An Alien Aisha Vacations in Neopia: Illusen's Glade

     She was admittedly a little worried her information was outdated--those books were terribly dusty--but she was quite certain some things wouldn't have changed since they were written. Surely no one had dislodged the great ice creature that slept on his hoard of toys and treasure in Terror Mountain, she thought, and of course nothing bad could have happened to the shining Faerie City in the clouds.

     She'd practically committed the list to memory, but even as she stood in the Neopian Plaza, she couldn't decide where to go or what to do first. She scanned the notes she'd made with each activity, hoping something would jump out at her and--yes, there!

     She double-checked the date on her wrist calendar, and glanced back at the notebook, tripe-checking the date penciled in there: the 17th of Collecting. Today! If she hurried, she thought she could get to Meridell just in time.

     Yillix starred "Illusen's Glade - Go on a quest for Neopia's most famous Earth Faerie" in her notebook and added "ON ILLUSEN DAY :D" to the end of the line. Yes, this would be the perfect first experience for her vacation.

     Now just to find her way to Meridell! Yillix found the Plaza's street sign easily enough, and spotted the road to Meridell through the milling crowds. Excitement bubbled in her stomach, and she followed the path with a spring in her step and a wide smile plastered across her face. Illusen's Glade on Illusen Day! Yes, this would be perfect.

     The hustle and bustle of Neopia Central had mostly faded behind her Yillix's felt the tell-tale tingle of being watching. She spun around quickly, paw flying to the Bzzapper holstered at her shoulder, only to find a perfectly innocent-looking, very shocked Yellow Kacheek frozen on the road behind her.

     "Sorry!" Yillix muttered, tucking the weapon away again. "I thought--" She scanned the road and the grassy stretches on either side. Was the grass wavering over there, right by the tree line? She thought so, but there was a spring breeze blowing. Yillix shook her head. "Never mind, it must have been nothing. Sorry I scared you!" Yillix repeated.

     The Kacheek took the fork toward Kiko Lake not long after, and the stream of traffic to and from Neopia Central slowed, leaving Yillix alone on the long road to Meridell; still, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.

     Still, she didn't see anything around her.

     She tried to ignore the feeling, focusing on her strategy for completing Illusen's quest. Everything she'd read suggested getting help from the Shop Wizard for the early quests, but Yillix realized with a spike of dread that she didn't know if there was a Shop Wizard stationed in Meridell, and if so, where she'd need to go to find it. Did Meridell have its own marketplace? She imagined so--how would King Skarl get all the food he needed into his palace if there weren't a handy farmer's market at least?--but would she be able to find the item Illusen asked for by browsing the stalls?

     She'd have to look for the Shop Wizard first, and then she could--

     "Eep?"

     Yillix spun, reaching for her blaster again.

     EEEP!

     A yellow flash streaked through the grass on the side of the road and disappeared into the trees to Yillix's right.

     She let out a breath. Probably just a wild petpet, she told herself. No need to be so jumpy. This wasn't like the wild places of Kreuldor, where anything that moved might be dangerous. This was a road between Neopia Central and the Brightvale-Meridell Peninsula. Perfectly safe. And if she kept reaching for that Bzzapper on instinct, she might startle the wrong Neopian. She wouldn't mind visiting the Healing Springs, of course, but visiting out of necessity wasn't exactly on the top of her vacation bucket list.

     Yillix did her best to ignore the feeling that she was being watched as she continued toward Meridell. She occupied herself by reviewing her list again--once she finished Illusen's quest, she could try to tell King Skarl a joke, visit the Rubbish Dump, and pick some berries. If she could fit all that into one day, she could head back through Brightvale, then to the Lost Desert through the Haunted Woods, and maybe catch a boat from there to the islands, and--would she be able to find a boat in the Lost Desert? They had ports, right?

     Ahead, Meridell Castle's turrets appeared over the horizon, banners fluttering in the breeze.

     Yillix's heart pounded, as if she were already rushing to meet Illusen's deadline. She paused for a second to take in the scene, then raced forward, and let Meridell envelop her.

     The smell of rich soil filled the air. The skirts of Royal Neopets rustled in the streets, a hair softer than the breeze, as they made their way too and from the castle. A pair of Dragoyles played tug-o'-war with a shiny Neopoint in the outdoor pen of Ye Olde Petpets. Yillix paused and watched them for a moment, a smile spreading over her face. She'd never had a petpet--not for lack of wanting one, she'd just never found the right match.

     She continued past Merifoods and the market--good, there was a market!--and turned down the narrow, winding path toward Illusen's Glade. That odd feeling of being watched still persisted, and she now had the sinking feeling that she had forgotten something, but excited chatter from the Glade ahead pushed both of those feelings out of mind.

     Yillix found the earth faerie beset by a hoard of would-be questers--dozens of them at least. Some had done their best to form a line, half of them with the same eager-but-nervous expression Yillix thought must be on her own face, the other half rocking on their tiptoes, items in hand, hoping to get Illusen to accept their offerings before time ran out. Yillix joined the line rather than the crush of bodies surrounding the earth faerie on her other three sides, and did her best to wait patiently.

     Eeep?

     She whipped her head around. Even in the jostling crowed, her Aisha ears pinpointed the sound--near the edge of the glade. She stepped to the side of the line, trying to get a better view, but the Neopets around her wore bright clothing and were scampering so quickly on Illusen's errands that she couldn't make anything out. For a brief moment, she debated stepping out of line to investigate--she was sure that was the same sound she'd heard on the road--but she wasn't sure she'd be able to get back in line, as much as there was one, in any reasonable amount of time. The glade was already starting to grow dimmer as the day faded, and she was determined to complete one of Illusen's quests today.

