Travels of a Would-Be Knight: Eddetha the Immortal - Part Five

      Scout gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the squishy sound her and the others' shoes made as they walked through the Haunted Woods, trying to get back to Eliv's house. The brew had worked, but now they were all rather wet and smelly, and Scout just wanted to find Roxias, rescue Grandpa Han, and go to the Neolodge in Neopia Central for a nice, relaxing bubble bath.

      The group walked in awkward silence for a while, the others afraid to say anything lest they incur Scout's wrath. Finally, though, the quiet became too much to bear, and Xin, now riding on Scout's shoulders, spoke up. "What if Roxias already headed back to Gorunda's?"

      "In that case, I'll simply track him to Gorunda's," Scout replied calmly.

      "What if he's gone from there, too?"

      "Then I'll continue tracking him till I find wherever he is, and once I find him, I will pummel him for getting us into this situation in the first place."

      "Are we going with you?"

      "I'm leaving you and Spring with Eliv. And this time, I don't want you three going after me. You've seen how dangerous this is."

      "Too dangerous to go at it alone!" piped up Spring.

      "Forget it, Inezstep! You three are done with this crazy venture, and that's final!"

      Spring scowled, and mumbled darkly under her breath. Scout rolled her eyes and marched onwards, ignoring the tiny human.

      Sure enough, when they reached Eliv's home, Roxias was nowhere to be found.

      "Great. Just peachy," muttered Scout. "Okay, Eliv, I'm sorry, but I've gotta leave these kids with you again. Please refrain from leading them into any anagram-related traps. Remember: the three of you are not going to follow or help me. Got it?"

      Xin nodded, and Spring slumped, muttering "Fine."

      "Uncross your fingers, Spring."

      "Fine."

      Scout nodded, satisfied, and left to find Roxias.

      Once she was gone, Spring straightened and headed for the door. "Well, I'd better hurry."

      "But Scout said--" began Xin.

      "She said the three of us couldn't go with her. She never said just one of us couldn't. Namely, me. Don't worry, you'll be safe here with Eliv."

      "But what about you?!"

      "I'll be fine! I'm awesome!" Spring assured him. "See you later!"

      She ran off, slamming the door behind her. Eliv shook his head, "I nesse a tufure walyer ni htat gril."

      ************

      Roxias and Julian had found the children and were dragging them through the hallways of the castle, telling every Biter they met that they were taking them to the Queen. But in reality, they were headed for the west hall, where a secret passageway leading out of the castle lay. As soon as Roxias had heard of that passage, he'd known what to do. They'd have Julian 'capture' him in the guise of a guard and get them both into the castle, then they'd retrieve the children and use the passageway to sneak out unnoticed.

      "I can't believe this is working," murmured Julian at one point, when he was sure no one else was within earshot. "This plan is so simple and so obvious, yet everyone's falling for it."

      "Don't say that just yet, please. I'm an Elbuort; there's plenty of things that could go wrong even without you jinxing it," replied Roxias quietly.

      They reached the west hall. Julian led them over to an old metal display of the castle's coat-of-arms, completely rusted due to years of neglect. But when Julian grabbed the shield and twisted it to the right, then pushed it in, the hinges of the secret passageway's door swung open without a single creak.

      Roxias released the child he'd been dragging, Racso, a little green Quiggle, and allowed him and the others to go into the passageway first, providing a rearguard.

      They walked through the dust-and-cobweb-filled tunnel as silently as possible, hardly daring to breathe. Despite the cobwebs indicating spyders in the vicinity, no living beings besides them were to be seen the entire way through the tunnel.

      After what felt like ages, they finally emerged out of a small cave in the woods just beyond the castle. Julian cupped his hands around his mouth, and whistled like a weewoo. After a moment there came two answering whistles.

      "They know we're out safely," said Julian quietly. "We'd best hurry back to the cave, so we can get some of our possessions before the Biters attack again."

