Through the Woods: Part One

     It wasn't often a fight broke out in the throne room.

     In fact, a fight really never broke out in the throne room.

     Especially in the throne room of Queen Fyora, the almighty leader of all the faeries and most of Neopia. At least, that's what most people called her.

     The only arguments that the queen had seen erupt in her throne room was a few between guards, and that one occurence with Jhudora and Illusen as always.

     She thought those would be the only fights she'd need to encounter.

     Yet, here the faerie sat, watching with mild shock and slight amusement as a screaming match ensued right in front of her eyes. The guards had looked at her for permission to advance, but she held them off.

     Because the three that were fighting at least had some type of plausible excuse.

     It was mostly due to Fyora's loss of usual artefact retrievers. Captain Brynneth, her usual artefact retriever, had unfortunately come down with Neoflu, and by some misfortune of bad luck, the usual stand-ins for the captain weren't available. Fyora had no choice but to drag Hanso from his unfortunately-timed vacation to complete the job for her.

     The young Ixi was definitely skilled, but not skilled enough to take on an entire quest like the one Fyora had planned. So the queen had no choice but to search for anyone within the city to accompany the young thief.

     Luckily, King Jazan of Qasala had been visiting for an audience to discuss trading matters and Kanrik, master thief and leader of the Thieves' Guild, had shown up to ask for some supplies regarding the Obelisk fiasco during a lull in the fighting. Fyora had immediately fetched them with her guards, and instantly informed them to join forces with Hanso to complete the quest.

     ...unluckily, it had been a very bad mistake.

     The queen wasn't aware of the three's hatred for one another. Jazan and Kanrik had proceeded to yell and shove at one another over some petty former crime involving something about a stolen vase the minute they caught sight of each other. Hanso gained murderous glares from both of the taller men before the young thief himself lashed out and strengthened the argument. Their loud and incessant ramblings were becoming nonsencal now, and Fyora grew bored.

     "Alright..." she conceded, motioning to her guards. "Go on ahead and calm them down."

     Without so much as a warning, the guards raced forward and threw the three to the ground, the former argumentative voices now dissolving into shrieks and yelps as they hit the rug.

     "If you three are done with your bickering..." Fyora sighed as she stepped down from her throne. The three silenced and looked up at her almost shamefully as she withdrew a scroll from her wand with a bright flash of light. "This mission needs to be done and I don't have anyone else to help. You will be rewarded, I promise. Hanso, I'm officially putting you as leader in charge," the queen said, setting the scroll down in front of the Ixi.

     "...what? REALLY?" Hanso snatched the scroll with swift hands and studied it, tapping the purple paper-like material before unfurling it. "Are these the instructions to the artefact?"

     "As much information as Brynn could gather," Fyora added with a smile. "I'm sure you can recognize her handwriting."

     Hanso's ecstatic look grew bewildered as Kanrik and Jazan peered over his shoulder. "Um...this doesn't look like Brynn's handwriting."

     "...eggs, milk, cheese, bread..." Kanrik read before pausing. "Um, what does faerie bubbles have to do with--"

     Fyora quickly grabbed the scroll and traded it with the correct one. "Anyway. Hanso, you will lead towards the artefact. It's rumored to be within the edge of the Haunted Woods and border of Faerieland."

     "What? Why him?" Jazan demanded as Hanso smirked and tucked the scroll into his coat for safety. "Have you met this Ixi, Queen Fyora? Otherwise you'd be making a different decision."

     "Oh, that reminds me," Fyora hastily interrupted, pulling something else from her wand. "Jazan, you will keep this blessed container and use your own magic to contain it if you must.." Fyora handed the enchanted box over to the king's hands. "But it should be powerful enough. Then again, artefacts have surprised us before..."

     "Oh..."Jazan studied the box in intriguement as Kanrik huffed. "And what's my purpose?"

     "Reinforcements, of course," Fyora assured before noticing the thief's look darkening. "And Kanrik, this artefact may be protected by...the wrong people. Acquiring it might not be easy if they're stubborn. If you must..."

     "...I can steal it?" Kanrik caught in, green eyes glistening.

     Fyora sighed. "Yes. You can...secretly apprehend the artefact."

