Illusen's Quest

      That was what Illusen had told the Pink Bori girl three hours ago. It wouldn't have bothered her at all if she couldn't complete her quest; there were dozens of Neopian kids who thought they were competent enough to come to her glade and demand a quest, only to fail them almost immediately. She was bothered because this Bori was different. She was determined. This was her 50th and final quest and she had always been punctual so far. Illusen had high hopes that the Bori would show up at her door with the requested item before the hourglass was empty. She even prepared the best staff she had to reward this Neopet, which was why she was slightly more than just disappointed at the failed task.

      The Earth Faerie looked outside in anticipation. The sun had begun to set and the Lightwater Forest was growing darker by the minute, but there was no sign of the Pink Bori.

      "Well, I guess she'll have to restart from the first quest." She shrugged and returned to her chores.

      A few more hours passed, and Illusen was ready to get into her bed and call it a day when she heard a voice calling for her from outside her treehouse. It was a small group of kids: a Wocky, an Usul and a Korbat.

      Another bunch of newbie adventurers asking for a quest, she thought to herself. Despite being tired and wanting to sleep, she kept her best smile and flew down to the pets. "Uh, I'm sorry, kids, but it's too late. You can come tomorrow if you want a quest."

      "No no!" the Usul said. "That's not what we're here for!"

      Now that they were up close, Illusen noticed that the kids looked a bit panicked. "What's the matter? You guys don't look all good... Are you lost?"

      "We're not, but our friend is," the Wocky answered, getting an elbow from his Korbat friend. "Ow! I mean, she could be," he corrected himself as he rubbed his arm. "She hasn't returned home since morning. Her parents are really worried."

      The Korbat nodded. "When we met her earlier, she was saying that she'd be completing her final quest from you. We thought it'd be best to ask you if you've seen her around." He stretched his arm out a few feet above the ground. "She's this tall. Bori. Bright pink with short blonde hair. You couldn't miss her."

      Illusen's eyes went wide. Was it the same Bori who took her quest earlier in the day? It had to be. Did she get into any trouble while she was on the quest to get the item?

      "Was there anything else she said to you?" Illusen asked the kids. All of them shook their heads.

      "She only told us to wait for her good news and that she'd come back as soon as possible, but..." the Usul trailed off.

      "Can you please help us find her?" the Wocky pleaded, his eyes as big and round as saucers. The other two pets shuffled forward to try to hold her hand, but they weren't tall enough to reach for it so they grabbed on to the hem of her dress instead.

      "Sure I will," Illusen consoled them. "Why don't you three come to my house in the meantime? It's not safe to be out in the dark all by yourselves."

      The Neopets exchanged looks of relief and glee with one another as they followed Illusen to the treehouse. Once she had served them each a glass of freshly-made fruit tea with a wave of her finger, she set out to find the Bori, assuring the kids that their friend was safe before leaving.

      But the truth was, she didn't know. She had no clue where the girl could've gone to. She'd only said it to ease their worries.

      Since she had to start from somewhere, Illusen decided to visit Kayla first. The Bori would've had to patronise the Potion Shop if she'd been trying to search for the item she'd been assigned for her quest, so the Earth Faerie made her way towards Meridell Castle via the skies.

      Once she had arrived at the dimly-lit stall, she spotted her Zafara friend stirring a small cauldron filled with pale golden liquid behind the counter, too preoccupied to notice her presence.

      "Hello Kayla," Illusen greeted her.

      The Zafara glanced up from her concoction and gasped at the sight of the Earth Faerie. "Illusen! What brings you here at this late hour?"

      "I was wondering if you can recall whether a young Pink Bori visited your shop today," Illusen replied. "She has blonde hair and is about this tall." She lowered her hand to indicate a level just above her knees.

      Kayla rubbed her chin as she pondered for a while, then let out a small "ah!" and clicked her fingers. "I do! She was looking for a Leaded Elemental Vial, I believe. Is something the matter?"

      "Unfortunately, yes," Illusen remarked dejectedly. "She's gone missing and her friends are desperately trying to find her and bring her home. Would you happen to know where she went after she visited your shop?"

