Shadowflame: Snowfall by brains03
--------
She huddled further beneath the protective overhang of
her hood, squinting out into the white maelstrom that enveloped her. A blizzard
had struck not long after she had set out to scale Terror Mountain, leaving Happy
Valley behind her in a haze of white flakes and wind.
Her name was Shadowflame Darkhunter, an enigma
to most but a legend to many in the circles she frequented. For as long as she
could remember she had been a Shadow Shoyru, painted such untold years ago by
parents she could not recall.
Following her every footstep in the stories
her acquaintances told was a long Shoyru Sword, the friend who had seen her
through more battles than she cared to number. Its blue hilt and handle had
been untouched by time, and the silver blade showed no wear from the many times
it had crossed others of its kind.
Shadow trudged wearily through the accumulating
snow, now using a hand to keep away the wind. There had been no clouds in the
sky when she had left- by all rights there should be none now.
It occurred to her that she should have brought
a guide to lead her, instead of foolishly attempting to scale the one mountain
in Neopia with 'Terror' in the name alone. Shadow was forced to admit that lately
her independent streak had been taking advantage of her, but nonetheless she
was not worried.
With a sigh, she squinted further and glared
into the snowy yonder. It was not shaping up to be an easy trek either way.
Two Days Before...
"Find me a buyer for this," she said, throwing
the tiara of Hera onto the desk, "Quickly. I don't hunt down this stuff because
I like the look of money in the bank."
"Clearly," her assistant shot back, "because
you have so many other reasons to hunt for the rarest and most dangerous stuff
in Neopia."
They were in the Neolodge, on the fifteenth
floor. Shadow's assistant, a blue Mynci by the name of Julia, rented a room
here. Shadow used it as a sort of base of operations, coming and going when
she needed to. Julia joked that Shadow should start paying rent.
"Maybe I do have other reasons, how would
you know?"
"What, you enjoy the thrill of the chase?"
"Quietly now," Shadow said half-seriously,
"You say that loud enough, the rest of the Neolodge residents might catch on.
Then I'll get all sorts of jobs hunting for lost Petpets and dropped mittens.
I don't know about you, but I have better things to do with my time."
"Very well then, Shadow, I'll remember that,"
the girl replied pertly.
Caelis Ingvall, one of her most trusted friends
and valued companions, grinned as Julia snatched up the tiara and dumped it
in a pile of other rare items before walking into another room. He was a young
man himself, a red Lupe who was slowly beginning to grow into a beard. Caelis
and Shadow were members of a small group of contacts that shared information
on potential finds with one another, and split a share of the profit if the
treasure was good. She supposed it made them a sort of clan, or guild even,
but only a loose one at that.
Caelis was visiting from his home in Sakhmet,
because his family was having a family reunion at the end of the month and his
mother considered it very bad form for him to avoid his own family.
"Hera, eh? Don't suppose I could borrow that
tiara from you? I'd like to do some research on it, maybe the old 'treasure-nose'
here will sniff another relic for you to find."
"Go ahead, but be careful with it," Shadow
replied, grinning, "That thing took me months to find, and it almost cost me
my life. I want it in a good enough condition to get some money out of it."
"Don't worry, Shadow. I'll have it back in
one piece as soon as I can."
"Alright then."
Caelis was a scholar mostly, and he had a
tendency to come up with just the right piece of information at the right time-
a skill that Shadow affectionately called his treasure-nose. She hoped that,
if anything, he could come up with more information about the former Faerie
Queen. Shadow suspected there was an interesting story behind the tiara.
"Any other news?" she asked. "I've been out
of touch for a while."
"Garoh was arrested yesterday, and several
of Neopia's nations are considering outlawing treasure hunting as we do it now.
Which could mean more paperwork for you."
She chuckled and groaned at the same time.
'The way we do it now' seemed to involve needless property damage and dangerous
situations. Of course the governments wouldn't take kindly to that.
"But Regdar has some interesting information
about Terror Mountain."
She perked up. Regdar Ashlander was Shadow's
only other friend aside from Caelis, a small-time thief from Meridell- at least
he was small-time as far as Skarl knew. Then again, what Skarl knew could fill
a picture book. Regdar had more than a fair share of travellers pass through
his net of informants, so most of the treasure she went after came from the
hints he dropped her way.
"Oh? And what, pray tell, is so important
about Terror Mountain?"
"The Dewdrop."
"Ah."
Shadow's assistant poked her head back through
the door.
"The Dewdrop?"
"What do I pay you for?" Shadow asked, half-smiling,
"Why aren't you-"
"Actually, you don't."
"Don't what?"
"You don't really pay me, I do this because
I need secretarial experience. It's tough getting a job as receptionist for
the Tooth Faerie."