      May and Guosim were waiting for them. As soon as they saw the children, May scooped them up into a big bear hug, simultaneously pouring out affection and chiding them for not running like she'd told them. Guosim grinned and ruffled their hair, joking about how disappointed she was she wouldn't get her own room after all. When the reunion was done and they were all gathering their supplies, May and Julian went over to Roxias and asked him what errand he'd been running for Gorunda. He briefly explained the situation with Hansuke, and May ran off, returning a moment later with the Werelupe claw necklace.

      "There you go. She accidentally left it here on one of her visits. I'll be glad to be rid of the smelly old thing," declared May, dropping the necklace into Roxias' hand. "But you know, if you'd just come up and told us Gorunda had sent you instead of lurking about in those bushes, we would've given the necklace to you."

      "You would have?" asked Roxias, skeptical.

      "As long as you weren't holding that sword of yours, anyway," said Julian, smiling.

      Guosim was watching the conversation from a few feet away. She crossed her arms and scowled at Roxias, "You know, you went to an awful lot of trouble for what could've been nothing. For all you knew, your little plan could've failed and you'd be Biter chow, instead of getting that necklace."

      "Like I said, it's my duty to help innocents. No matter what the cost."

      "Uh-huh. Would you've helped if there WASN'T a reward for it?"

      "I'd like to think I would," replied Roxias after a moment of serious thought. "If not, I should probably seriously reevaluate my goals in life."

      He bid the family ado, and headed back to Gorunda's. The sun had just disappeared behind the horizon. He'd gotten the necklace in plenty of time.

      Guosim's question had brought up a valid point, though. He hadn't had to help them, really. He could've just waited till they'd gone off to rescue the children, then looted through their belongings till he found the necklace. It would have been much easier.

      'Aye, but the easy way's never been your way,' said a voice in his head that reminded him greatly of his mother, Molly Brown. 'And leaving innocents to suffer should never be the way of any honorable person, especially not a knight. It's a hard job, usually thankless, but 'tis the path ye chose.'

      Well, he couldn't argue with that. He'd chosen this path, and he was determined to stick to it, even if it landed him in situations like this.

      ....Though, if Xin or one of his younger siblings brought up wanting to be a knight, he'd probably recommend them sticking to something less dangerous, like baking.

      **********

      It took them two hours to reach the tomb, mainly because the Unis walked rather than flew. Doug explained that this was because it was the heat of the day, and if the Unis flew they'd soon overheat.

      When they finally arrived at tomb, Hansuke saw right away why people might think the place was haunted, even if those explorers hadn't gone missing there. One entered it through a doorway in a decrepit little pyramid, barely taller than Razulon. It was in a valley surrounded by sand dunes, literally in the middle of nowhere. The front of the pyramid was decorated with hieroglyphics, which Hansuke was guessing translated into something along the lines of "This tomb belongs to Avaryss the Terrible. Anyone who defiles this tomb or tries to remove any valuable objects from it shall die a slow, agonizing death. So leave now while you still have your head on your shoulders. Yes, I'm talking to YOU."

      Jethro gave Hansuke an odd look when he said his 'translation' out loud. "You're not that far off. How did you know?"

      "Does it ever work any other way?" replied Hansuke, once again noting how young Jethro looked and sounded. He couldn't be older than his mid-teens. How had one so young become one of the king of Qasala's top mages? There was something else off about Jethro, too, but Hansuke couldn't quite place it.

      Madge crossed her arms and looked at the pyramid, "Why was it just sticking out for everyone to see it? Shouldn't it be hidden in case someone tries to rob it and somehow ends up, say, waking up a mummy that proceeds to take over the whole world and torment people with a multitude of plagues?"

      Razulon shot the woman a look of disdain. "There's no mummy in here at all, let alone one powerful enough to cause plagues and conquer the world. Whatever gave you such a stupid idea? And as for someone trying to rob it... who would? The only ones who know about this place are Qasalans, and all my people know better than to even speak of it. Now, let's stop wasting time on childish fantasies and find the artefact! Everyone remembers the plan?"

