Adventures in Krawk Island

      "Rare treasures on sale! Get them now! We brought these back all the way in the Lost Desert, 'ey're so rare," a typical Pirate merchant shouted to everyone in hearing distance on the Warf Wharf. That meant everyone. The guy was loud.

      Lillian rolled her eyes. All of these pirates were scammers and frauds.

      The Speckled Uni watched curiously as an obviously gullible female Pirate Shoyru approached the merchant. "What are they?" the lady asked.

      "Rare gold gems from the caves deep beneath the Lost Desert," he told her. Lillian raised an eyebrow.

      "What's the price?"

      A greedy glint lit up the merchant's eyes, and Lillian glared at him. Yes, these merchants were all the same.

      "I think 250 Dubloons would be a fair price for these treasures," the merchant said with a slippery tongue. "A bargain, even!"

      250 anything was an enormous amount for anybody on Krawk Island. Lillian gave a little gulp. This guy was a total rip-off.

      Just as the Shoyru lady was about to accept, the Uni stepped forward. "Ma'am, sorry to barge in, but you're being cheated."

      The merchant glared at her. "Let me explain," Lillian began.

      "Anyone who's been to the Lost Desert knows that its sand would never allow for caves. It's just too loose." Lillian told the customer and the merchant. "So you're obviously lying about where the gems come from."

      Before the angry merchant could reply, she kept on going. "Besides, gold has never been found in the Lost Desert. Only rubies, emeralds, and the like," Lillian informed them. It was apparent the merchant hadn't done his research.

      "In fact, I think the last place gold was found in Neopia was Tyrannia." Lillian paused to look over the merchant. He had a visible limp in his step. "Tyrannia is a hard place to travel, and an even harder place to get to from here. You could never make the trip with that busted ankle of yours. More likely you painted a bunch of rocks gold, honestly."

      She turned to the Shoyru again. "It'd be rather smart if you don't buy his things, if you listen to me."

      The Krawkians around her were left speechless.

      The merchant Scorchio clenched his fists. "How dare you cheat me out of the hard-earned Dubloons I was going to make!"

      "How dare you cheat this nice lady!" Lillian told the man, giving a little huff to show she wanted this guy to back off.

      "I believe the smart Uni, thank you," the Pirate Shoyru said, stepping to Lillian's side. "Thank you, I had no idea he was a fraud," she told Lillian.

      "No problem, I can always spot the cheaters right away," Lillian said, grinning.

      "Did you forget you cheated me out of money?" the Scorchio raged, reaching for his sword.

      Lillian gave another gulp and flapped her wings. "Looks like it's time for me to be leaving!"

      She flew away from the Warf Wharf, grateful that the Scorchio didn't seem to be following her.

      An hour later, Lillian was at the camp halfway into a cave that she called her "home."

      It was very simple, only an old blanket and a fireplace, but it was warm most of the time. And, she grinned wryly, at least she got the ocean view she always wanted.

      The salty ocean waves crashed onto the beach, reminding Lillian of why she loved them so much.

      They were free, reckless, and unstoppable. Just like how he wanted to be, and Lillian was already a third of the way there.

      When she had lived in Neopia Central, with her owner, the Uni had been treated like she was one of those stuffy Unis. The ones who Lillian knew very few of that were spoiled and naïve.

      Her owner had been kind, but stifling, and Lillian had flew away, not stopping until Krawk Island. She lived here now, never making enough money, always on edge.

      But she loved the Island, and she loved the Warf Wharf. Lillian also greatly enjoyed using her special skills, the ability to assess situations like the one earlier and to read other Neopets.

      It was sort of simple, but in a complicated way. Lillian was very observant, and her mind pieced together evidence very quickly. Then she used the skills to get some Dubloons from strangers or to save them from using their Dubloons to get useless junk from liars and cheats.

      Her life wasn't an easy one, but Lillian took comfort in the fact that she was helping people, if only a little bit.

      The following morning, a soft but persistent sound awoke Lillian.

      "Wee... woo... wee... woo."

      She got up and looked around her to see where the song had come from. It was obviously from a Weewo, those adorable little birds.

      Lillian flapped her wings and flew up. There, on a gnarled tree overlooking the cliff side, was a small little Weewo. She flew over it.

