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A torrential storm of muddy boots hurriedly rampaging
through the night stomped dirty rainwater from the sea of puddles. Heavy clanking
armor and the ugly metallic sound of weapons dashing against shields rang out
through the musty air like bells. Meridellian soldiers ran across the corpse-littered
battlefield, in dire hopes of slowing the enemy’s pace, but it did no good.
That night in Meridell, a bitter storm raged.
A small Usul tightly clutching a coat cowered
behind the barn of a farm, watching the battle rage. Her bleary eyes blinked
water out, and strained to see in the heavy rain. Thunder clapped overhead,
and she shivered reflexively. The cold winds whipped at her ferociously, and
the rags she’d donned as clothes did not help to protect her at all. She blinked
out a small tear that instantly became invisible, expertly camouflaged in the
rain.
“Mommy? Where are you?” she whispered under
the raging war cries of the battle. She’d been looking for her owner all day,
to no avail. And now, now she could do nothing but watch the vicious onslaught
that was occurring before her. Finally, she closed her eyes- she couldn’t bear
to see her people being killed any longer.
“King Skarl said he would protect us,” she whimpered
again, sobbing.
Just then, the barn the Usul had taken shelter
under collapsed in a fiery blaze. She screamed loudly as she tore out from under
it, and onto the battlefield. She stumbled, tripping on a rock, and came face
to face with an enemy Skeith soldier. He gave her a creepy smile, his red eyes
glowing menacingly. Lightning pierced the sky in the background ominously. The
poor Usul ran again, without any hesitation.
She ran all throughout that night, leaving the
war behind her. She never wanted to see war again. Behind her, the last line
of Meridellian troops collapsed, and the enemies marched through the town gloriously,
burning down all buildings they saw. The Usul cried out in fear and sadness,
for she knew that no place in Meridell would be safe for her. She ran, until
the night faded away and the early morning misty air greeted her. She ran faster
than she’d ever run before, summoning up strength she never knew she had. She
hesitated only once, to catch her breath, and scan her surroundings.
No soldiers. And yet… something felt odd. No
longer was she in the grassy mainland of Meridell. She lurked now in a colorful
village. Many shops occupied the foreign grounds. A certain sign caught her
attention.
“The Wishing Well,” she read. As she moseyed
further into the village, the sun rose from behind the many knolls that had
masked it before. A ray of sunshine hit a puddle, and reflected into the Usul’s
eyes. Her paranoia took the better of her.
“AAHHH!” she cried. “The soldiers will see me!”
She sprinted, looking desperately for shelter from the sun. But no shop gave
her relief- all doors remained locked. Finally, the Usul’s eyes rested on a
large building. Its shade loomed and wove an intricate design on the ground.
“The shadows!” cried the Usul. She rushed gratefully
to take cover in the dark shelter of the shadows. The sun was now fully awake.
Its beams lit up the entire village- save for the shadows caused by the building.
“Now the soldiers will never see me!” She smiled.
Meridell was far away now. But ever since that
fateful day, she’d held a grudge against King Skarl for breaking his promise.
But… She could leave it all behind, and start anew.
“And this is where I’ll start,” she said with
a tiny grin. “In the shadows…”
And although she knew that she’d always be alone,
she knew that she’d have the shadows to protect her, the shadows to reside in
forever…
A year later… Present Day
The crisp night air blew through Neopia Central, ruffling trees and bushes.
Most citizens of the bustling streets of Neopia Central had returned safely
to their homes. But an unwise passerby chose not to return to the warmth of
his household. Instead, this Bruce sat under the dim light of a lamppost and
read. He shivered uncontrollably.
High above the reading Bruce stretched a large
tree. It swirled all over and wove clear above Neopia Central in an intricate
pattern. One Neopet took home in the gnarled branches of this tree. It blends
with the meek shadows of the day, and holds its reign during the night. Now,
it lurked directly above its next victim…
The Bruce hummed quietly to himself as he flipped
the page of the Neopian Times. It seemed so innocent, yet so perfect a target.