Caelis winked at Shadow. "The girl aims high."
"Fine." Shadow laughed, "As of now I pay you...
money. Based on whatever it is you manage to sell the relics for. Savvy?"
The secretary nodded.
"Oh," Shadow added hastily, "And forget selling
the tiara for now. Caelis here thinks he can make us more money."
"Great!" Julia replied enthusiastically, smiling
at Caelis.
"I try my best," he chuckled mildly.
Julia grinned wider, then turned to Shadow.
"But what is the Dewdrop? Sounds like a girly
treasure to me."
Shadow sighed.
"The Dewdrop isn't your usual treasure Julia,
it's-"
"An ancient jewel imprisoning the
soul of a powerful oracle," she muttered to herself, swearing silently at the
clouds.
And so it was. Ages ago the oracle had foretold
the future of a Dark Faerie named Irillith at her request, but unfortunately
for both of them the foretelling did not have a happy ending. In a rage, Irillith
locked the oracle away in a large diamond and cast her from Faerieland, where
the gem fell to the ocean below.
But the oracle was a powerful creature and she
manipulated the forces of Neopia, making the tides carry her to shore and the
wind blow her across the land. Thus she travelled, bringing fortunes wherever
she went. The lucky pet who found the gemstone was granted one wish, or if they
chose, a foretelling of their future. Shadow was sure more people opted for
the wish than the knowledge of their lives ahead.
Regdar had found the Dewdrop's current location
because of one simple fact: wherever it went, strange weather began to form.
Sometimes it was subtle, like an occasional mist where there was none before,
or sometimes it was a serious danger- like a hurricane or an enormous flood.
The serious weather had once caused a nationwide
search for the crystal when Brightvale had been ravaged by hail, but the event
had- through force of the oracle's magic- faded from memory just as quickly
as it had occurred.
This time the crystal was manipulating the snow
patterns, forming shapes and symbols in the blizzards. Travellers through the
area had spread the word each night in taverns, and word had naturally made
its way back to Regdar. And from him, of course, to Shadow.
People would pay anything for the chance to have
their one wish granted, and Shadow felt bad for the people who had found it
before and had used the wish on themselves. They were clearly not entrepreneurs
like her.
Which lead to an interesting question. Just where
on Terror Mountain was the Dewdrop? As far as she knew the patterns were located
at the very top, but the range of the crystal was far-reaching, so it could
be anywhere within that area.
She shook her head and focused on the problem
at hand. Navigating was becoming difficult.
After a while, however, the snow began to slow
and Shadow could see without holding up a hand. Soon she was walking on snow
that had begun to pack, crunching through the top and leaving a long trail of
her progress.
As the day passed the falling snow disappeared
entirely and was replaced by a cold, unfeeling fog, stirred only by her silent
passage through it. There was an eerie feeling in the air, with the dead wind
hanging over her. Shadow quickly found herself lost and debated with herself
on the advantages of flying up the mountain instead of walking like some common
Ixi.
On one hand she could probably rise above the
fog quickly enough, which would at the very least allow her to catch her bearings.
On the other, she would have to shed her heavy winter cloak. This would expose
her to the icy winter air and leave her at the mercy of the weather for the
rest of the trip- assuming she couldn't find a replacement at the top of the
mountain.
Shadow never assumed.
She tried to keep moving through the fog, but
eventually she got the feeling that she was on her way back down the mountain.
This was reaffirmed when she spotted tracks running beside her that she had
made less than ten minutes ago. In the empty silence her curses echoed back,
making it seem as though the fog had a rather foul mouth.
It was completely beyond her how she couldn't
even tell whether she was going up or down, or even orient her direction from
where she was. Clearly there was some kind of trickery at work. Perhaps the
Dewdrop's influence spread further than she thought.
In a single fluid motion her cloak dropped to
the snow, swirling up small puffs around her feet. Her wings stretched out to
their full length and she shook them twice to warm them up. With a yell of jubilation
she took off to the skies. She might not be able to tell where she was going
on the ground, but by the Faeries she could find UP!
Within minutes she had cleared the fog's uppermost
reaches and was hovering in blue skies, looking down upon Neopia. The sun's
golden glow reflected down off the top of the clouds, and between them she could
see glimpses of the world she lived in. Half-frozen drops of water floated serenely
past her as she stared down, picking out the castles of Brightvale and Meridell,
and the new city of Maraqua. In the distance she could see Faerieland floating,
the tip of the highest tower poking over the horizon.
The fog had spread, it seemed, from about midway
down the mountain to a small ridge just below the crest of the mountain, where
a small village sat. Amidst the town sat an igloo, several houses, and... a
tavern. Her quick eye noted the tavern, and she grinned. It seemed like that
would be a good place to start her search for the Dewdrop, so she angled her
wings and flew quickly towards it.
