Jake the Explorer and the Spear of Doom!: Part Two

*******

“...But the missing piece to the riddle!” I yelled. “We can’t go without discovering what it could be!”

      The stone beast, Kaunuii, growled and his voice echoed off the walls, causing rocks to come loose.

      Orpheus lifted both me and Rider off the ground and flew to the exit, right by the Skeith. “Later. It’s time to go, NOW.”

      Kaunuii attempted to snatch us out of the air when we zoomed over him. I took my whip out and tried a shot at lassoing the Spear. I missed and Orpheus didn’t give me another chance.

      The Shoyru flew out of the cave and Rider and I dangled over a sea of trees.

      “Don’t drop us, Draco,” Rider said.

      “Don’t... you guys... WORRY,” Orpheus grunted, struggling to keep us all afloat. “Gah!” he dipped suddenly. “Garin’s Blade, you guys are heavy!”

      “It’s not me!” I said.

      “Well, it’s not me, either!” Rider insisted.

      I eyed my brother. He wasn’t a fat Kougra, but his belly was nicely round. “Yeah, right. I bet you’re still stuffing your face with Mom’s Thornberry Crepes.”

      “What about YOU? You’re probably still packing away those Islandberries like a greedy Kadoatie!”

      “They are a good source of vitamins!” I passionately said.

      “Ngh!” Orpheus flapped his wings harder. “I know brothers like to fight and all, but - Aah~! It’s following us!”

      I heard heavy wings snapping the air behind us.

      The little, blue Shoyru dived/fell into the jungle trees, losing Kaunuii.

      ***

      “Ow~ Nice fall, Draco.” Rider rubbed the bump on his head.

      I had a rather nasty gash on my arm, but I wasn’t going to complain.

      “Sorry,” Orpheus said. He massaged his aching wings.

      “You did fine, Orpheus,” I said. “Wish I could’ve gotten the Spear of Tikimari, though.”

      We walked out of the thick jungle and entered a village. It wasn’t a very lively village. It was quiet; not even Kateils or Tuceet sang or called out.

      “Um... I don’t think I like the feeling I’m getting from this place,” Orpheus said.

      “You SAID it,” Rider agreed.

      “Something is wrong,” I said, glancing around. I felt uneasy.

      We explored the village and soon found scores of neopets turned to stone.

      “The Spear of Tikimari did this,” Rider said, a touch of anger in his usually bouncy voice. He kicked the dirt.

      “We’ve got to stop the Spear’s guardian,” I said. “But first we need to find out what provoked him.”

      “What about that amulet the thief had in his hand?” Orpheus asked.

      “Huh?” I turned to the Shoyru.

      “That Kyrii thief had something in his hand; a jeweled amulet, I believe, on a chain. I don’t know why it would anger the guardian, but it does raise a question: Why was he holding it and not wearing it?”

      “WHY, indeed.” I began to pace, thinking. “Normally you wear a talisman on a chain, not carry it around - UNLESS the Kyrii was using it to help him find the cave, along with the aid of the map.

      “Hmmm... I also found it strange that the guardian had such a prominent name...”

      “Heh, yeah, Kaunuii sound pretty impressive, huh?” Rider remarked.

      I nodded. “Like the name of a god. Rider, can you think of any ancient gods with a similar-sounding name?”

      “Why are you asking ME? YOU’RE the one who knows about all the gods and goddesses worshiped by the ancient natives.”

      I scratched my head. True enough. However, there were so many - from faeries to petpets - that it’s hard to keep track of them all.

      “You don’t think the guardian is some kind of god, do you?” Orpheus inquired. Though it seemed like he didn’t believe the idea, the Shoyru was still scared at the thought.

      “For the sake of Mystery Island, I sure hope not,” I said. “There was always a good reason why the ancient gods and goddesses were worshiped, though: faeries, like Fuhnah, have magic over fire, and many petpets have special powers, such as the stare of Tootums and the wisdom of Yackitos. Of course, Lizarks were worshiped by some natives simply because they’re scary-looking...

