|
The wizened old Lupe smiled fondly at his grandchildren,
all seated eagerly around his rocking chair. "So, what is it that you want of
you old grandpa?" he asked.
"A story, grandpa, tell us a story!" his grandchildren
chorused eagerly. Rocking gently back and forth in his rickety chair, the old
Lupe pretended to consider the matter. The many small Lupes arrayed around him
stared up at him hopefully.
"I know a great many stories. Which one would
you like to hear tonight?" he asked. The young Lupes eagerly yelled out what
they wanted, their voices rising in a clamor of excitement.
"Tell us about Faeries!" cried one.
"Pirates! Pirates!" another yelled.
"Tell us a spooky one!" yet another pleaded.
The grandpa gently quieted the young Lupes.
"I think I know just the one for us tonight,"
he announced. The young Lupes eagerly crowded closer to their grandfather. The
old Lupe cleared his throat. "This is the legend of Techo Mountain," he began.
His grandchildren settled in to listen, his gruff voice slowly entrancing them.
"Once, a very, very long time ago, there was a Techo by the name of Tharkad…"
Tharkad was a powerful creature, as were many
pets in those times. His fiery scales were his pride and joy. Unlike most fire
Techos, however, Tharkad could breathe fire in addition to having it dance over
his scales. Although extremely proud of his unique talent and of the belief
that he was the most powerful Techo in Neopia, Tharkad was deeply jealous of
another Techo whose name was Skez.
Skez was a mighty electric Techo, arcs of electricity
dancing across his scales. Tharkad longed to prove himself to be the greatest
Techo of all time, and therefore challenged Skez to a battle in an attempt to
prove his worth. Skez, in reality the stronger of the pair, easily defeated
Tharkand. Thoroughly shamed, Tharkand crawled off to his cavern home to nurse
his wounds and his injured pride.
"Skez may be better than me now," Tharkand decided,
"but I can easily become stronger than he is." Unfortunately, Tharkand was a
very lazy creature. His natural talent was such that it allowed him to defeat
almost any other Techo with ease. So, rather than training and practicing as
any industrious Neopet would, Tharkand set to scheming in the darkness of his
lair. He desired a way to increase his strength without having to do any notable
amount of work.
There was a lesser Earth Faerie not to far from
Tharkand's cave who lived quietly in the midst of a small forest. Though her
magical powers were very weak, she lovingly cared for all of the plants and
creatures in her forest home.
Tharkand knew of this Faerie, and he knew that
her magic was weak. Still, he was very nearly as strong as Skez. Just a little
strength increase would be enough to give him the edge in their next battle.
With this in mind, Tharkand paid a visit to the Earth Faerie's forest, where
he found her tending to one of her many gardens.
"Hello, madam," Tharkand began, "I am in need
of your aid." It was always wise to be polite to an Earth Faerie, even a lesser
one. The Faerie looked up from her work.
"What is it that you need? My magic is not great,
but I will do my best to help you," she replied.
"I seek to become the most powerful Techo in
Neopia," Tharkand explained, "and I need to prove myself by defeating another
Techo, Skez, in battle. Please grant me strength so that I will be able to defeat
him." The Earth Faerie frowned at Tharkand.
"I cannot help you, as you truly have no great
need. If you seek to better yourself, it is up to you to do so." Tharkand had
been expecting this answer.
"You really do love this forest, don't you,"
he asked, changing the subject completely. Taken aback, the Faerie nodded. "Of
course," Tharkand continued, "all of these plants are quite flammable. It would
be a great pity if this forest were to burn down. Yes, a great pity." Tharkand
gave a significant cough, expelling a small tongue of flame that singed a nearby
bush.
The Faerie stared at the Techo in fear and consternation.
The Techo could easily set fire to her forest; she would be unable to quench
the flames until a great deal had been destroyed. Still, who had ever heard
of a pet threatening a Faerie? It was absurd! She had spent her entire life
caring for this forest, however, and she was unwilling to risk its destruction.
Sighing, she spoke a few magical words.
Tharkand grinned as he felt his strength increase,
if only by a small amount. "Thank you," he told the Faerie mockingly, before
dashing off to challenge Skez to a rematch.
It was true that Tharkand had become slightly
stronger than Skez. It soon became evident that Skez possessed greater speed,
however. Skez easily evaded Tharkands wild attacks, infuriating the fire Techo.
In the end, Skez emerged as the victor. Tharkand had no choice but to retreat
to his cave and recover.
Once he was feeling better, Tharkand set off
once again to pay a visit to the Earth Faerie's forest. When she caught sight
of him, she started in alarm. She had hoped that she had seen the last of the
insolent Techo. "Oh, Earth Faerie," Tharkand called mockingly, "I have another
favor to ask of you."