     "So I steal it!" Kanrik said excitedly as Hanso sat up. "Wait, so when do we--"

     "Right now, good luck, you three," Fyora stated hastily, snapping her fingers and turning back to return to her throne. The three looked at her in confusion before the guards grabbed them from the ground, easily carrying them out of the throne room and out of the palace before tossing them on the front steps.

     The three let out simultaneous cries of surprise as they tumbled down said steps, unable to stop their descent and the guards seeming to care less. They landed in a heap on the ground and the doors shut behind them.

     "...get off of me," Jazan growled from the bottom of the pile and Kanrik and Hanso quickly complied at the king's murderous tone.

     "Well, I guess we officially start now," Kanrik announced in a grim tone, brushing himself off as he got to his feet. "Since Fyora must have been deceived and thinks you're a good leader...lead on, Ixi."

     "Aw, c'mon. I'm not so bad," Hanso huffed, unfurling the scroll and leading the way out of Faerie City. "I've led these hunts before. Brynn let me sometimes."

     "Right, I think that was the time she said they nearly exploded when Hanso grabbed the unstable artefact," Kanrik directed to Jazan as the king smirked. "Yes, I remember now..."

     "Whatever," Hanso muttered as the three passed the front gates leading to the bustling city. They walked on in silence, passing the trees and wildlife that had become a common occurence since Faerieland's fall. The land's inhabitants didn't seem to mind. Many were spotted watering the plants or picking fruit off trees or lounging in the shade. Hanso found it somewhat comforting knowing his mistake ended up turning into something good.

     For once.

     Once the three trekked past the Healing Springs and bid the Healing Faerie a good morning, Hanso led them towards the more vacant and abandoned side of Faerieland. They trudged through overgrown grass and scraggly bushes and Jazan more than once loudly exclaimed his misfortune with stubbing his toe on a rock. Six times.

     As they walked, Hanso's nose was nearly buried in the scroll. Kanrik entertained himself by attempting to balance his dagger on one finger and Jazan pondered over how his life choices landed him into this situation.

     "Are you sure you know where we're going, Ixi?"Jazan piped up after ten more minutes of silence. "You haven't raised your head from that scroll since we left."

     "I know where we're going!" Hanso responded heatedly. "We just gotta take a left here."

     He stopped, nose still buried in the scroll before he sharply turned, rounding around a bunch of bushes. He immediately screamed, a sudden cliffside that hadn't been visible before suddenly below his feet.

     Kanrik rushed forward, catching the thief before he could slip down into the abyss below. Jazan grabbed the older thief's shoulders and the two brought Hanso back to solid ground, the thief still continuing to shriek.

     "...and that's why you don't beat around the bush." Kanrik joked as Jazan glared immediately after.

     "...ah...I guess it was a right..." Hanso stuttered, scooting away from the cliffside. Ever since Faerieland's fall, they'd had to avoid instances like these...the huge crater that had been caused only made dangerous cliffsides that unlucky souls had tipped into unknowingly.

     "Let me see that map," Kanrik demanded, letting go of Hanso's collar. "We don't need you directing us into large pits."

     Hanso stared at the thief before slowly glancing to the cliff and then his empty hands. An aggravating smile appeared on his face and his stiff demeanor loosened. "Oh! That ol' thing. Ha...see, funny story..."

     Kanrik stared back before it registered and Jazan stepped in, creating a barrier with his magic as Kanrik roared.

     "I'm going to KILL YOU!"

     "I'M SORRY!" Hanso yelped, cowering behind Jazan's shield.

     "Alright, calm down!" The king ordered. "This isn't a lost cause. In case you guys haven't seen by now...I harness magical abilities. A nice side perk is knowing how to track this kind of stuff." Jazan put down the shield as Hanso peered suspiciously at him. "So, wait...you could've told me I was heading straight towards a cliff?!"

     "...yeah," Jazan responded with a slight chuckle. "I wanted to see what would happen if I let you lead on like the fool you are."

     Hanso sent back a glare as Kanrik rolled his eyes at the two. "Oh, for Fyora's sake. Just go on ahead and lead us already. I don't need to be sticking around for your stupid shenanigans."

     "As you wish." Jazan stood away from the cliff, standing still for a moment before pointing down towards the expanse of trees a little ways away. "Right through there. We'll need to navigate through the forests a bit, but it shouldn't take too long before I find the artefact."