      “I need to do a little research; let’s go to - ”

      Kaunuii suddenly burst out of the jungle, roaring and pounding his chest.

      “Aah! It found us!” Orpheus cried.

      “Um... research later; run NOW,” Rider said.

      I gaped at the giant stone guardian. “W-when you’re right, you’re right.”

      Ah, yes, the life style of an explorer: running for your life.

      “We have to lose him,” I said. A hut was turned to stone as we sped by it.

      Rider jumped to the side of the abode just in time. “How wise of you to say, little brother. The thought was only a flitting idea for ME.”

      Ugh. Why do you always have to be so sarcastic, Rider? Even when we have a killer statue barreling after us?

      I scanned the jungle ahead - and a plan formed in my mind. I couldn’t help but grin.

      I took my whip and wrapped one end around a tree branch. With a push off the ground, I swung all the way around the tree and came feet-to-face with Kaunuii. The stone brute fell backwards from my colliding with him, and he slammed into the newly-turned-stone hut. I braced myself, by grabbing Kaunuii’s head and covering his eyes, when the hut collapsed and crumbled under the Skeith’s weight.

      “Grab the Spear! Grab the Spear!” Orpheus yelled.

      I didn’t need to be told THAT; it had already been implemented into my plan.

      I wretched Tikimari out of Kaunuii’s hands and never turned back.

      Rider stared at me, finally speechless.

      ***

      The three of us made it to a beach with no sign that the Spear’s guardian was following us; that fall really must have taken a lot out of Kaunuii.

      With Spear in hand, it would be a lot easier for us to solve its mystery - but we needed to act quickly! Who knows when Kaunuii would come after us and reclaim the Spear of Tikimari?

      Orpheus gasped then.

      “Huh? W-what is it? Is it Kaunuii?” I asked, glancing around.

      “No...” Rider answered. Silently he pointed and I followed his gaze.

      The Shoyru was touching the face of an Aisha who had been turned to stone some time earlier. By the Aisha lounging in a beach chair was a Xweetok and Acara; both - and the sand castle they were building - had also been turned to stone.

      “Mermaid-Isca...” Orpheus said. “Arpheo and Char, my friends... ”

      Poor Orpheus; he was definitely regretting now that he had skipped out on them and came following me to Mawri-Maakri. “Come on, we can figure out a way to help everyone under Tikimari’s curse. Let’s go to my place.”

      “Wait,” Rider said.

      Huh? I regarded my older brother with a questioning look.

      “Let’s split up,” Rider went on. “You go do your research... Jake, and Draco and I will check out Sacred Hill. I know there’s more to that shrine to the Spear of Tikimari. We can put together what WE learn with what YOU learn when we meet up later on.”

      Orpheus drew something on a piece of paper. “Here, take this; this is what that amulet the Kyrii had in his paw looked like. I think it is a piece to the puzzle. Good luck, Jake!”

      Rider and Orpheus ran off into the jungle.

      I looked down at the gold spear. “I guess it’s just you and me now, huh?”

      Having a powerful lance of solid gold, however, was not exactly reassuring as most would think. It was a burden that I wanted to get rid of as soon as possible.

      ***

      I know what you’re thinking: Why didn’t we try using the Spear of Tikimari to free Orpheus’ friends, right? After we escaped Kaunuii, we agreed - Rider, Orpheus, and I - not to use the Spear, for it held mysterious powers that even I didn’t know about. Instead of helping, we’d probably end up hurting Mystery Island.

      “That’s a big lance you’ve got there, Jake,” the Flotsam Chef remarked to me as I jogged by. He was doubtlessly out gathering food to feed Mumbo Pango. “I didn’t know they sold something like that at any weapons shop.”

      “It's rarity 180!” I said.

      The chef was impressed and didn’t ask any more questions.

      I don’t mind admitting that I was glad to unload myself of the cursed Spear when I got home. I rested it in my hammock and went right to my trusty bookcase of ancient myths and old Neopian history.

