The Adventures of Sysill Magnat: Quest For Boochi

     “Sysill, how about here?”

     “Aye,” he replied simply. He stared at his mother, who he saw as a very tall and regal woman. She was like a Queen in his eyes and a beautiful shade of purple. The purple Draik looked down at her son and set down her beach bag, taking a large towel out. She spread the fine woven material over a spot of sand and she and Sysill sat down. He opened his own bag, withdrawing his cape and sword.

     “Sysill... we’re at the beach...” his mother piped up, looking around a little to see if anyone was paying attention to her wayward child. She knew her son was young, but any time he brought out his cape and sword, she knew that something was about to happen.

     “My dear Maiden, I am simply preparing,” he replied, puffing up his chest.

     His mother raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled the ragged blanket around his neck and tied a loose knot. He picked up the wooden sword from the practice set she had given him a few months before. He’d taken on a whole new language since then. “Preparing for what?” she asked, wishing she could simply enjoy the sunny day, rather than have to worry about what tricks Sysill might have up his sleeve.

     “For war!”

     * * *

     To Sysill, the beach was a war zone. There were so many warriors that it was hard to even count them all. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the sandy existence, looking for friend and foe. He saw mostly foe. But, there was one he was looking for specifically: Boochi.

     Ever since Boochi had zapped his brother into a baby, and he was positive that this was a zap, even though he was at a companion's house when the alleged random event happened, Sysill had wanted to meet the zapper face to face. He had been scouring all of Mystery Island.

     Boochi was a hard Neopian to find.

     Sysill hid behind a sand dune and watched a pair of blue Kaus playing catch with a yooyu. Sysill frowned; to him, the yooyu was a large bomb-type hot potato, ready to explode at any moment! He charged forward with his blade blazing in the air and knocked the yooyu out of the way. It went rolling into the ocean, splashing as it unrolled.

     One of the blue Kaus ran after it; the other stayed behind.

     “What do you think you’re doing?” he yelled at Sysill. “That was mine!”

     “So you are the knave that brought that object of doom into a sea of innocents?”

     The Kau paused and blinked as he tried to decipher what Sysill had said. Sysill took a step forward and put the tip of his wooden sword on the Kau’s chest. The Kau stepped backward as his brother came forward with the Darigan yooyu in his arms. It was fidgeting and trying to shake the water free.

     “Look, Bart, I got him before he swam off somewhere. You know, we can’t swim that well.” The other blue Kau was soaked from head to toe, but the weather was so warm that he knew he would dry off easily. He set the yooyu down in the sand and let him scuttle around and shake dry. “Bart, who’s the bozo?”

     Bart’s eyes were a little wide at Sysill as he approached him. His brother stepped forward and Sysill turned his sword around. “Brothers together to destroy? What cowards!”

     “Bart,” Bend asked, “what is he talking about?”

     Bart simply shrugged. He was happy not to have the wooden sword pointed at him any longer. “Apparently, we are set to destroy... something. Oh... innocents?”

     Bend crossed his arms and shook his head, “Come on, Bart. Let’s go.”

     “Don’t turn your back on a fight, knaves!” Sysill chimed in, waving his sword around. “I have vowed to protect all who are innocent!”

     Bart stepped forward, but Bend put up an arm up to stop him, “He’s just a little kid.”

     “I am a Knight! Protector of people!” Sysill yelled above them. Others around them were turning to look at Sysill. He didn’t see them. He didn’t realize he was drawing attention to himself. He had completely succumbed to the role he was playing.

     “Then go find Punchbag Bob,” Bend replied. He scooped up the Darigan yooyu and the two stalked off.

     Sysill scanned the area with his eagle eyes, searching for any more signs of danger.

     When he didn’t see any, he retreated to his post at the sand dune. Waiting.

     * * *

      All that was on Sysill’s mind as lunchtime rolled around, was Boochi. That Bruce was a hard man to track down and Sysill was starting to become impatient. After a while, his stomach started to growl and he made his way back to where his mother was reading beneath a large umbrella. She smiled as she saw him coming.

     “Sysill, I haven’t seen you in a few hours, what have you been off doing?” she asked curiously, even if a part of her really didn’t want to know.

     “I was stopping a ticking time bomb!” he yelled proudly. Others turned their heads to look at him and his mother smiled somewhat.

     “That’s nice, dear. Are you hungry after having such a hard day?”

     “Ravished,” Sysill replied, plopping down on the blanket and setting his sword in the sand. He kept it nearby. Just in case. His mother handed him a sandwich, a negg, and some apple juice. Sysill ate hungrily as his mother went back to her reading.

     As Sysill was finishing up his sandwich, something rolled onto the blanket. The Darigan yooyu again. Sysill jumped away from it and grabbed his sword, prodding the yooyu with the wooden tip.

     His mother glanced up just as Sysill was poking it. “Sysill! What are you doing?”

     “It’s that ticking time bomb again! I thought I destroyed it!”

     “Sysill, it is not a ticking time bomb. It’s a petpet. Leave it alone.”

     “My fair lady, this petpet as you call it, is a threat to all of the innocents! I must protect them from it!” he replied, turning as the two blue Kau’s stalked forward. Both of them seemed to have been waiting in the wings for Sysill to be distracted so that they could retrieve their petpet. Everyone was looking at him.

     “Sysill, give the boys their yooyu back!”

     “Yes, Sysill. Give it back.” A squeaky voice spoke. Sysill turned his attention to it as the crowd parted. Many dispersed, not wanting to be in the same vicinity as the evil laser-wielding baby Bruce. Sysill grinned widely.

     “Victory! I knew you would come to me, Boochi!”

     Boochi raised his ray gun. “I didn’t come to you, Sysill. I came to change you.”

     “Never!”

     “You can’t stop me, Sysill Magnat. Victory is mine!”

     Boochi pointed his ray gun at Sysill and pulled the trigger. The young Draik stood mortified as the ray beam hit him. He felt his body change and his too small fingers dropped the wooden sword in the sand. The cape slid off his neck and settled around his body as he sat, small and helpless on the beach blanket.

     Boochi giggled and disappeared. Sysill’s mother stepped forward and bent down next to him. “Sysill! What have you done?”

     Sysill muttered something incomprehensible. The two blue Kaus laughed and grabbed their yooyu before disappearing into the crowd. After a few moments, the rest of the onlookers dispersed as well.

     Sysill frowned and tried to talk. Gurgles came out instead.

     “I will get revenge! Boochi shall one day, be mine!” Sysill vowed. His mother picked him up and packed up their things, shaking her head as she carried him home.

The End

Author's Note: Look for other Sysill Magnat stories! He's become a great character! NM welcome!