A light crunch of snow greeted her back to earth
as Shadow landed outside the tavern, The Ski Lodge. When she pushed open
the door, she was greeted with a large and rather friendly looking room, though
it was almost completely empty. Whoever ran the place kept it well lit, with
a roaring fire opposite the bar and candles burning merrily in brackets around
the perimeter. Enormous comfy chairs littered the area, pulled up next to big
tables used to hold the assorted food and drink that was apparently served here.
The floor was made of wood, but kept almost obsessively clean, so that the light
brown finish was not obscured by dirt and grime. Shadow wiped her feet nervously.
At the bar, a tiny Usul smiled at her, so Shadow
wiped her feet again- and once more to be safe- and walked over. Seating herself
on a stool, she smiled and ordered a Hot Chocolate. She then waited until the
girl's back was turned and surreptitiously checked to see if she had left any
tracks on the floor.
She snapped her head back up as the Usul slid
the hot drink towards her with a practiced smile. Shadow reached into a pouch
on her belt and dug past the dubloons on top, grabbing a handful of Neopoints
to pay up. It didn't do to leave a tab. The Usul took the money and turned around,
trouncing into the kitchen, her red fur bouncing.
Shadow took a sip of the hot chocolate, trying
not to burn her tongue. Three lonely marshmallows floated on top, a Grarrl,
a Meerca, and a Shoyru. The Grarrl and the Meerca both looked happy, but the
Shoyru's head was missing... Shadow tried to shrug it off, and glanced around.
She hadn't noticed before, but the far wall wasn't
a wall, but rather an enormous window divided up into nine smaller panes. The
view looked down the side of the mountain to an outcropping of rocks.
"Bit of a long way up for a traveller such as
yourself, especially with no cloak?" the Usul asked her, returning from the
kitchen.
"I just wanted to make a quick trip so I travelled
light," Shadow replied stiffly, trying to smile.
The Usul frowned.
"Are you sure that's why?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Alright then. There have been odd reports coming
up here from people looking for quests. Weird fog."
"I didn't see any."
Shadow was acutely aware that two of the other
customers, sequestered away in a corner, had perked up at her conversation with
the bartender. She frowned.
The bartender coughed again to regain her attention.
She had the most annoyingly high-pitched voice, like a young Air Faerie who'd
been enjoying too many Faerie Bubbles.
"Some folks are saying that the Dewdrop is responsible
for the fog they've been seeing."
"The what?" Shadow replied, trying desperately
to keep her answer noncommittal.
"You know what it is, Shadowflame," the Usul
hissed, "Don't lie to me! And you left TRACKS ON THE FLOOR!"
"What? How-"
Shadow had no idea how the girl knew who she
was, but began to reach for her sword when the distinctive click of a crossbow
echoed from the counter. She dove and rolled off the stool as the Usul drew
it up and shot, shattering her mug and spraying hot chocolate everywhere.
"I had to pay for that!" she yelled, regaining
her footing and staring down the bartender.
The Usul was holding a Regulation Meridell Crossbow,
though how she had found it was beyond Shadow. Theft, most likely. She muttered
angrily to herself, and the other two customers in the corner made a hasty exit.
"Chet, get back in there and get your pants on
this instant!" came a call from outside.
"No way, man, not with that stuff going on! Big
pointy objects scare me!"
Shadow lowered her sword so the point touched
the floor lightly.
"What is it you want?"
"We want the same thing you do; the money," replied
the Usul, smiling. "We both know how much a wish is worth. If you agree to work
with us right now, we'll let you walk away with fifteen percent of the profits,
along with your life."
"We?"
"You will see. Fifteen percent."
"Twenty-five percent," Shadow shot back.
"Seventeen."
"Twenty."
"Normally I would agree with that, but I suppose
I should leave the negotiations to your new employer."
She tilted her head. New employer? The Usul went
into the kitchen, leading out a hooded Shoyru from the kitchen, flanked by two
more shirtless Shoyru guards. Each guard had a diagonal grey slash across their
chest; and they were armed with Winged Shoyru Spears and heavy looking Shoyru
Battle Shields. Shadow drew her sword, and for the first time in a long time,
began to suspect that it was going to be inadequate protection from her enemies.
"Drawing steel, in my presence? Shadow,
I am disappointed in your manners. I see you didn't even wipe your feet properly!"
She glared at the hooded figure.
"Who are you?"
"I? I? I am Halide, crown prince of The Grey.
We are a brotherhood of warriors in search of an ancient Neopian treasure. Marked
by the paint brush of the Grey Faerie, we will find it!"
"That diagonal slash... is grey paint?"
"Correct. And we number more than you will ever
know."
"I'm not entirely sure I want anything to do
with you. Especially if you plan on 'marking' me."