      “Tikimari... Tikimari... Tikimari... Ah! Here it is!” And there was the gold lance pictured. An Acara, by the name of Professor Chesterpot, was also pictured. Prof. Chesterpot was the explorer of my Dad’s time, he was a great adventurer and found most of Neopia’s hidden treasures - such as Maraqua! According to my book, however, Prof. Chesterpot never was able to locate the Spear of Tikimari, but he DID find a scroll in one of the temples of Mystery Island. A very old, fragile scroll that documented the Spear of Tikimari: Tikimari was a Kougra of noble descent. He was the rightful heir to Geraptiku, yet was denied the throne by his jealous uncle. And so he created a mighty spear of magic that would regain his birthright. The scroll was too well-worn to say whether or not Tikimari succeeded.

      “This isn’t much help.” The only other information Prof. Chesterpot could get out of the scroll was an obscure riddle and a sketch of an amulet - that looked just like the sketch Orpheus drew for me! “Moaha’s Talisman... The amulet was made by Tikimari’s uncle to combat the magical spear. It was speculated that either it wasn’t strong enough, or the two artifacts collided and ended up destroying Geraptiku, since no one took the throne after Moaha, and the city fell through time.

      “Geraptiku wasn’t completely destroyed, though, so what exactly happened?”

      Moaha’s Talisman was thought to lead to Tikimari’s spear, like the opposite sides of a magnet. That Kyrii thief somehow got a hold of Moaha’s Talisman, and using Prof. Chesterpot’s research located the Spear’s whereabouts.

      “Hmm, the scroll’s riddle appears to say where the Spear of Tikimari was hidden... Wait, did the Kyrii figure the riddle out? Can a thief be smarter than a professor?” I shook my head. “Perish that thought...” He used a map, too, remember Jake?

      So! When the thief entered the altar room, the talisman woke the stone guardian... as a security measure Tikimari set up...? Could be, but...

      “Sigh... I still don’t know how to stop Kaunuii and reverse the Spear’s magic.”

      Wait. Kaunuii! Maybe if I can find out who he could be...

      I grabbed another book from the shelf.

      “’Kaunuii: a minor deity who governs over rocks and minerals. Pure gold gives a stone golem, carved in the likeness of Kaunuii, life, making for very popular guardians of ancient Mystery Island temples.’

      “Ah, so the statue is only trying to protect the Spear Tikimari entrusted to it. Moaha’s Talisman must’ve made the guardian statue berserk.”

      But wait... “I took the Spear away, and the gold made it a living statue. Maybe Kaunuii is out of commission!”

      Sigh... if fools’ wishes were granted, the world would be in chaos. I can’t assume the best, possible scenario - I can hope for it, but not assume it - because the worse case can come out of arrogant thinking.

      “I’ll have to prepare for a possible second confrontation with the Spear’s guardian. There’s got to be some kind of talisman that protects against stone monsters...” I went for another book.

      ***

      “Where are Orpheus and Rider?” I entered the cave in Sacred Hill. It was empty of anyone save the unfortunate Kyrii thief. It had to of taken them longer to get here than it did for me to reach my house, so they have got to still be here.

      I took the tunnel to the left of the altar. Since I was in such a rush, I would’ve sped through the passage, but there were some rather fancy paintings on the wall - gilded and bejeweled.

      “These tell what happened to Geraptiku!”

      At the end of the tunnel someone, with LARGE wings, covered the glow of a lighted torch. “Jake?” Orpheus’ voice asked. “Geez, I hope that’s you.”

      “Yeah, it’s me.”

      We both breathed a sigh of relief.

      Rider joined us.

      “Have you had the pleasure of meeting Kaunuii yet again?” I asked.

      “No. And stop reading the paintings, you sent US to do the research here,” Rider said.

      I turned to my older brother. “All right, what did you learn?”

      “Geraptiku was turned to stone!” Orpheus came in. “All its Neopets were turned to stone by the - ”

      “Spear of Tikimari,” I finished.