      Kayla gasped again, a paw to her mouth. "My goodness! I'm terribly sorry to hear that!" She took a moment to collect herself, then continued. "The thing is, I don't brew the potion she was looking for. It's a secret recipe only known to the alchemist of Brightvale, so that's where I referred her to. After that, I went back to my work as there were too many customers and things to do today. I'm afraid that's all I can help you with, Illusen. My sincere apologies."

      The Earth Faerie shook her head and smiled. "There's no need to be sorry, Kayla. I'm sure someone else must've seen her somewhere,” she said. “I'll continue asking around. Best of luck with your potions!"

      "You too!" Kayla shouted to her as the Earth Faerie took off once more. It was already night and most of the population had returned to their homes, which meant there were even less Neopians who could help.

      "Surely, the Bori would've headed out to Brightvale," Illusen muttered to herself as she made her way through the castle. "Maybe she took a ride. It won’t be possible for her to complete the quest in time if she travelled on foot." She took a moment to consider herself. "Now that I’ve realized, why did I ever think 16 minutes and 40 seconds was an ideal window? No wonder so many Neopets fail my quests."

      Lost in her own thoughts, she took a turn down the corridor and bumped into someone. "Oof, please watch where you’re going!" Illusen winced and rubbed her head. She looked up to see a familiar face. "Psellia?"

      "Oh, I'm sorry, 'Lusey!" the Air Faerie apologized. "Wasn't expecting anyone this time. Isn't it late enough for you to leave your humble abode?"

     Illusen explained the whole situation to her friend, who listened patiently and nodded every now and then. “I think I know of this Bori,” Psellia said after she’d finished her story. “Met her earlier in the day, a mannered little lass. Asked me if I could help her get to the Royal Potionery fast, something about being on a time-sensitive quest. Since I was already on my way to Brightvale, I agreed. Dropped her right at the gates of the Potion shop and even made sure to check on her upon my return from the castle, but the shopkeeper said she got what she wanted and immediately left."

      Illusen was inwardly glad to know that her little quester had managed to acquire the item; she hadn't failed her after all. If that was the case, however, then it must mean something had happened to the Bori. Her fears arose. "We need to find her, Psellia."

      "We could ask around in Brightvale," Psellia suggested, "but I doubt anyone who could help would be awake at this hour. Maybe if we go to Faerieland and ask for the Queen's help—"

      "NO!" Illusen cried, immediately realizing it came out a little louder than she wanted. "Sorry, but no. Fyora would apprehend me if she learned that someone got into trouble while doing one of my quests. Also, it's my responsibility and I need to do it on my own." She thought for a while, then beamed when an idea popped up in her mind.

      "I know! We'll ask the trees!"

      "We'll what?" Psellia asked, confused.

      "The trees! They’ll know something!” When the Air Faerie continued to stare at her, dumbfounded, Illusen chuckled and pointed to herself. “Hullo, Earth Faerie here, remember? Anyway, we better hurry! We’ve wasted enough time here.”

      The two Faeries left the Meridell castle and took to the skies for Brightvale. All they had to do was fly straight north and with Psellia's mastery over the wind, the journey was even faster. Within moments, they were already hovering over the kingdom of Brightvale and, as Psellia had predicted, there wasn't a single citizen around. They landed outside the Royal Potionery that had a ‘Closed’ sign hanging on the door. It didn’t really bother the Earth Faerie, since she wasn’t looking for the Cybunny that ran the shop.

      Illusen walked to the nearest tree by the shop and placed a hand on its trunk. A green aura began to emanate around her as she closed her eyes and spoke in an ethereal voice. "Hello, sorry to disturb you at this hour, but we're in serious need of help." She waited for the tree to respond and then told it about the Bori, asking if it knew something regarding the issue. After listening carefully for a while, she turned back to Psellia with a grim expression.

      "Everything fine?" the Air Faerie asked. "What did the tree say?"

      "It might be a little more complicated than I had assumed." Illusen said in a low, dejected tone. "The tree did see the Bori leaving the Potionery today, but it says that she was greeted by a Bartamus right after, just a few feet away from the shop. It showed her a piece of paper and then took her with it."

      "Bartamus, you say?" Psellia tapped her cheek with a finger. "Well, that sure complicates the matter. Could it mean that she’s involved in this?"

      “I’m not sure, but it could very well be,” the Earth Faerie replied, frowning. "We don’t have much choice, so we'll likely have to pay Jhudora a visit."

      To be continued…