The Primordial Saga: A Faerie's Woe

     "Okay, Brynn!" She took a deep breath to try and keep her mind from replaying the events of the past as she walked through the rugged path in the woods. "Let's just finish this mission and get out of this place as soon as possible."

     It'd be putting things lightly if she said she felt uncomfortable visiting the Haunted Woods. No, she outright hated the place. Since accepting Fyora's proposal to join the Faerieland's Artefact Retrieval Squad with Hanso, she had taken a wide variety of quests and been to places far more dangerous, yet the Woods were something she'd have most actively avoided if she had the choice. The memories that the place brought back, the wounds it reopened... they were just overwhelming. The fact that the place looked exactly the same as it did a decade ago didn't help the case either. With every tree that she passed on her way, another image of the past flashed in her mind.

     But she had no other choice. Fyora had made it very clear to her that this mission required a lot of field experience. Hanso undoubtedly would've been a better candidate for the job, but apparently, Fyora had sent him to Terror Mountain on a request from Taelia. Who knows what world-ending problem they might be facing for the Snow Faerie to ask for Fyora's assistance, but whatever it was, Brynn couldn't help but feel like it was still better than what she was tasked with.

     As she slowly crept into the old shack, she almost gagged at the horrible burning stench that immediately took over her senses. Fighting the urge to throw up and covering her nose and mouth with her cloak, she carefully walked into the mess that a certain Lupe called his home. The only light inside the shack came from the dozens of bottles stacked on bookcases and scattered across the ramshackle table. She had heard about the bounty hunter and knew very well that he was a renowned menace, but seeing what he had done with her own eyes made her shiver.

     Brynn had to fight the urge to just break every single bottle in the room. As much as it both saddened and angered her to watch the depressed faces inside the bottles, Fyora had given her very strict instructions. The faint twinkling of Faeries inside the bottles grew brighter as Brynn stepped up to the table and started to examine the shack, trying to find the one bottle she was there for. It was nothing short of trying to find a pin in a haystack and it took her a good enough time to locate the one small bottle with the faintest of glimmers kept at the very end of one of the racks.

     "Gotcha!" she said, swiftly grabbing the bottle and removing its cap. For a second, the entire shack was filled with a bright light that forced Brynn to avert her eyes. When she looked back, she found a slightly haggard but pretty Light Faerie standing in front of her.

     "Thank you for releasing me, kind Neopian," the Faerie said, although her tone was rather sombre and completely devoid of any happiness. "I bless you—"

     "I don't want blessings," Brynn interrupted with a smile. "I'm here to rescue you and escort you back to Faerieland."

     The Faerie, however, just dropped her head with a sigh. "What's the point? He'll just capture me again, that's what he always does." She gestured at the bottles in the shack. "A lot of them are here for like the tenth time, some even more. Some kind Neopian releases us and then the bounty hunter captures us again to sell to someone else. That's just how the cycle goes for us. There's really no escape from him."

     Brynn felt bad for the Faerie. Who knows how long she'd been living inside a bottle? "Hey, if it means anything, it was Queen Fyora herself who sent for you. That should mean she'll make sure you don't end up here again, right?"

     The Faerie tilted her head in confusion. "Really? What use can a weak Faerie like me be to the Queen?"

     "Only she knows," Brynn shrugged. "What I know is that we need to get out of here before he—" Her words choked in her throat when she turned to find herself face-to-face against a very toothy snout.

     "Oh no, go on!" Balthazar urged, grinning wickedly. "By all means, give me some ideas."

     Brynn took a step back, drawing her sword. "I– I'm not afraid of you!"

     "Huh, never heard that before," Balthazar said sarcastically, completely unfazed by the sharp blade being pointed at him. "You see, I was just out trying to get some food, realized I forgot something back home and had to return, only to find what? A pesky little Neopian stealing my possessions. I'm not well-versed with the customs of other lands, but I'm very sure thievery is a crime in... uh, where are you from? Your accent says Brightvale, but your clothing suggests..."

     "I'm from Faerieland!" Brynn said confidently. "And I'm here on orders from the Queen, so it'd be in your best interest to cooperate."

     "Fyora doesn't rule me, kid," the Lupe mocked, inching closer, "nor do I care about any of your winged overlords. You want the Faerie, you can have her... for a price!"

     "What do you want?" Brynn asked, glaring at him.

     "The usual." Balthazar grinned even wider, which Brynn didn't think was even possible. "Ten thousand Neopoints. And your sword as a penalty for trying to steal from me."

     "We don't negotiate with the likes of you!" Surprisingly, it was the Light Faerie who spoke, stepping ahead and blasting a flash of light in Balthazar's face, making the Lupe wince and fall on his back. The Faerie grabbed Brynn's arm and made a dash for the exit.

     "I had it under control!" Brynn shouted, trying to keep up with the Faerie.

     "I've been there enough to know that any negotiations with him will never end well," the Faerie replied as they heard a raging howl from behind. "I'm Illuma, by the way!"

     "Brynn!" the Kougra said, turning back to see the Lupe rushing after them on all fours. "Nice to meet you is what I'd have said if we weren't being chased by one of the deadliest bounty hunters in Neopia."

     Illuma took a sharp turn and kept running. "Maybe we can try and lose him… in the swamps, I guess?"

     "You guess?" Brynn asked with a raised brow, but before Illuma could answer, the Faerie tripped on a stray stone and fell face-first into the ground. "Oh no, are you alright?"

     "I've been better," Illuma mumbled, wincing in pain as she tried to get up. "I think I sprained my ankle."

     "I'll help you!" Brynn offered, trying to lend Illuma a shoulder and help her stand up, but as she was tending to the Faerie, Balthazar pounced out of the shadows and swatted the two of them back with one swipe of his arm. Brynn stabbed her sword into the ground while she was in-mid air to break the momentum and landed on her feet, but she soon noticed that Illuma wasn't that lucky. The Faerie had collided with a tree and was knocked out cold.

     "That was fun," Balthazar sneered, "but you really should've considered my offer when you had the chance." Claws out, he lashed at the Kougra, who closed her eyes and braced herself for the incoming assault, but before it could connect, she heard a voice, unintelligible but still loud and clear like a magic spell, followed by an explosion and Balthazar screaming in agony.

     Brynn opened her eyes to watch the Lupe squirming on the ground several feet away, holding his shoulder which looked bruised and sooty. In the distance, an Ixi walked out of the shadows, dressed in a witch attire and hands glowing with green wisps.

     "What did I tell you about hunting in my swamp, Balthazar?" she warned through gritted teeth as she trod into the light.

     "But, Sophie—" Balthazar tried to argue, but the Ixi's expressions made it clear that she wasn't in the mood.

     "Do I look like I care about any of the reasons that you might have for ruining my perfect potion ingredients?" the Swamp Witch spelt every word very clearly to get her point across. "One more argument and I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life as a Mortog!"

     Balthazar just huffed and shot a glare at Brynn before retreating into the woods. Sophie walked over to Brynn and offered her a hand. "Are you hurt?"

     "I don't think so," Brynn answered, taking the Ixi's hand and standing up. "You're Sophie, aren't you? Thanks for your—"

     "Save the pleasantries," Sophie cut her off. "I'm only asking to make sure I don't have to waste any of my brews on helping you recover."

     "I think I might need some for a sprained ankle though," Brynn remarked, her eyes moving to the unconscious Light Faerie. "And probably something to wake her up as well."

     Sophie followed the Kougra's line of sight and gave Illuma a once-over. At first, she raised an eyebrow, but then rolled her eyes a moment later with a sigh. "Alright, bring her to my shack. I'll figure something out."

To be continued…