      “Yeah! Yeah! All because Tikimari wanted to be king,” Orpheus said.

      “The pictures appear to say that Tikimari would reverse the effects if the false king - a Moaha - gave the throne up,” Rider said.

      “But he wouldn’t,” the Shoyru came in again. “Moaha, that is. He raised that amulet up, the one that the thief has, and Geraptiku was literally frozen in time!”

      “Tikimari barely escaped,” Rider said. “He was so devastated at what he brought upon his own city that he safeguarded the Spear HERE - to never be used again.”

      “Except, I don’t think Tikimari knew his guardian would go insane,” Orpheus said.

      I nodded. “Yes. I believe Moaha’s talisman had a bad reaction to Kaunuii, or vice versa.” I quickly told them what I found out in MY research.

      “So maybe we don’t have to worry about Kaunuii?” Orpheus asked. “I’m a regular Battledomer, and I’ve gone against a lot of strong opponents, but I’m still in training and I know I can’t fight that guardian. Can either of you?”

      He stared more at me - his idol - than Rider. Obviously he was hoping I’d live up to my reputation.

      “I will fight if it comes to that, though I’d rather use my brain than brute force,” I said.

      “I will FIGHT to the DEATH...! And hope it doesn’t actually COME to that,” Rider said with fake determination.

      Sigh... Why was I given an older brother who the only reason I looked up to him was because he’s taller than me?

      “Kaunuii is most likely still out there, so I wouldn’t joke around, Rider.”

      “Aww, someone has to lighten the mood, and if Draco can’t, and YOU won’t, I have to. That’s all there is to it.”

      The cave suddenly shook from a mighty roar.

      “A-and apparently s-someone has something to say about THAT,” Orpheus said.

      I gasped. “Kaunuii! He’s come back for the Spear!”

      Rider grabbed my paw. “Come on, I think I know how to stop him for GOOD.”

      You do? HOW?

      Rider dragged me to the room at the end of the passage. Orpheus flew over to a miniature city, set on an ancient-looking table. “Check this out,” he told me.

      It was a scaled-down model of Geraptiku at its height in history. “Fascinating, this is amazing!”

      Rider sighed. “I didn’t bring you here to STUDY it. Have you forgotten a nasty beast is right behind us? Geez... and you were giving ME a hard time earlier...”

      “Hey! I’m an explorer here, this is what I DO.”

      “Look at the figure atop the temple, Jake,” Orpheus said, trying to stop my brother and I from fighting. “He’s holding the Spear of Tikimari.”

      What?

      The Shoyru was right. “It appears he’s placing the Spear in the basin of a dais...”

      “Yes,” Rider nodded. “Draco and I think doing this will stop Kaunuii and put him back to sleep, and hopefully reverse any effects caused by the Spear.”

      “How do you figure THAT?” I asked.

      “This old script seems to say so.” Orpheus indicated some writing carved into the table’s surface.

      “You can READ this?” I asked Orpheus.

      Rider wrapped an arm around Orpheus. “You’re not the only super smart guy here.”

      “Er, well...” the Shoyru blushed. “I-I’ve been studying old languages and writing, because I want to know what I’m exploring. It’s not fun being ignorant of possible curses and traps.”

      That is SO true.

      “Anyway, I’m not THAT good at reading ancient script, so maybe you should go over it,” Orpheus suggested.

      “That’s a good idea,” Rider said. “Do it quickly, Jake, or we’re all gonna die.”

      Kaunuii showed his ugly mug. Rider jumped between the guardian and me, ready to wrestle Kaunuii with his bared claws - I guess he wasn’t completely joking about fighting Kaunuii with all his strength.

      I sped through the script twice. “I’ve got it! Now how do we get out of here, you suppose?” I glanced around, then up - there was a pinhole size crack in the ceiling.

      Orpheus went to whirl around Kaunuii’s head to confuse him, while I whipped that hole bigger. The process was slow at first, but soon chunks of rock came loose - and fell on my head. Good thing my fedora was made from sturdy leather!