     "Great. Then I can pretend this was a horrific nightmare and continue with my life," Kanrik begrudgingly answered, and Jazan led the way towards the trees.

     "Hey, I thought I was gonna lea--" Hanso began to whine, but instantly shrieked as Kanrik gripped the young thief's ear, dragging him along behind Jazan's footsteps.

     As they approached the woods, the darkness and grim atmosphere became more apparent. They paused to assess, Kanrik letting go of Hanso's ear and the thief aggressively trying to rub away the sting.

     "Are we going to need some light?" Kanrik suggested and Jazan nodded. "Yup. And we'll need a way to stay together. I don't want to be going out looking for you if you wander off like the morons you are, but I know Fyora will force me to anyway."

     "Aw, buddy system?" Hanso teased, holding a hand out to Kanrik. He received a sharp slap in return and the thief yelped, holding his hand against his chest. "Ya know, all this assault doesn't make up for almost throwing us off a cliff!"

     "Yes, it does," Kanrik and Jazan replied in unison before Kanrik reached up, slicing off a branch from a nearby tree. Jazan immediately lit the top on fire before tearing off a nearby vine, tying it around his belt before giving it to Kanrik to do the same.

     Hanso watched with increasing bitterness as Kanrik handed the end of the makeshift rope to him. The thief muttered under his breath, but grabbed the rope anyway, tying it off to his belt.

     "Alright. Onwards we go, to the possible land of death," Kanrik sighed, waving the torch before Jazan led the way into the forest.

     The torch gave off minimal light, the trees shielding any ray of sun and landing them in total darkness, save for the small fire and the occasional flicker of light from Jazan's hands. It took a while for their eyesight to adjust, and even then all they could catch was an endless array of foreboding trees.

     "You know, this isn't what the woods look like in fairy tales," Hanso muttered, gripping Kanrik's cloak in fear.

     "Well, we are approaching the Haunted Woods," Kanrik reminded, rolling his eyes and swatting at the younger thief's hands. "Not exactly happily ever after.'

     "Hold on," Jazan demanded, waving the torch about before shaking his head. "My senses got blocked all of a sudden..."

     "Ooh, your magic ran out," Kanrik quipped, running his hands over his face. "What ever shall we do?"

     "Shut up." Jazan looked around some more before hesitatingly moving forward. "I know for certain that the artefact is here somewhere. Let's just keep walking."

     Hanso huffed as he began to follow after before he suddenly remembered a crucial aspect. "Wait...guys, I have an idea!"

     "What? Are we gonna head into quicksand next?" Kanrik commented sarcastically. "Look, kid, we've got this. We don't need you to lead."

     "But I know how we can find it! I just gotta--"

     "Shut up, Ixi!" Jazan snapped and Hanso jumped. "Fyora's wrong with her intentions. We've got this covered. Kanrik, grab another branch. We'll need more light."

     Hanso fought to try to suggest, but was still promptly ignored. The thief pouted, before stealthily removing his own dagger and cutting easily through the vine as Kanrik sliced off a branch. The thief slid off into the woods as the oblivious king and thief talked about their next course of action.

     If they weren't going to listen...Hanso could lead this hunt on his own.

     He slid through bushes before he felt he was a good distance away. After sitting still and assuring there was silence, he grabbed hold of a nearby tree and scaled it easily.

     Above the leaves and branches gave him a reasonable amount of light. Hanso dug into his pocket before withdrawing a compass , nearly shimmering and slightly dusty on the front.

     Hanso wiped it off with the edge of his coat before holding it up, watching with glee as it successfully pointed in a direction. Brynn had given him the compass a while ago, a gift from Fyora to help them find unnoticed or hidden artefacts on days they weren't hunting. The job of the object was to point to the nearest source of magic, dark or otherwise.

     Hanso waited as the compass pointed from where he came; obviously referring to Jazan. After a few minutes, it turned itself around to the opposite direction. Jazan certainly couldn't have moved that fast, even with Kanrik by his side.

     "Bingo," Hanso sang, swiftly climbing across branches as he kept an eye on the compass. "Point for Hanso."

     This was going to be easy. The small amount of light was just enough for the typically nocturnal thief anyway. All he had to do was follow the compass and it'd lead him straight to the artefact.

     To Be Continued...