     "Where is my Towel?"

     The earth faerie's voice was soft and gentle, must like the leaves rustling overhead, and it took Yillix a solid 15 seconds to realize that Illusen was, finally, talking to her.

     "Towel!" Yillix said, heart leaping. She always had a towel on her! It was the first rule of traveling through the universe, she just needed to--

     Yillix's heart sunk as quickly as it had leapt. She'd left her towel behind, on her ship, parked by the Vending Machine in Neopia Central. Hours away. No worries--she'd just go ask the Shop Wizard to help her--

     The Shop Wizard. She knew there was something she'd forgotten to check! She'd walked past the market but hadn't checked for a Shop Wizard!

     Yillix swallowed. This was okay--this was okay, she still had some time. Sixteen minutes. Maybe a few seconds less. She pushed her way through the crowd. Market. Shop wizard. Towel. She could do this. No problem.

     Once she was clear of the crowd, Yillix sprinted for the market.

     To her dismay, she arrived in time to see many of the merchants packing up their stalls.

     "Oh no."

     She raced for the closest shopkeeper. "Towel!" she said. Then she shook herself. "I'm sorry. Excuse me, that was rude," she corrected herself, still speaking far more quickly than she normally would. "I need--"

     The Quiggle laughed. "Illusen, huh? Sorry, Miss. no Towels here. You might want to try the tailor down closer to Merifoods, that'd be your best bet, she sometimes stays open a bit late."

     "Thank you!"

     Yillix ran past the tailor's shop three times before she finally saw the Ye Olde Threads sign swaying in the breeze. If she had to guess, she had about ten minutes left. She crossed her antenna and stepped inside.

     "Excuse me, do you have any Towels?" she asked the Uni standing behind the counter.

     "Sorry friend, no Towels."

     Yillix's heart sank. "Not even an old one? It doesn't have to be brand new, I'm sure, if you have one you've used in the back--I'll still pay the new price, I just need--"

     "Hmm, maybe," the Uni said. "Give me a few minutes, I have to take these shirts back and hang them up, but I'll check."

     "Yes please!" Yillix said, silently adding, and please hurry!.

     The Uni disappeared, and Yillix tapped her paws impatiently on the shop's wooden floorboards. One minute passed. Two. Three.

     She thought about running out and looking for another shop. Seven minutes? This was probably still her best bet, but this was taking forever, and--

     The Uni reappeared.

     Yillix perked up, reaching for the pouch of Neopoints at her waist.

     "Sorry, friend, no luck," she said.

     Yillix's heart sank. For a full 10 seconds she stared at the Uni shopkeeper, hoping she'd heard wrong.

     No, she couldn't waste time! She muttered a thank you and retreated out of the shop, surveying the ones to either side and across the street.

     A restaurant, if she could find a restaurant, she might be able to convince someone to give her a Towel from the kitchen!

     Did Meridell have restaurants? She supposed the castle kitchens were kind of like a restaurant, but the castle was practically on the other side of Meridell--she'd never make it there and back in time.

     She started running, eyes peeled for anything--a Shop Wizard she'd missed, another tailor's shop, a restaurant, a Neohome-decorating shop. She could feel the timer ticking down. How much time left now? Five minutes? Less?

     Eeep!

     Yillix froze. She didn't have time for this. Whatever had been following her from Neopia Central, now was not the time to investigate, she needed to--

     Eep eeeep!

     The Alien Aisha practically tripped over the yellow block as it darted out from between two shops.

     "Hey there, be careful!" she scolded the petpet. She'd taken two steps passed it before she realized there had been something blue dangling from its mouth.

     She doubled back.

     The Kookith sat in the middle of the street, a Towel dangling from its mouth, a triumphant expression plastered across its blocky face.

     "Is that--" Yillix started, disbelieving. "Is that my towel?" she asked.

     The Kookith hopped up and down, clearly excited.

     "You--you followed me from the Plaza, didn't you?" she asked.

     The Kookith hopped up and down again.

     Yillix felt herself grinning. "You knew everyone always needs a Towel!"

     Eeeep!

     The Alien Aisha laughed, her grin growing somehow wider. A petpet who understood the importance of Towels! Maybe she'd finally--

     Illusen!

     "Oh no. We're almost out of time! Can I pick you up?"

     The Kookith hopped onto Yillix's shoulder and held on tight as the Alien Aisha raced back toward Illusen's Glade, nudging the Bzzapper.

     "Yeah," Yillix said, almost breathless. "Sorry about that! You scared me on the road. I've never been in this part of Neopia before--really in any part of Neopia, so I was a little jumpy. Hang on, we gotta go fast!"

     The Kookith clung tight, and Yillix zipped along the winding forest path. She reached Illusen's Glade a moment later, her whole body tense--had she gotten here in time? She'd lost track, and--

     "You found it!" The earth faerie's leaf-rustle voice filled Yillix's ears.

     Yillix handed her Towel over, and made a mental note to find another one as soon as she found a Shop Wizard. "I sure did!" she said, her thoughts not on the towel or the Illusens Cream Cookie the faerie handed her in exchange, but on the Kookith still perched on her shoulder.

     "I'm headed to the castle next. Think you can help me tell King Skarl a good joke?"

     The Kookith bobbed enthusiastically.

     Yillix hadn't thought to put "Find a petpet" on her vacation to-do list, but she supposed the best things rarely did show up on lists, anyway.

     The End.