Avatar Goldmine

     Rysony managed to find an empty cabin with a lone bunk bed inside, and told himself he would put his bag down and go find some supper. He sat on the lower bed and threw his belongings beside him. He felt relief and exhaustion wash over him and decided it wouldn’t hurt to rest his eyes and take a quick nap before dinner.

     “Ahoy mate! What are you still doing here?” Rysony’s eyes flew open at the sound of someone speaking to him. He rolled over and saw the Acara who greeted him earlier standing in his doorway. “Whaddya mean?” The sleepy Usul asked.

     “We docked in Brightvale over 20 minutes ago – you must have slept through it!”

     “Wait – it’s morning???” Since Rysony’s room had no window or porthole he had completely lost track of time.

     “Yessir, it’s nearly half-past nine o’clock now. We need all passengers off the boat so we can clean up and return to Altador. Up and at ‘em!”

     Rysony grabbed his bag and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he quickly made his way off the ship. He realized his nap had turned into over 12 hours of deep slumber. He must have been more tired than he realized. Hopefully my mini-coma means I will be well-rested for a while, Rysony thought to himself.

     In many ways, the landscape of Brightvale was quite similar to that of Meridell. Lush green trees surrounded the area and a dirt path wove between quaint shops and residences. The only real difference had to be the windows – they were some of the most colourful, ornate windows Rysony had ever seen!

     Rysony was admiring the stained glass outside the Brightvale Armoury when he felt his stomach begin to growl. It had been a while since he had a decent meal, and he missed his only opportunity to eat on the ship when he slept through dinner and breakfast. Fortunately, Fruits of Brightvale was just across the way from the Armoury, and Rysony made his way over to the shop to find some food.

     After downing a glass of fresh-squeezed Florange Juice along with a heaping serving of Shishkafruit Fritters and a fresh Purblare fruit bowl, the Usul felt satiated and was ready to continue with his trek to Brightvale Castle. He had never met King Hagan before, but tales of the good king’s wisdom were well known all across Neopia. Rysony had heard he was both an enlightened and a kind ruler, and he anxiously hoped King Hagan was not too busy to see him.

     The dirt path zig-zagged left and right throughout Brightvale, taking Rysony on a scenic, meandering tour of the proud city. Learning was highly valued in this land, and everywhere he looked he could see Neopets of all colours and species studying over large quantities of papers and books. He waved to a Lenny and Cybunny standing in front of the Brightvale Books shop, but the pair seemed to be in such a deep discussion that they didn’t even notice or acknowledge him. Rysony shrugged and figured the townsfolk were more interested in intellectual conversation than making pleasantries with a stranger. I wouldn’t have much to say to them anyway, he reasoned.

     It wasn’t long before he reached the stone drawbridge connecting the town to Brightvale Castle, and Rysony couldn’t help but admire the towering fortress as he made his way to the entrance. Sure, it looked very similar to its sister citadel in Meridell, but there was something very different about it that he couldn’t quite put his paw on. He paused for a moment before reaching the castle doors and listened…. It was serenely quiet, and there was no chatter or hubbub one might expect to hear outside a large castle filled with many inhabitants. I bet they spend all their time studying! Even the guards and the servants, Rysony mused to himself. He chuckled and pushed open the heavy doors before stepping inside.

     Rysony’s mouth fell open as he gawked at the sight before him. Never in his life had he seen so many books! The castle walls were not lined with portraits or suits of armour; Instead, he was greeted by shelves and shelves of dusty books and tomes of all sizes. It looked like he had stepped inside the largest library in Neopia, not a royal castle! Rysony closed his mouth and began to follow the emerald green carpet that stretched in front of him, looking left and right and admiring the huge collection of stories and knowledge that surrounded him.

     Just down the hallway in front of him, Rysony spotted a large figure in a green cloak examining a book from one of the shelves. This Neopian appeared to be deep in thought as he was muttering to himself and seemed completely oblivious to the fact that an unassuming Usul was currently observing him. Rysony noted the stranger had a very bushy moustache, a long, golden beard, and a funny-looking hat perched on top of his huge head.

     “Excuse me, your Highness?”

     King Hagan tore his attention away from his book and turned to look at Rysony with a slight frown on his large green face. “Yes? What is it?”