      “Time to get out of this tight spot,” I said. My whip wrapped around a tree outside. “Rider! Orpheus!” I climbed up and out, followed by Rider. The Shoyru flew out to safety to join us.

      Kaunuii attempted to pursue us, but the Skeith’s wings were far too wide to let him fit through the hole. “This is farewell; it’s been a pleasure, Kaunuii.” The sunlight bounced off the guardian’s face and I saw that there were bits of gold specks in his eyes.

      So it WASN’T the Spear that gave him life...

      ***

      With Orpheus’ help, we reached Geraptiku quickly, though he couldn’t fly Rider and me to the pinnacle of the temple; his wings gave out just as we stepped into the dead city. So we had to walk to the very top. On our way, I saw broken statues littering the village. I never noticed them before, they were covered heavily in moss and bushes.

      But they weren’t statues at all, they were the residences of Geraptiku turned to stone HUNDREDS of years ago... When we reached the temple, there were even more broken ‘statues’. One looked rather regal in his headdress of feathers; could he have been Moaha?

      “By the faeries...!” Rider had a hard time catching his breath. “How many steps do this temple HAVE!?

      “Approximately three hundred and thirty-three,” Orpheus said. “Supposedly three was a mystical number to the ancient islanders.”

      Rider tripped. “I’m dying...!” He reached out to me.

      “All right, you sit there and expire while Orpheus and I stop the curse of Tikimari’s spear and save Mystery Island from certain doom.”

      Rider relinquished his silly antics and continued after us with no more complaints.

      “Were we right about how to stop Kaunuii?” Orpheus asked me.

      “Yes. But there is an incantation that must be said,” I told him. “Since it was too late to reverse what happened to Geraptiku, Tikimari wanted to make sure there was a way to cure those touched by the Spear if it rose again -”

      “Finally! Thank Jhuidah! We made it!” Rider rejoiced as we reached the top of the temple.

      The dais was taken over by thick moss. It was a chore to clear it all away.

      “There’s the basin for the Spear!” Orpheus exclaimed.

      I nodded.

      “Well? Aren’t you going to put it in?” Rider asked.

      “I have to wait for the sun to set,” I said. “It’s part of the ritual.”

      “You’ve GOT to be kidding me,” Rider exasperated.

      “I wish he was. Look!” Orpheus said.

      We looked.

      Entering the city was none other than Kaunuii. He stomped his way in, and when he came to the temple he began to beat his wings and fly towards us!

      Come on, come on, come on, sun! Set, already!

      “He’s getting closer!” Orpheus cried.

      Rider shook me.

      All right! All right! I jabbed the Spear into the ornate basin, just as the sun began to sink behind us. A red light gleamed off the tip of the Spear and I immediately sang the incantation.

      The Spear of Tikimari rang.

      Kaunuii stopped in mid-flight.

      The temple vibrated.

      From the Spear, rippling rings of gold light expanded outward and Mystery Island glowed.

      I continued to chant.

      The sun disappeared. The ripples stopped. Kaunuii fell, tumbled down the temple stairs, and shattered to pieces.

      From all over we could hear echoes of rejoicing, and somewhere on a beach, I’m certain, Orpheus’ friends awoke - as did everyone else who had been turned into statues.

      ***

      “Well, this is nice, I’ve never had so many guests. But I won’t hide at how happy I am that you, Junior, are the best guest here.” My mom placed a plate down in front of me.

      It’s Jake, JAKE.

      “JUNIOR??” Orpheus’ three friends asked, turning to me.

      “Eh-heh...” I scratched my chin.

      Rider jumped in. “My brother had this Doglefox - “

      I leaped up. “SO! Who wants more Islandberries!?”

      “I do!” Orpheus raised a hand.

      And the picnic I promised my Mom went on peacefully from there.

      Happy Exploring!

The End

Thanks go to the original ‘Jake the Explorer’ comic for the inspiration for this story: www.neopets.com/jake/