      On the way to the tomb, Razulon had revealed that his father (who, apparently, had been more curious than a caution-challenged kadoatie) had had the place extensively explored (hence how Fyora had known the artefact needed to complete the spell was in there, Hansuke supposed). Most of the curses had been removed, but the monsters guarding the treasure were still there, and they couldn't be sure some curses weren't left as well. So Razulon had made it clear that 1) the group was to stick together no matter what, 2) when they did run into the monsters, they were to combine their magic and defeat the monsters with Light spells (the only element that could defeat the creatures, apparently. Hansuke didn't know how much trial-and-error it had taken to determine this, but he wondered how Razulon's father hadn't been labelled a tyrant who sacrificed his own people merely to satisfy his curiosity), 3) As the swiftest member of the group, it would be Doug's job to grab the artefact while the others distracted the monsters (Madge didn't look very happy about this), and 4) Hansuke was not, under pain of death, to get underfoot or hinder the plan in any way; he could stand guard at the entrance of the tomb or help them scan for the artefact, but if he was caught by the monsters, his fate would be in his own hands.

      "Yeah, I remember," said Hansuke. Madge stole a glance at Razulon, then caught Hansuke's eye and made a face when she thought Razulon wasn't looking. Hansuke was struck by the similarity between her and Spring--though, knowing Spring, the latter wouldn't have checked to make sure the person she wanted to make a face about wasn't looking before she did so.

      Hansuke was told to stand a safe distance away as Madge, Jethro, Bashir, Doug, and Razulon opened the tomb (the door was sealed by magic four or more magicians must be present to override; that was probably the only reason Razulon had allowed Madge and Doug to come). Hansuke watched wide-eyed as the five, spaced out evenly from each other so that they surrounded the door, shot out beams of magic from their hands (Madge and Doug's yellow, Razulon's red, and Hafizah and Bashir's purple), all aiming at the center of the door. The door started to glow with a peculiar white light, then slowly but surely began to lift up. Once the door had opened enough for all to walk through without hitting their heads, they headed into the tomb.

      The stench of mold and decay overwhelmed Hansuke the moment he set foot in the tomb. It was all the elderly Ogrin could do to not let the fear welling up inside him overwhelm him too, and make him run outside screaming for his mommy. Judging by Razulon's surprised look when Hansuke continued into the tomb with the others, the Kyrii had expected him to do just that.

      They traveled down stairs for what felt like hours, Bashir leading the others and holding up a torch; Hansuke had no idea how deep down they were when they finally reached the end of the stairs, but he suspected if they'd gone much farther they'd have reached Moltara. Why had Avaryss' followers felt the need to build a tomb so deep in the ground? To protect it from sandstorms and twisters (did the Lost Desert even get twisters?), or maybe demonstrate how vast Avaryss the Terrible's awesomeness had been? Hansuke started to ask, then decided Razulon the Grouch probably wouldn't appreciate it.

      Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they still had to walk down a long, narrow corridor before they reached the main chamber of the tomb. Without a word, Bashir applied his torch to what looked like a railing with a large indented section in the middle; flames shot up in the middle section, and within minutes the entire room was lit by fire coming out of the rail.

      They were standing at the entrance to a massive chamber, easily bigger than the entire Qasala royal palace, full to the brim with treasure--golden coins, precious stones, ornate vases, ancient tomes, gold or silver statues... this place had to have at least 90 percent of all the wealth in Neopia! Just a handful of any of this stuff could end world hunger and provide homes for all Neopians!

      But along with the treasure were strange, twisted creatures. Hansuke could see them peering out of the shadows, grotesque black figures with razor-sharp teeth and claws and leering, bulbous golden eyes, just waiting for someone to touch the treasure so they could attack and tear the group to pieces.