     Rysony gulped. “I’m so sorry to interrupt you sir, I understand you must be very busy. But I have been on a very long and difficult journey and I am feeling quite lost at the moment. I was hoping I could ask you for some advice.”

     The king stared at him, saying nothing. Rysony suddenly felt nervous and rambled on. “You see, my sister has been missing for quite a while now, and I’ve travelled all over Neopia in search of her. Ellen is very distressed, and this is taking much longer than I thought it would, and I’m just not equipped for this kind of thing. My sister is the strong and smart one, and she has always taken care of us, and now that she’s gone, I’m not sure what to do…” Rysony’s voice broke and, for the first time, he felt his eyes welling with tears. He sniffed and stopped speaking, feeling embarrassed about the emotions that he was sure were clearly showing on his face. He glanced meekly at the king, hoping he would break the uncomfortable silence and say something.

     The frown on King Hagan’s face had disappeared, and instead, he looked at the young Usul with pity. After a brief pause that felt like forever, the king spoke: “I’m very sorry to hear about your sister. May I ask where you have gone, and what you have done, to try and locate her?”

     Rysony breathed a sigh of relief and relayed all his most recent adventures, beginning with his visit to the Island Mystic, detailing the avatars he had collected, and ending with his many challenges and victories he experienced during the Altador Cup. King Hagan listened very intently, offering an occasional nod or shake of his head as a signal he was paying close attention. When Rysony had finished, the king closed his eyes and made a deep Hmmmm sound, as if he was carefully preparing his words. After a few more seconds of silence, he opened his mouth to speak.

     “Young friend, I’m sorry to say I have not heard any news about your sister. I understand the burden you carry is a great one, and I wish I could help you. At this time, I’m afraid all I can offer to you is logic.

     So, let us start from the beginning. Where was the last place you saw her?”

     “Mystery Island – close to the eastern shore.”

     “And how much time passed between when you last saw your sister, and when you realized she had vanished?”

     Rysony furrowed his brow, wondering where the king was going with this. “Not much time at all. I had taken a nap and I think I was only asleep for about an hour or so.”

     “Well then, you say you looked all around Mystery Island and she was not found. May I ask what lands are closest to Mystery Island?”

     Rysony’s heart sank. He suddenly felt very foolish. “Ummm, Krawk Island is probably the closest. Or maybe Maraqua.” “But I’ve already been to Krawk Island, Sir!” Rysony quickly continued.

     King Hagan smiled and nodded. “Right you are! Would it not make sense then, to search Maraqua next? I hear there are also opportunities to find avatars in that wonderful kingdom.”

     “Yes, your Highness, that would make sense. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier! This is why I’m not the right Usul for this mission!” Rysony sighed, feeling disappointed in himself.

     The king placed his two large paws on top of Rysony’s shoulders. “I respectfully disagree with that statement, young friend. When you shared with me your story, I heard nothing but tales of a very brave and daring Usul who is willing to stop at nothing to find his sister. Now tell me, what have you learned so far on all your adventures?”

     Rysony pondered the king’s question before giving his answer. “I guess I’m capable of a lot more than I could have imagined. As long as I keep a cool head, think before I act, and believe it myself, I think I can do this.”

     “You think?” King Hagan looked at Rysony with a twinkle in his eye.

     “Okay, okay – I KNOW I can do this.”

     “That’s more like it! Now off you go.

     Rysony smiled and began to turn away, before the king interrupted him with a final thought. “Hang on! Before you go, I have one more thing I want to say; It's good to know there are intelligent Neopians out there. I give you an A+. You must take this gift from me to aid you in your travels. Please also accept this bag of Neopoints that you may use to charter a ship to Maraqua.” King Hagan handed Rysony a sparkling new avatar showing an image of the king’s perceptive face. He also deposited a heavy bag of Neopoints in the Usul’s other paw.

     “Oh, your majesty, thank you! This is so generous of you. I don’t know what to-“

     “Say nothing and be off! Hurry now, you don’t have time to waste!”

     And with the urging of the king, Rysony took off, sprinting out of the castle as he headed back towards the docks, wondering what dangers and excitement waited for him at Maraqua.

     To be continued…