nodded. "We might as well take our chances finding another god who would be willing to help rescue our friend from Ares. But even if we could find another, he or she may not be able to stop Empath if he ever becomes Ares' god of conquest. Even Hermes would find Empath more than a match for him to take on alone."
"What?" Hermes exclaimed, stopping Polaris and the HoloSmurf in their tracks with a booming voice. "Empath, be able to take on me, the god of speed, by becoming the god of conquest? That's ridiculous and impossible!"
"Empath in his own mortal self may have been able to smurf a stop to your speed demons, Hermes," the HoloSmurf tried to reason. "But Empath as a god of conquest may be unstoppable. In fact, smurfing for Ares, he may even smurf the Hyperions loose once again, and then who will be able to smurf them back into the box?"
"Empath wouldn't be able to go near the Pandora's box now, even if he does become a god," Hermes protested. "I have that box under lock and key, so that not even Dissonance can get near."
"Are you so sure that you'll be able to stop Empath when he acquires such powers that would rival or even be greater than yours?" Polaris asked. "You've been so used to dealing with your fellow gods and whatever demons some of them possess, but a Smurf acquiring the state and power of godhood is something you probably never had to deal with before. Who knows how such a being would upset the balance of power between yourself and your fellow gods, including Ares?"
"I already know of one who's upsetting the balance of power at this very moment," Hermes answered, sounding somewhat fearful for a god. "But all the same, I refuse to let Ares do this to your fellow Smurf in order to wreak more havoc than I can ever hope to handle. If rescuing your friend means stopping him from becoming that powerful, then by all means, you will have my help. Just jump into my carrier pouch and I will take you to where Ares is."
"This one appreciates your assistance in this matter, Hermes," Polaris responded with a respectful bow.
Hermes opened up his pouch and kneeled down to let Polaris and the HoloSmurf jump into it. Then he closed up the pouch and zoomed away at incredible speed from his temple.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
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posted 12-16-2008 02:11 PM
Empath was standing on the top of a terrace, looking at the desolate and ruined landscape that surrounded the temple, when Ares returned. "So have you made your decision?" he asked.
"This smurf still thinks you are a very despicable god, Ares," Empath answered, "and frankly, this smurf just can't stand being in the same room as you. Does this smurf have to sit on the same throne as you if this smurf decides to become a god of conquest?"
"All I can tell you, Empath, is that when you're a god, the whole world is your address," Ares replied. "You can even set up for yourself a temple of worship in the Smurf Village, and make it look as extravagant as you like. You won't even mind me visiting you now and then just to see how you're doing - but I promise to make my visits short and sweet."
Empath nodded. "Show this smurf what needs to be done in order to become a god."
Ares grinned. "Now you're talking like a true warrior Smurf!" he roared, clapping his hands and causing a secret door to open in the wall of the adjoining upper room. Beyond the door was a chamber lit up by hellish flames, dancing and licking from within. "You have to walk through fire to see the very thing I hold in this chamber that can transform you into a god."
Empath swallowed hard and entered the chamber. He soon found that it somehow made him feel bigger walking inside - as if the very concept of accepting godhood was forsaking your own physical limitations. Ahead of him, sitting on a stone altar adorned by skulls and bones, was a golden chalice with thick red liquid that bubbled like a heated stew. Empath smelled the contents of the chalice and had a feeling that this was blood he was going to be drinking.
"The blood of every being who was conquered and slain by the hand of man fills this Chalice Of Conquest, Empath," Ares reminded him. "Drink just a bit of this blood, and you'll never have to go back to being such a small limited creature without any of the powers you once had. You'll have eternal life and eternal power beyond anything that even you or Papa Smurf could imagine."
Empath's stomach turned in revulsion as the smell of this blood filled his nostrils. It was the most disgusting thing he thought he would ever do to gain greater power than what he once possessed. But now, all that mattered to him was getting his fellow Smurfs back home, and for that purpose alone, Empath would sacrifice himself, even if that meant swallowing poison, to achieve that end.
He lifted the chalice high from the top of the altar and raised it to his mouth, ready to drink its contents, when something zoomed into this chamber at incredible speed and whisked Empath away, letting the chalice drop to the floor and spilling its contents.
Ares was more than astonished to see Empath disappear on him like that...he was angered. He turned and saw that it was his fellow god Hermes invading his temple. "How dare you pay such a visit on me without so much as an invitation from me?" Ares growled.
"You could never build a temple that I could never be able to race my way through, Ares," Hermes smirked. "That's one of your biggest downfalls right there, as is trying to pervert a being like a Smurf into one of your foul-hearted servants."
"Who sent you here, Hermes?" Ares asked. "I don't recall that any of those Smurfs had ever made it back into this time period to warn you about me."
"Someone else that you'll never be able to pervert into a warrior," Hermes answered. "But since I am already wearing out my welcome, I'm going to leave you right now with your own misery."
Ares was becoming more and more furious. As much as he didn't like mortal beings refusing his gifts, he hated his own fellow gods trying to protect such mortals from his own machinations. He wasn't going to let Hermes and whoever else was with him get away stealing someone who was going to commit himself to the rite of godhood.
"Hang on, my friends," Hermes warned. "Getting into Ares' temple was the easy part, but getting out is where it gets a little hairy even for a god like me."