His spectacles shone crystal clear, even in the weak light of the lamppost above
him. The creature in the trees hovered slightly, planning out every move she
was about to execute. Her jet-black coat provided prefect camouflage in the
darkness. She pounced.
The Bruce hardly knew what hit him, at first.
All he remembered after the incident was seeing a black shape hurtling at him
from the sky.
“Like the Angel of Death,” he later explained.
But that was all he saw. In the next moment,
the ‘shape’ had subdued him onto the floor, snatched his wallet and newspaper,
and then disappeared behind the curtain of darkness. And the task had all been
completed in less than 30 seconds. The Times the next day read, “The Shadow
Usul Strikes Again- 9th Raid.”
~*~
A slender figure emerged from the darkness, and onto a dimly lit perch on
a tree. The Shadow Usul smiled gleefully as she counted her loot. The smile
quickly disappeared. The wallet contained only 86 Neopoints- it was hardly enough
to get a decent meal. She tossed the wallet onto the ground, shaking her head
with disgust. It had been days since she’d last fought in the Battledome. Confusing
her enemies with her shadow techniques was fun, but it made no money. The Shadow
Usul herself was completely broke.
She was about to toss the newspaper away too,
when she noticed a particular sentence that grasped her attention. It was written
in fine print, so she had to squint to read it.
“Shadow Usul,” she read in a low voice. “Please
meet in behind the central plaza of Neopia Central.” She held back a chuckle.
Did they think she was that stupid? And if she could see the fine print, couldn’t
the Chia police as well?
“This is the most pathetic attempt to capture
me,” she said. “I’ve heard Slorgs come up with better ideas.” She leapt off
the branch gracefully and landed on another. It groaned with her weight, but
she knew the tree would hold.
Ah, I’ve got nothing better to do, she thought
as she cruised through the trees. Might was well see what this one’s all about.
Who knows? she smirked. I might even get a little satisfaction of evading the
Chia police again!
With that, she disappeared into the night.
~*~
A day earlier…
“Sir! Sir! I’ve just gotten word that Captain Jeran and his troops have launched
a raid on the Citadel!” A thin Kougra stumbled into the room. King Skarl sat
on his throne, obviously not amused with the sudden outburst. The guards immediately
rushed towards him, weapons raised, but Skarl waved them off.
“Say ye words again. And speak up this time,”
he grunted.
“Captain Jeran and a few others are going to
the Citadel,” he repeated hastily. He shifted nervously before the King, who
had visibly tensed.
“That leaves Meridell undefended!” he bellowed
so loudly that the Kougra shook with fear. Even the guards trembled.
“No sir,” replied the Kougra in a shaky voice.
“The farmers still stand strong for Meridell. But…”
“But what?” barked the King bluntly.
The Kougra looked at the King with uneasy eyes.
“They say that there’s an entire fleet of Kass’s troops marching here. But…we
don’t know where they’re going to attack.”
The King’s eyes widened. “Get the royal advisor
in here!” he shouted. A guard rushed to carry out Skarl’s orders. A minute later,
a Mynci in robes arrived in the throne room. He took his place by the King’s
side after bowing respectfully.
“This messenger here,” said King Skarl, gesturing
to the Kougra, “Says that there’s an entire fleet of Kass’s troops on the way.
We don’t know from which direction they’ll attack.”
The advisor thought carefully before responding.
“If we focus all of our troops in the direction they’ll be coming in, we’ll
counteract them, most probably.” The Mynci looked at the King with tired eyes.
“But we don’t know where they’ll attack. Any ideas, my King?”
“That’s what you’re here for,” demanded the
King.
“Wait,” the aid said after a minute. “I’ve an
idea. Quick, get me the latest edition of the Neopian Times. Hurry!”
Seconds later, the newest release of the Neopian
Times rested cleanly in the Mynci’s hands. Grinning, the Mynci handed it over
to Skarl.
“Shadow Usul goes rogue, 8th attack today,”
the King read in a gruff voice. He looked his aid in the eye. “What does this
piece of ruddy news have to do with anything?”