      "They're creatures of greed, summoned by the ones who made this tomb," Jethro murmured to Hansuke. "They give off an aura that fills whoever the aura hits with almost irresistible greed and longing for the treasure the monsters guard. And once their victim touches the treasure, intending to take it..."

      Hansuke made a face. "No giving in to urge to touch treasure. Got it."

      "Remember, we're looking for a mirror. Oval shaped, about as big as Machiko, silver frame studded with amethyst," said Razulon.

      The group made their way down an aisle in the middle of the treasure, Bashir once again leading the way. They tried not to even look at the creatures, but Hansuke could see them in his peripheral vision, sneering at the intruders, leaning forward, teeth bared.

      After a few moments Hansuke could see what Jethro meant about the aura of almost irresistible greed; it was all the Ogrin could do not to run over to the nearest pile of gemstones and scoop them up, claiming them as his own. A small voice whispered in the back of his head that it would be worth the risk, that he could use the treasure for good purposes, like ending poverty. In this old, decrepit place, the treasure was only sitting around collecting dust, a tragic waste. Maybe he could...

      "Hansuke!" Madge hissed right next to his ear.

      Hansuke jumped, and looked down to see Madge studying him worriedly. "I okay."

      "I'm not so sure you are. I can hear it too," whispered Madge. "These voices telling me I should try to nab some of the treasure, I'll be able to find something that will get you, me, Ben, and Doug home, back to my children..."

      Hansuke saw the troubled look in the woman's eyes, and realized she was silently pleading for help. "You need distraction? From voice?"

      Madge looked relieved. "Yes, please."

      "Okay... um, why you hate Razulon?"

      Madge looked surprised. "I don't hate him. I just dislike him. With a hot, burning passion. And sometimes catch myself envisioning him walking barefoot across a desert of broken glass, near a M*YNCI Concert..."

      "Okay, why you dislike Razulon with hot, burning passion?"

      Madge grimaced. "It's a long story, but... well, when Doug and I first came to this time period, there was this big emergency going on in Qasala Fyora went to resolve. It had only been a day since Doug and I had come here, and I was frantic, looking for a way home. When Fyora went to Qasala I about had a panic attack, thinking she'd get herself hurt, so I followed her. Immediately after I got to Qasala, I somehow wound up in the seedier part of town, where I ran into these thugs, who tried to take my purse. I fought back, and even bit one before the leader managed to get me in a headlock. Right before things could get really bad, this Kyrii steps in and knocks all the thugs out with blasts of magic. Then he hauls me roughly to my feet, and starts yelling at me for being stupid. I got mad, and yelled back. Mean words were exchanged. Only after he had me hauled off to prison did I learn that he was the crown prince."

      Hansuke shook his head in disbelief. Yup, this Spring's mother, alright. "And he hate you ever since?"

      "Yup. He's always found SOME fault to nag me about. I'm short, I'm weak, I dress like a man--this is back when I wore trousers--I'm not a proper sorceress because I can't perform any dark magic spells... yadayadayada. The one good thing he did for me was keep some Veli at bay when they attacked me and Ben."

      "Why---there the mirror!"

      The entire time Hansuke and Madge had been talking they'd been walking through the chamber, searching for the artefact. Now Hansuke spotted it on top of a pile of precious stones, towards the center of the chamber.

      Razulon wasted no time. Before Hansuke was finished announcing his find, the Kyrii had rushed over to a little golden statue and picked it up. Immediately, hordes of demons swarmed out of the shadows and lunged towards the Kyrii. He calmly tossed the statue aside and began blasting monsters left and right. Madge muttered something about a royal idiot, and she, Jethro, and Hansuke ran over to help the Kyrii fight off the demons.