      It was adorable, and it had a little scar on the side of its face. "Probably another petpet attacked him," Lillian muttered, assuming the Weewo was male. He kept singing, determined to achieve whatever the songs achieved.

      "I like you. You're a fighter, just like me," Lillian whispered.

      "I'll name you Negg!" she told the Weewo, who immediately gave a little chirp.

      Lillian clomped her hooves, happy to have made a friend. Surprisingly, a loud and hollow sound came from the rock.

      "Well that's peculiar," Lillian told Negg, peering closer at the rock.

      "This is really peculiar!" Lillian had found a small hatch and she now opened it, curious as to what lay inside.

      It seemed to be a long way down, but thankfully Lillian wasn't afraid of heights or tight spaces. So she picked Negg up, put him on her shoulder, and flew down into whatever lay beneath the hatch.

      The way down was actually surprisingly short, just dark. The bottom was actually lit by a torch.

      "Weird. Torches don't usually stay lit for long," Lillian remarked, picking it up from the wall.

      The room was very simple, but she could see there was a slip of paper in the corner.

      "To any traveler happening to come upon this note, it is here that the true treasure of the Governor lay," Lillian read, giving a gasp.

      "Treasure?" she echoed. Treasure sounded nice.

      "I have hidden my treasure within these caves, so that a true adventurer may find it and share the riches with all of Krawk Island." Lillian continued, intrigued. She had never been much of an explorer, not having the time, but did enjoy it when he got the chance.

      Lillian looked at Negg. "We've got some treasure to find!"

      "A map is located on the back of this note. Good luck, and do not be greedy with the treasure if you find it," she finished.

      "I'll follow the warning," Lillian told herself and the note, and Negg, too, she supposed. It was all too easy for someone poor to become greedy if they got money, but Lillian trusted herself to be logical enough not to.

      She and Negg set into the caves to try and find the True Treasure of the Governor.

      It was a while later when Lillian and Negg reached the final cavern. She was sweating because it was quite warm in the tunnels, and they were too narrow for her to fly, so she had to walk it all.

      When she raised the torch, a glint shone, and Lillian lit up. Regaining her energy, she ran towards the treasure.

      It was all there, a full chest of treasure. And another note.

      Lillian picked up the note first. "You are apparently persistent and determined enough to have gone all this way for the treasure. I congratulate you! You must come visit the Mansion, where we will start donating the treasure to all the poor of Krawk Island," she read.

      Suddenly tired, Lillian lay her head down. It had been an exciting day so far, very different from the previous one.

      "I'm gonna take a little nap," she told Negg. "Don't you get lost or anything. Then we'll go visit the Governor."

      Some time later, Lillian woke up. With a loud yawn, she remembered why he was there in the cave. Rolling over, she looked at the treasure chest and Negg, who was surprisingly still there.

      "Let's go!" Lillian told the Weewo, picking up the chest.

      The pair started down the caves again, not stopping until they were out on the cliff side again. Lillian paused to take in the view of Krawk Island. It was beautiful.

      "The Mansion is over there," Lillian murmured, pointing. Then, with the chest on her back and Negg right next to her, she flew towards the Governor's Mansion.

      No guards were stationed outside of the mansion. Lillian could tell that the guy was like his people, independent and self-relying. She could respect that.

      Lillian knocked on the door, and the sound seemed to resonate over the whole island. She took a step back.

      "Wee... woo... wee... woo," sang Negg, and soon the door was opened.

      "Hello, how may I... you've found the treasure?" the Governor exclaimed. "Finally, someone found it! Come in, come in."

      Lillian entered the mansion. It was elegant and refined, but still with some southern Krawk Island charm. She instantly wanted to the place.

      "It's been years since I placed that treasure in those caves," the Governor said. "I knew that someone tough, determined, and honest would be the only one able to find the treasure and bring it back to me."

      "I promise to share it with everyone on Krawk Island," Lillian told him. Negg gave an agreeing chirp. "I have one question, though. If this was your treasure, why didn't you just share it yourself?"

      The Governor smiled. "I am not getting any younger, and I want to train an apprentice to become the next Governor, so I devised this plan to find my apprentice. Do you accept?"

      Lillian's smile lit up her face before she had even processed the information. "Yes! That sounds wonderful! Thank you."

      "Thank you, for proving that there are still good-hearted Neopets in this world."

      The End.