“The Shadow Usul,” explained the aid. “The Defenders
can never capture it, because it can never be found. They say it can disappear
into the shadows like it was a shadow itself.” He shuddered.
The King gave him a blank stare. “So?”
“We can hire the Shadow Usul to get us the information.
We can have him, or her, whatever it is infiltrate the Citadel and get us the
direction in which they’re going to attack!” The aid smiled.
“No! Under no circumstances will I hire a known
criminal to do work for Meridell! For as long as I am King, that, that creature
will never set foot inside this castle!”
The Mynci looked at his King, still determined.
“It may be the only choice we have, my King.”
Skarl glanced scornfully the Mynci, who gave
him a stern look.
“Send for the Times,” he said quietly, after
a few minutes had passed. “Have them include a small section telling that thieving
Usul to meet with us tomorrow at Neopia Central.”
“We meet tomorrow.”
~*~
With a small trace of a grin, the Shadow Usul peered out from behind a small
shop. The warm, fresh daylight flooded the normally busy plaza of Neopia Central.
Almost immediately after the sun made its appearance, the streets came to life.
Hundreds of Neopians prowled through the shops, hoping to find good deals. She
stood ready.
There- over behind a shop- two guards. A pair
of Chias steadily patrolled the area.
“The morning sun,” muttered the Usul dejectedly.
“And the authorities are on the block already.” This would make things much
harder, although she already knew the advertisement in the Times was only bait
for a clever trap.
Where are you, mystery person? she pondered
in anticipation. The shadows during the morning didn’t last as long as in the
evening, when the sweltering sun was at its peak.
Finally, a small crunch of leaves announced
the presence of someone behind her. She whirled around, readying herself for
battle. Her legs crouched steadily, ready to spring at any moment. But what
she found was not a battle brigade. Instead, to her surprise, she found a pitiful
looking Mynci cowering at the sight of her.
“Don’t hurt me, please!” he begged. The Shadow
Usul hesitated. Whatever the timid looking creature was, she decided to play
it safe.
“Be quiet!” she ordered in a low, commanding
voice. The Mynci obeyed, closing his mouth, but still whimpering quietly. She
inspected him. He wore better clothes than ordinary civilians. Her sharp eyes
spotted a gold plate clipped to his belt, engraved ‘Royal Advisor of the King’.
She smirked. Royal advisor? Meridell? She couldn’t
help but let out a small snicker. This fool would do her no harm.
“What do you want?” she demanded. She quickly
lowered her voice, however, so as not to call the attention of all the Neopets
passing by.
“King Skarl wishes to meet with you tomorrow
at 3 PM,” he replied with a small stutter. “Please don’t hurt me,” he added
after a quick thought.
“I’m not going to hurt you!” exclaimed the Usul.
“You’re not even worth hurting…” she mumbled. “Why does the King want to see
me?” she continued forcefully. Even though the creature was obviously harmless,
she decided she still wouldn’t let her icy demeanor vanish.
In the distance, she saw the two Chia police
from before closing in on her, carefully eying the building behind which they
both resided.
“Talk fast!” she commanded quietly. “The shadows
are recoiling rapidly. And the Defenders are here!”
The Mynci trembled. “His majesty’s requesting
you do a job for him.” Seeing the Usul’s bewildered glance, he quickly said,
“Just meet the King tomorrow in his castle at 3PM. He’ll explain everything.”
The Usul narrowed her eyes. “Fine,” she stated
roughly. “On two conditions. One, there is no light in the castle or Meridell
other than sunlight. Two, the King meets with me alone.” She narrowed her eyes
again, visibly annoyed. “Now get out of here!.”
“But what about you?” cried the Mynci. Just
as he said that, the two Chia police made themselves known.
“You there!” one barked. “This is private property!”
“Um... uh.. uh," he stammered, glancing around
wildly for the Usul. The authorities eyed each other, and shrugged it off.
After they’d left, the Mynci quickly searched
for the Usul. But she’d mysteriously disappeared.
The Mynci smiled, despite his fear. “She’s good.”