The Earth Faerie resolved not to give in to
Tharkand's wishes. "Go away," she replied.
Tharkand picked a flower from a tree growing
close to where stood. Bringing it close to his face for examination, he asked,
"Well, this is an exquisite specimen, isn't it?" Tharkand was aware that he
was very allergic to pollen. He inhaled deeply, and the resulting sneeze was
so violent that it reduced the flower to ash and nearly set the tree that it
had originated from ablaze.
Once again, the Earth Faerie found herself unable
to jeopardize the safety of her forest home. Grudgingly, she spoke a few magical
words. Tharkand's speed increased, and he hurried off, this time without any
thanks at all. The Earth Faerie watched him go, and then set off in the opposite
direction once he was out of sight. Something had to be done about this cruel
and ambitious Techo, and she thought she knew where to find help.
Tharkand strode boldly up to Skez and demanded
another battle with him. Surprised at Tharkand's persistence, Skez reluctantly
agreed. The battle that ensued was much closer than either of the previous fights
between the two. Tharkand was now both stronger and faster than Skez, and at
first seemed to be winning. Skez was able to trick Tharkand, however, causing
him to fall into a river that ran through their battleground. With his flames
extinguished, Tharkand was no match for Skez, whose electric powers were only
increased by water. Yet again, Skez won the match.
This time, Tharkand did not even wait until
his wounds were fully healed before dashing off to the forest. He was enraged
that Skez was still able to defeat him, and was beginning to wonder just how
he could hope to defeat such and exceptional opponent. As soon as he neared
the Earth Faerie's residence, however, he sensed that something was amiss. The
Faerie tending to a sick tree just inside the forest was not the one that he
had encountered on his two previous visits. "Greetings, madam," he hailed her
cautiously.
The Faerie, a greater Earth Faerie, Tharkand
could now see, turned to him. "Oh, you must be Tharkand," she said with a smile.
"You see, the Faerie of this forest had a feeling that you would return for
her aid. Her magic is too small to give you the power that you require to defeat
Skez, so she asked me to help you instead." Tharkand grinned eagerly. A greater
Earth Faerie would certainly have the magic to improve his attributes by a great
deal.
"Will you help me, then," Tharkand asked.
"Of course," the Earth Faerie replied. She spoke
a few magical words, and Tharkand suddenly grew to a hundred times his normal
height. He towered over the treetops of the forest and stared down at the tiny
Faerie below him.
"Thank you," he boomed, "this is more than I
could have hoped for."
The Faerie flew up to hover before his face.
She wore a disappointed frown. "No, this will not do, I'm afraid. You see, Skarzand
would easily be able to hide from you and strike you where you are weakest.
I can do no more here, however. If we could travel to Mystery Island, I would
have a greater area to work."
"Let us go, then," Tharkand replied. He eagerly
set off for the tropical island. At this time, the center of Mystery Island
was simply a large swamp, open and barren. Tharkand and the Faerie arrived there
very quickly, Tharkand's enormously long strides covering the distance effortlessly.
Once they arrived, the Earth Faerie directed Tharkand to stand in the center
of the swamp. His weight caused him to sink almost up to his knees in the muck.
"Please hurry," Tharkand told the Earth Faerie,
shifting uneasily in the mire.
Wasting no time, the Earth Faerie spoke a few
magical words. Tharkand froze in place, his body turned completely to stone.
The earth Faerie spoke to him. "As you wished, Skez will never be able to defeat
you now. Even he could not move a mountain such as yourself. It is unfortunate
that you decided to exploit others in your quest for power, Tharkand, as it
has ultimately led to your own ruin." With that, she left the mute statue standing
there in the Mystery Island swamp. Tharkand's increased weight caused him to
sink deeper and deeper into the muck until only his head and neck remained exposed,
his face forever looking hopefully away from the island, searching for his old
foe.
"And so, Techo Mountain was not actually carved
by a Techo, as many believed, but is really a true Techo, waiting for the day
when he shall be released from his stone binding and allowed to roam Neopia
again. The mountain still retains some of Tharkand's fiery prowess, and when
it grows angry, it breathes fire and smoke, terrorizing the Island's inhabitants.
It is possible that Tharkand will be forgiven and returned to his original state,
but many believe that he will remain a mountain until the end of Neopia's days,"
the old Lupe concluded.
The young Lupes surrounding his chair stirred
slightly at the end of the story, but they were far too tired to do more than
weakly request another tale. Their grandpa shook his head at their requests.
"No more tonight. It is far to late for you to be up. Perhaps I can tell you
a different tale tomorrow."
The End
| 
