Neovia's Corruption:Part Three

     The rulers of Altador finally reached the famous town of Neovia. Thick fog slowly rolled through the deserted town, sending haunting vibes all around. It made both Altador and Nera uncomfortable. Only the sound of their footsteps filled the air. The silence had grown unbearable for the both of them.

     They were used to sounds of residents and visitors talking. The Altador Cup season made the city even busier. Walking through a quiet city felt weird for them. In Altador, Neopets of all species and colors walked up and down the walkways. The stores were always busy and filled with customers.

     The docks often were filled with boats, mostly shipments of exports and imports. Sometimes the occasional visiting ship from other lands would dock, letting Neopians visit the sunny shores of Altador. It was much different from the now vacant town of Neovia.

     The king and queen didn't see any signs of dark magic yet. Come to think of it, they haven't seen any signs of life yet either. Ever since they left the camp, they haven't seen even one Neopian. The lack of Neopets started worrying the couple. They either were all in trouble, or most of them evacuated. Hopefully for the townsfolk’s sake, it was the latter.

      "I wonder if it's that Mr. Krawley character that's causing problems again." Altador broke the silence as they walked down the stone path through the quiet town. He remembered hearing the story about the krawk back at the gypsy camp.

     Mr. Krawley had corrupted the townsfolk with his own magic. Well... it was technically potions, but it caused chaos for the town of Neovia. The town’s residents were turned into monster versions of themselves. Thankfully, the town was saved by heroes and they were able to live another day to tell the tale. A swamp witch was one of the heroes, so the couple may have to ask for her help.

     "I don't know Al." Nera stayed close by Altador’s side, holding onto his arm for comfort. "So where is everyone?"

     Altador shrugged, patting Nera’s hand to help ease her troubled mind. "I don't know Nera. I am incredibly worried, Neovia seems to be completely deserted. I don't see one single Neopian here."

     "I think maybe I should have just stayed home." Nera finally admitted as they continued to walk. At least the kingdom of Altador wasn't all deserted and spooky. She underestimated how comfortable she had it there.

     The sunny skies and cheerful chattering of the Altadorians sounded better than the quietness of Neovia. Nera noted to never underestimate her kingdom ever again. The inside of the walls were comforting and protected her from the horrids of the outside world.

     "I tried telling you it would be best if you had stayed home. Maybe next time you'll actually listen to me."

     "Altador don't you dare start." Nera immediately hushed him. She always hated when he was right and she was wrong. It was hard enough for her to admit she was wrong this time.

     They stopped in the middle of town. Still, no Neopian was in sight. They wondered if anyone even lived in Neovia anymore. Maybe...maybe it was too late for the townsfolk. They might have not gotten there in enough time and the corruption already spread throughout the town.

     "Do you think the residents of Neovia are okay?" Nera walked over to a store building and peered in it, not seeing much of anything. It was filled with tables and a few chairs, but no Neopians.

     "I really hope they are." Altador looked under a crate, which seemed useless to do. "I pray to Fyora they just evacuated and found refuge elsewhere."

     Nera walked away from the store and looked around. She started to become certain they were the only living creatures in the town. The king joined her side, with a worried expression upon his face. They already searched the rest of the town and had found nothing.

     "We should head back to Altador and call a emergency meeting with the rest of Neopia’s rulers."

     "But, shouldn't we keep checking the buildings to see if there's anyone here?" Nera didn't want to abandon the town just yet. What if someone was hiding and needed their help? If that was the case, she wouldn't forgive herself for abandoning them.

     "Nera, I don't think anyone is here. We need to warn the rest of Neopia and form a search party to find the town’s residents. There's also the risk of us being corrupted by whatever they warned us about." Altador placed a hand on her shoulder.

     "I just...I wished we could have helped them." Nera sighed.

     "Nera...I know. But you told me many times sometimes we can't save everyone. We can only do our best and hope it's enough." Altador gave her a soft smile.

     "Well...okay." Nera rubbed her arm. She knew Altador was right once again, but it didn't ease her guilt any more.

      Before either of them could speak another word, the townsfolk jumped out from the buildings and from behind bushes, yelling ‘surprise’. It shocked both the king and queen. King Altador had drawn his sword in defense, but slid it back in its place after he realized what had happened.

     The king and queen then stood there, staring blankly at the crowd. They didn't know what to think or say. The townsfolk looked perfectly fine. None of them were harmed or corrupted. Some were even smiling at them. It felt odd. Weren't they supposed to be in danger or something?

     "What's all this?" Altador asked, looking around the crowd of people holding balloons and other party supplies. It looked like they were having a party of some sort.

     "We wanted to celebrate!" A blue uni in a black lace dress, with blonde hair, joyfully clapped her hands.

     "Wait, you told us you all were in danger because of some dark magic or something." Nera blinked a few times, utterly confused.

     They wrote a letter saying they were in danger and now they wanted to celebrate? It was confusing, even for the wise and ancient rulers of Altador. They never heard of someone doing such a thing, then again, they're over a thousand years old and times have changed.

     "We had to think of something to get you down here." A red Korbat in fancy Neovia wear stepped forward. "We wanted to surprise you with a party for accepting trade with us a few months ago. So we came up with a disaster story to get you down here without ruining the surprise we planned for you."

     Altador laughed. "Well you all certainly did surprise us. Thank you for your kindness."

     The queen frowned, annoyed they came all the way to Neovia for a small party. Don't get her wrong, she was thankful the townsfolk put a lot of thought into it. Just going all the way from Altador to Neovia was kind of a lot for the queen. They endured the hot weather of the Lost Desert to get to the Haunted Woods. They had to talk to a tree with a brain, and they had to deal with branches smacking them in the face. Not to mention Nera’s hair and fur was ruined with leaves and dirt. And her feet was killing her as well.

     "Maybe next time you could just, I don't know...maybe send a thank you letter? It would be so much easier I assure you."

     The townsfolk laughed, thinking the Xweetok queen was just joking. They talked amongst themselves and others talked with King Altador. They all seemed to forget what had just happened. Nera stood there, still highly annoyed at what just happened.

     "No...seriously please just send a letter next time. I beg you." Queen Nera repeated herself again, hoping she wouldn't be asked to come down to Neovia ever again.

     It took her hours to get all the leaves out of her hair and fur. Nera made it back in time to host the Miss Altador Pageant. The guards cleaned up the mess the Yooyu had made from shattering the window. Altador still refused to change the messaging system despite his wife’s frustration.

     The Altador Cup went on as planned, the teams battled it out in rounds of Yooyuball, the last being the champion. Altadorians didn't notice that their rulers were gone, so things were still normal when Altador and Nera arrived back home. The Kiko Lake Team also continued their donation scheme, much to the displeasure of Neopians.

     The so called corruption of Neovia would soon be forgotten. The rulers of Altador hoped the next time a letter would be sent instead of a surprise party. It would remove a lot of pain and frustration, and save Nera’s hair.

     The residents of Neovia noted to next time send out thank you letters instead of planning a surprise party. Nera noted to never go along on adventures with her husband. Altador was pleased to hear that. Maybe Neopia would have peace for a bit longer.

     The End.