One by one, Ares' demons came storming after Hermes, intent on stopping him before he escaped with Empath and Polaris. But as fast and powerful as the demons were, they were no match for Hermes' blazing speed. He easily evaded them and even caused some of them to defeat each other, making Ares curse his fellow god's very name. Soon the temple was littered with the bodies of collapsed demons as Hermes simply bolted out of there with Ares' would-be prize.
Ares vowed that Hermes would pay for his interference someday. He also vowed that he would get Empath back where he wanted him, no matter what it took.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-16-2008 02:15 PM
"Polaris, why were you trying to stop this smurf?" Empath asked, sounding somewhat indignant. "If this smurf had succeeded in drinking from the Chalice of Conquest, this smurf would have gained abilities unlike what this smurf was given before!"
"The Chalice of Conquest was Ares' biggest lure for those who wanted to gain godhood for the sake of what they themselves had lost, my little friend," Hermes answered. "Had you actually taken a drop of that blood into your mouth, you would've been turned into another of his foul demons, and by then you would have been so twisted and transformed by its power, you would never be able to realize how deceived you were. I've seen many a soul who have fallen for the promise of the Chalice…and they wound up being like Dissonance, living forever but in a state of such ugliness and wickedness, serving forever the god who wants to plunge all of mankind into eternal war and slavery. Ares truly hasn't been the same since this 'unknown and invisible' God came along and started overpowering even the great god Zeus. He's gotten worse, and he wants to gain as many wicked souls as he can to combat this God before he, too, falls."
"But you don't fear this God that Ares fears?" Empath asked.
"Of course, I fear Him," Hermes replied. "As powerful as the gods were, this God has proven to be more powerful than any of the gods that have come into existence, working through a small group of people called the Israelites, making all other gods that dared to oppose them look small and weak. It's only a matter of time before I join those gods who now must bow before Him and confess that He alone is God. It's not something that I take any pleasure in, but if it means that Ares is defeated, I would gladly give up all my places of adoration just to see it."
"Empath, this one cares about you enough to not want to see you be turned into the very things Hermes warned this one about," Polaris said. "Your fellow Smurfs would have expected no less."
Soon Empath found himself back where it had all started, back to that tree in a forest a good distance away from the Smurf Village, with his friend Polaris and Papa Smurf's assistant. Hermes had already departed, moving at incredible speed, to somewhere else before any of them had a chance to thank him. Empath looked around to see if there was any trace of what he thought he had experienced - some sign of this angelic version of Smurfette that turned out to be nothing more than a creation of an evil god. He wanted to make sure he would never be fooled again in such a fashion like that.
Polaris sensed Empath's apprehension and confusion over the situation. "The god of war must have made it so convincing that you felt that you could let all your troubles and worries slip away into nothingness," he mentioned. "He had preyed upon your fear of losing your fellow Smurfs forever so that he could try turning you into his servant god again."
Empath nodded. "This smurf just couldn't believe this whole thing was a set-up! This smurf wanted so much to believe that I was with them again, knowing what it is to be a Smurf in the here beyond."
"What is quite amazing, Empath," Papa Smurf's assistant suggested, "was the amount of trouble Ares smurfed through to get you to accept his gift of godhood. Apparently, from what I can remember of Papa Smurf's previous dealings, Ares doesn't spare any expense of his own power to smurf your whole 'afterlife' experience to be very convincing. It's fortunate that you somehow managed to smurf through his grand illusion."
"But still this smurf wonders...are this smurf's fellow Smurfs all really dead, or are they still alive, traveling through time," Empath asked.
"There is much that we do not know about the condition of your fellow Smurfs," Polaris answered, "but this one can assure you, Empath, that as long as hope exists for their return, they may still be alive."
"And as long as I'm still being smurfed around on a chain," Papa Smurf's assistant added, "I will continue to be there for you as well."
"This smurf appreciates your companionship, the both of you," Empath said, with some honest feeling behind it. "This smurf thought that being separated again from this smurf's fellow Smurfs would be an easy thing since this smurf had been seperated from them before, but apparently this smurf is just too much of a Smurf to realize the truth of it all." He yawned, realizing that the whole experience was tiring him out again.
"You should rest now, Empath, before we smurf onward with the journey ahead," Papa Smurf's assistant suggested. "Polaris and I will make smurftain nothing else happens to you while you're sleeping."
"Perhaps this smurf should," Empath replied, too weary to even protest. He fell asleep against the same tree that he rested near when he thought he had left his body. Polaris noticed that Empath somehow looked more at peace with himself than he did the night before when he rested.
"This one can only wonder about this 'afterlife' Empath had experienced, Culliford," Polaris began to ponder, "and whether it was anything like the real thing would be when people pass on from this life."
"There's just so much that we don't know about what smurfs on after this life, Polaris," the HoloSmurf answered. "Even what we do know would smurf pale in comparison to what it will actually smurf like. A place of eternal joy and happiness - or one of eternal torment and suffering. Frankly, I would smurf the first place over the second on any given day. If what Empath had smurfed through today smurfs anything, I'd say he has already smurfed his first taste of heaven - and hopefully, it may not be his last taste."
Polaris nodded. "Then may this one someday join him in that place when this one's time on earth is finished."
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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