"Hahaha, don't be so naive, Shadow; we don't
take your kind into our order. But you do happen to be after a certain object
that interests us as well."
"The Dewdrop? I don't see what that-"
"As I'm sure you are well aware, Shadowflame,
people will pay anything for happiness. One wish, anything in the world at your
fingertips, health from sickness, life from death, a friend for life... this
is what we wish to have, this is what we wish to sell."
"I see..." she murmured. "Cutting in on my business
to fund some wacko brotherhood."
Unfortunately, one of the guards heard her and
stepped forward, whirling the winged spear. He beat her across the chest with
the haft and sent her flying into the wall on the other side of the room. She
pulled herself up and lifted her sword.
"You will not speak of The Grey like that, stranger,
nor will you ever again," the guard growled.
"Darius! We do NOT attack partners like so. You
will face great punishment for this!"
Halide turned to Shadow.
"Sorry about him, loyalty breeds blind rage in
some of our guards."
She snorted at that.
"We wish to offer you the twenty percent you
ask in order to retrieve the Dewdrop, plain and simple."
The offer was tempting, but not nearly as much
as getting the full price back on her efforts. Still...
"If you give me some time, I'll consider your
offer."
"No! You must decide now!"
"Then no," she replied coldly. "I refuse."
"I was afraid you would say that," Halide said,
shaking his head and turning to leave the tavern. "But if you feel that way,
then we must dispose of you. Darius! Yuki! Kill her, and make it quick."
Halide and the second guard disappeared out the
door and left Shadow alone with Darius and the Usul.
"So you're Yuki then?" she asked the Usul.
"Quiet, scum," Yuki replied, her voice now lower,
and more menacing. "To speak with the revered prince in such a way... It shames
me."
"I swear, why can't just one of you brotherhoods
or guilds or clans elect somebody sane?" Shadow yelled back. "It'd make your
life so much easier, really!"
A crossbow shot forced her to move quickly, diving
to the left. Darius leapt at her while Yuki reloaded, swinging his Winged Shoyru
Spear at her with one hand. She blocked the metal pole with her sword and punched
him in the gut, jumping backwards as he tried to beat her with his shield. Darius
roared in anger and advanced more slowly, the sharp end of the staff pointed
squarely at her head.
Shadow ducked another crossbow bolt and heard
Yuki curse. She engaged Darius in a furious battle of blows and parries, moving
them both back and forth across the room. Eventually she managed to slice the
arm straps off the battle shield and nimbly knock it aside, leaving Darius defenseless.
As she suspected, he had not trained to fight without it.
He charged her recklessly, taking her by surprise.
With no choice, she turned and fled for the enormous wall of windows, crashing
through it with a yell of anger, fear, and exhilaration. Darius slid to a stop
at the gaping hole and stared out at her as she fell to the snow and began to
roll down the slope towards an outcropping of rocks.
Without waiting to confirm her death, he turned
and left the tavern with Yuki to report to Halide.
Shadow woke up in total darkness. She was freezing
cold and bruised in a dozen places, but alive. The outcropping she had spotted
earlier had stopped her from rolling right off a cliff, at the expense of several
hours of consciousness. It was, without a doubt, a fair trade.
She opened her eyes a little wider and noticed
something odd in the snow. A small diamond, smaller than she had imagined it,
was sitting half-buried in a drift. The Dewdrop. Without hesitation she stood
and picked it up. It pulsed with an odd life, as though something wonderful
lay inside.
In a blinding flash of light the oracle appeared
before her, glowing a pure white. She must've been a faerie once, for no other
Neopian held that kind of power.
"You who have summoned me, Shadowflame, what
is it you desire? A wish, or you future? Or do you, like so many, wish to sell
me for the money and hope it would bring to you?"
Shadow felt a sudden and absolute twinge of
guilt. So many people had probably traded this poor oracle off, using her power
and her plight to their own ends. While hers, in a roundabout way, could be
justified... what about the rich people who sold it to make themselves more?
How long was she doomed to be trapped for doing what was asked of her so long
ago?
No, no matter how important money was to her,
no matter what she'd been through to find this little gemstone... no matter
even the greed she felt now.
"I have a wish for you Mother Oracle," Shadow
said quietly.
"Say it, and it shall be granted, Shadowflame,
any desire. But choose carefully, one wish is but one wish."
"I... I... I wish for you to be freed from your
crystal prison."
The oracle was silent for a long moment. Shadow
swore she could see a tear rolling down the her cheek.
"As you wish..."
There was another flash of light and the oracle
was gone. In her hands sat the diamond, now devoid of any life at all. Shadow
looked up at the sky and there was a pale light high up, smiling at her. She
could vaguely hear the oracle's voice.
Thank you...
The End
|