      Hansuke wasn't a magic user and thus couldn't destroy the demons, but he COULD beat them up with his cane. The elderly Ogrin swiped wildly from the left to the right to behind him, trying to hit the uncountable creatures attempting to rip him to pieces, and avoid hitting any of his companions. He caught the occasional glimpse of them fighting their own demons; Jethro and Bashir were agile and graceful, almost like dancers in their movements, while Razulon was agile and fast but blunt and brutal, like a Tyrannian warrior with magic rather than a club. Madge, meanwhile, was certainly fast and just as fierce as Razulon, but while the others had a specific style, she seemed unable to make up her mind how to fight. One minute she was fighting like a ninja, the next a knight. It was almost comical to watch the tiny woman battle, ducking and dodging her opponents' blows and scurrying out of their way, looking rather like a child play-fighting her siblings.

      The monsters were many, but not infinite, and the sorcerers were able to dispatch them within seconds. Within moments there were only about a quarter of the original number of fiends left; that number was cut down to half in two minutes. It was about this time that Doug ran towards the entrance, holding the mirror. Razulon, spotting this, bellowed, "Go!"

      The group sprinted towards the entrance, blasting pursuing monsters. Hansuke had barely begun to wonder how they would get up all those stairs when Jethro chanted a spell and shot a bolt of magic at the stairway; to Hansuke's astonishment, the stairs began to move upwards like the escalator at the NC mall.

      Without hesitation, the Neopians leapt onto the escalator and began running up it--all except Bashir and Doug, who handed the mirror to Jethro and stayed at the back of the group to fend off the monsters still pursuing them.

      "Doug!" cried Madge when she spotted this.

      "I'll be fine! Get Hansuke out of here!" snapped Doug. Madge scowled, but grabbed Hansuke's hand and began running with him up the stairs/escalator.

      Hansuke tripped and almost fell flat on his face when they finally came out the entrance to the tomb. Madge stumbled with him, but managed to right herself and yank him to about twenty feet away from the tomb, when she stopped and looked back. Doug and Bashir were backing out of the tomb, still blasting some demons. Madge started to run over to help, but Razulon, who was right behind them, grabbed her arm and held her back. "Don't charge into battle like a reckless fool, woman! You'll get yourself AND Doug and my best mage killed! Look, they're over the threshold; the fiends can't touch them now!"

      Sure enough, at the door to the tomb, the monsters were pounding at what seemed to be an invisible wall, snarling at Doug and Bashir, who were backing away from the door. When they were about ten feet away Doug breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face the others, "Is everyone okay?"

      Madge broke into a grin. "Great. Well, that was some lovely exercise, wasn't it? Think I lost thirty pounds. We should hang out at this place more often."

      Maybe they were all just whirling from stress, full of adrenaline, and drained emotionally, but Madge's words struck her companions as the funniest thing. They all doubled over laughing--well, all accept Razulon, who looked at his comrades like they were insane and shook his head.

      "Let's just get this back to Fyora," the Kyrii sighed. "Hopefully, by the time the sun sets, we'll no longer need to hide in fear from the Veli."

      ************

      "Oh, good, you're back," said Gorunda, scarcely looking up as Roxias once again entered her home. The Lupe dropped the Werelupe claw necklace on the table, "There! There's your necklace! Now, will you bring Grandpa Hansuke back?!"

      "Just a moment. I said I needed you to run some errands for me, errands as in plural. There are still a couple more things I need you to fetch for me before I'll bring your friend back."

      Roxias barely kept his temper in check. "What do you need?"

      "Some blackthorn flowers that grow only on the grounds of Hubrid Nox's old mansion, milfoil, cactus blooms--I don't care where from--coltsfoot and purple columbine, a cardinal flower, a branch from a cedar tree, and of course filberts."

      "...You want me to get you plants."

      "You might want to write it all down. Oh, nevermind, I'll write it down, with directions on where to find all of it."

      She got some parchment and a quill, quickly jotted down the list, then handed it to Roxias, who scowled and stuffed it in his pocket.

      Well, let's see how complicated I can make picking flowers.

To be continued...