A Grand Adventure

     Little did most know, he had a secret. Solon was a master treasure seeker, the unsung hero and key to some of Maraqua’s biggest discoveries. The Koi brought in revenue to fund the beginning stages of rebuilding. Not one to want the glory or attention, he preferred to stay out of the limelight, a strong steady and guiding hand to the king, but back in the shadows. He enjoyed influencing policy and applying wisdom and Maraquan law, but when he really wanted to unwind, treasure hunting spoke to him like nothing else did.

     There was just something about the quiet gears and mechanisms at work in a rusty underwater lock, the chase and deciphering of clues, interpreting the scrawl of a pirate’s hand… adventuring through the depths of the shell littered ocean bottom that called to him. During his planned leaves, he would catch drift of unsolved mysteries and pursue leads until a case arose. He lived for the hunt.

     One morning, while observing the King’s luncheon with the Maraquan Altador Cup team, the observant Koi heard a few players talking about a meet and greet with the Tyrannian team. The banquet had taken place at the annual Altador Cup Rules and Regulations update luncheon. It’s usually quite a snooze, so players tended to find alternate topics of discussion. Anything had to be better than listening to all four hundred and eight three rules read to a group of athletes for 6 hours. Not even the most exquisite cuisine in all of Maraqua was worth that… well the server Uni at Kelp might disagree.

     "Can you believe that Lorche was just spewing all the legends of Tyrannia... like, I have better things to talk about... like my game! Who cares if there are some rusty old goblets buried in the Plateau somewhere. Let's keep our chat about what's really important in life- Yooyuball!" said one teammate.

     "Right!? I was just talking about my spin move during the Darigan Citadel game and they just keep chatting about this lame hidden treasure. Like, seriously... get over it," said another.

      From what Solon had gathered, Loryche, the Tyrannian Chomby captain let slip that there was an old legend about hidden treasure in Tyrannia. Many had searched for countless hours, but the unyielding sun and scorching temperatures swayed many a treasure hunter back to sea. Tyrannia is not an easy place to be as an outsider. Grarrls are roaming about everywhere and eating just about anything.

     As the teams left, Solon stood by his trusty pillar to the right of the King’s magnificent throne of stone and shell.

     “Solon, what are your thoughts?” the King inquired being one of the few privy to Solon’s extracurriculars.

     Solon paused, gathering his thoughts. “Legends are typically based in some underlying facts. Parsing the truth from exaggerations is difficult, but not impossible with research,” he explained.

     The King, with a slight smile, said, “Solon, you have a great mind. I know that you love the thrill of treasure hunting, and with your inquiring mind, I think you could really help Maraqua. We are looking to generate more traffic to our beautiful world, to really put us on the map with Neopians and generate revenue. We have a few ideas, but they require major funding. Would you be willing, with Maraqua’s sponsorship, be willing to check into a few leads regarding this treasure? Our relations with Krawk Island have been tense lately, and I fear more treasure hunting near their waters would be ill-advised. What do you say?”

     Solon, placing his hand above his head and without hesitation, pledged, “Anything for my King and Maraqua.”

     “Then it is settled, brave Koi. I will inform your partner of your willingness to join and ready your journey to the first lead,” the King said promptly.

     “My partner?” questioned Solon. He had always worked alone. The mere thought of working with another pet, even an Maraquan pet, made him on edge.

     “But of course. Any journey this size requires a partner. You will meet her here in ten minutes. Now, as you know, I have a meeting with the trade commission and with my best assistant working on, ahem, other matters, I need to prepare a bit. Good luck on your journey, and I hope to see you soon,” the King said, winking.

     Solon, previously elated at this new and unexpected opportunity, started to feel the dread of the endeavour ahead weighing on him. After stewing in his thoughts for a few minutes, the door handle rattled, and in swam a haughty, Maraquan Xweetok he knew as Neri.

     “I can tell you weren’t expecting me based on the crestfallen look on your face. You will need to get over that quickly,” Neri remarked bluntly. “We’ve been given a task by the king. You don’t have to like me and I’ll tell you right now, I don’t particularly like you. Truth is, Maraqua is depending on us. The income we could bring in to kickstart this struggling economy will serve Maraqua for generations to come. Now that we’ve talked stakes, let’s talk leads,” said Neri with businesslike authority.

     A little dazed and not being used to being talked to as anything other than a well-respected advisor to the king, Solon thought carefully of his first words of this unwanted partnership. “Let us begin.”

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      Of all the places for a Maraquan to begin a treasure hunt in Tyrannia, Solon found himself wading in the cool, crisp waters of the Rainbow Fountain Faerie in Faerieland. After a few hushed and mysterious conversations, Neri had grunted to Solon, “She owes me a favour or two, don’t ask questions.” The journey would have been manageable as a Koi, but Neri mentioned that with Tyrannian Victory Day fast approaching and Maraquan’s would stand out. Especially Maraquans that were poking around in potentially unwanted or unwelcome places. As he stepped out of the fountain, he looked down to see hooves instead of fins and giant tusks protruding from his jaw. Solon, newly transformed into a Tyrannian Moehog, and Neri a Tyrannian Xweetok, uttered quick and curt thank yous, as were on their way.

     “You know, it would be great if I was working with all the information,” Solon remarked, slightly agitated with the situation.

     “You know King Kelpbeard, always has motives,” Neri mused. “He gave us each a piece of the puzzle and asked for a great wonder to be accomplished. I honestly can’t even believe we made it this far with your silent loathing.”

     “It is not wise to speak of our journey with such a cavalier attitude. Do not mistake my solemn nature as a bad attitude. I am simply calculating the leads we have.”

     “Well, it’s been great to argue with you and all, but let’s just get this done so we can go back to avoiding each other in the castle,” Neri said.

     Solon, a bit surprised at the admission questioned, “You work in the castle?”

     Neri, rolling her eyes, ignored the question and continued, “So, the first lead the King gave me was a compactly inscribed tablet. I am unfamiliar with the type of stone, but perhaps it’s common in Tyrannia.”

     Recognizing the symbols on the tablet, Solon read, “Place in the place, in the dark in the space, up and up feel the rock, three times you should knock.”

     Neri, mouth wide open in astonishment, almost dropped the tablet. “You really got a cute little poem from that ancient rock with pictures on it?”

     “I make it a point to familiarize myself with many dialects of Neopian worlds. I never know where this job will take me,” Solon answered.

     “Oookkkkayyyy, you have way too much time on your hands.” Neri bemused. “The only other item I was given, is a few tickets to tonight’s band- Yes Boy Ice Cream.”

     “No.” Solon said bluntly. “Not happening. I’m working, and will not take time for sure leisurely past times. Why are you here again?”

     Avoiding the question yet again, Neri haughtily snapped, “We are working Solon! If you could analyze for just a minute instead of jumping to conclusions… there are rumoured to be caverns under the Tyrannian concert hall! We are not attending the concert, we are finding this treasure. After finally getting my hands on a copy of Tyrannia Travels, I found a vague reference to a secret door to the side of the stage that the author used to hide her omelette from a hungry Grarrl once.”

     “I’ve been trying to get that book for months! How did you find it?” Solon gaped.

     Neri continued, “Again with the pointless questions. Can we please stay on topic and get ready to dance?”

     Solon started stone-faced.

     Neri continued on, smiling. This might be a fun trip after all.

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     To be continued…