~*~
The next morning went by relatively quickly for the Shadow Usul. She waited
in high anticipation for the encounter with the King, although she dreaded returning
to Meridell. But nevertheless, the stoic Usul made her way through the dark
pathways linking cities together to arrive in the evergreen city of Meridell.
The smell, she thought with disgust.
The pale stench of hay and dirty creatures made her want to vomit. And yet,
these odors brought back a flood of memories. Memories she’d purposely hidden
and locked away in the back of her head in hopes to never revisit them again.
She shook the emotions off, and continued her
way down the dirty paths that spread throughout the town. Everything was just
the way she remembered it- just the way it was a year ago when she’d fled to
escape the terror of war. Except for one thing that was missing- the civilians.
Apparently, the ongoing war had driven families
to stay locked indoors. The desertedness of the village worked to the Shadow
Usul’s advantage.
As promised, all light had been flooded out.
The Usul smiled at the irony of the situation. Her worst enemy was carrying
out her wishes. But the smile soon disintegrated at the sight of the castle.
Inside that castle resided the one Skeith that she’d chosen to hate- for a broken
promise.
Summoning up her strength, she proceeded to
the large doors and prepared to enter.
Inside the castle, King Skarl waited anxiously
in his throne. The castle’s torches had been put out, wiping out whatever light
had been left over from their dim glow. The room was almost pitch black. The
only light that shone into the castle was a small, tiny ray of sunlight that
had managed to find its way in through a crack in the wall. Skarl felt something
he hadn’t felt in months- fear.
The double doors cracked open almost inaudibly.
A smattering of light entered the room, but quickly faded when the doors shut.
Although he couldn’t see the Shadow Usul under the thick curtain of darkness,
he knew she’d entered.
“Welcome,” said Skarl in a gruff voice. “Shadow
Usul.”
A low, strong voice emanated from a source in
the room from which Skarl couldn’t pinpoint.
“Greetings,” said the Usul monotonously. Her
palms shook blindly in the dark from the shock of meeting her most hated enemy.
She clenched her fists and said angrily, “What do you want?”
The King ignored her outburst.
“I have a job for you,” he said, trying to spot
the Usul in the dim light. Hearing no reply, he continued.
“As you know, the war on my village, Meridell,
has almost come to its end. With my most loyal Captain, Jeran, supposedly defeated,
we cannot spare any more defeats. Spies have told me that Kass is preparing
an all-out attack. But we don’t know from which direction it will come.” He
paused. “That’s where you come in. I want you to steal the information from
them, and find out which direction they’ll be coming in.” He finished in a puff
of breath and waited nervously for the Usul’s reply.
“Forget about it,” said the Usul coldly. “I’m
not doing your dirty work for you. Ever.” She turned to leave.
“I’d be willing to offer you a 100,000 Neopoints
for this service,” he called desperately. The bribe worked.
The Shadow Usul hesitated. A barrage of thoughts
went through her mind at once. On one hand, she desperately needed the money.
On another, she’d be helping her most hated enemy. She sighed. She knew her
decision was made. She’d have to get the money to survive. Who’d ever know?
If Skarl tells, he’ll be shamed forever for striking a bargain with a known
criminal!
“I’ll take it,” she said icily.
“Excellent. Be ready to tell me the information
by tomorrow.”
“Fine.”
Skarl smiled, and he rose to shake her hand.
But she’d already gone.
~*~
“The Citadel, eh?” the Shadow Usul wondered to herself. “Well, this should
be easy.”
She stepped out onto the drawbridge of the castle,
and gazed up into the quickly darkening sky. It wasn’t easy in the dim light,
but her eyes soon fell on the black cloud on which the Citadel rested. It floated
carelessly over Meridell’s hills. Hills that stretched far up into the distance
and met with the sky.
“So,” she said dryly. “Getting there won’t be
so hard after all!” She took off running. Since she didn’t have to hide within
the shadows, she reached the mountains within minutes, just as night began to
take its reign over the day.
Perfect cover, she thought with an inward
chuckle. Her black coat of fur hid her well. She reached the top of the mountain
just as the Citadel floated past. With a mighty leap and a determined look residing
faintly in her eyes, the Shadow Usul crossed through the air to land on the
edges of the floating city.
Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around the
rocky terrain. The Citadel was even darker than Meridell -- perfect for her
to travel in undetected.
A nearby Eyrie guard felt nothing and suspected
nothing, even as he was knocked unconscious. His partner nearby yelped in surprise,
but was quickly silenced as he too, fell victim to the unknown force. The Shadow
Usul emerged from a nearby shade and examined her work. Perfect.
She melted into the darkness again and glided
at swiftly towards the main building. Her yellow eyes were the only betrayers
to her position- her thin, merciless eyes that were often the last thing her
victims saw before they were knocked unconscious. Finally, she arrived at the
foot of the Citadel.
“Vents,” she decided, seeing a small ventilation
passage. A little cliché, but it would be a perfect way of infiltrating the
building. In one swift movement, the Usul had penetrated the bars of the vent
and was crawling fast, but silently through its long, winding passageways. She
stopped when she heard the unmistakable sound of Lord Kass’s voice booming.
She peered quietly through the slits.
“Very well, servant. We shall attack tomorrow,
at dawn. Have the forces ready in an hour. Do you understand me?!”
“Yes, master,” acknowledged another voice. “Should
we dispatch soldiers at the Southern edge of the forest?”
The southern edge…that was where they were going
to attack! The Usul smirked.
“Yes. I’ll leave you to it. See to it that my
orders are carried out!” The Eyrie cloaked with battle garments disappeared
behind the doorway.
Without hesitating any longer, the Shadow Usul
broke through the vent, landing smoothly on the dirt floor. Before the servant
could scream, the Usul had dispatched of him. She snatched a map lying on the
table, and scanned it. Yes, this was the map that showed the attack direction.
She pocketed it gleefully.
Suddenly she came face to face with none other
than Lord Kass himself. For the first time in months, the Usul felt fear. She
stood, paralyzed at the sight of the battle general.
“The Shadow Usul?” questioned the Eyrie with
a smirk. “Hmm… I’ve heard a lot about you.” He thought for a minute, and then
asked, “Weren’t you on our side?” The Shadow Usul said nothing. Kass chuckled,
then spun.
His fist came faster than the Usul could react.
She flew with a small cry to a wall and collapsed against it.
“Hmm. They also said you were one of the most
feared Battledome opponents around. Disappointing, indeed.” He walked leisurely
to her.
By now, the Shadow Usul had come out of her
trance. Before Kass’s next blow could land, she disappeared and reappeared behind
him. Like she’d done so many times before, she hit the ground and tripped the
Eyrie smoothly. She disappeared again, this time, into the vent.
“GET HER!” she heard Kass cry behind her. But
she knew it was too late for his guards to catch up. She broke out from the
vent and out onto the rocky Citadel. Kass’s forces were fast- they had already
assembled outside, awaiting her. But she was ready. Using unmatched speed, she
wove in and out from in between guards, occasionally knocking one down with
a sharp kick. She swirled in a mist of shadows, blowing and repelling her enemies
away. She waved mockingly as she jumped off the Citadel.
As she plummeted to the ground, she quickly
melted into the rushing air and reappeared back on the ground safely.
Overhead, the Citadel sped by. For the first
time in a while, she smiled.
~*~
The double doors of the castle opened to admit one small Usul. The light in
the large room was still out, but the King could make out the shape of the Shadow
Usul.
“Back so soon?” he inquired. The Usul said nothing.
“I don’t suppose you have the information?”
Skarl asked.
“Catch,” said the Shadow Usul coolly. Skarl
caught the map. Even in the dark, the Usul could see the King's glowing smile.
“Wonderful,” he said breathlessly. He clutched
a heavy bag of Neopoints and thrust them onto the floor. She picked up the sack,
and headed for the door.
“Wait!” exclaimed Skarl. "What is your real
name?"
"The Shadow Usul."
"Halt!" called the King again. “Would you consider
staying and living in Meridell?” he asked. “Become good?”
“Never.”
“I’ve seen the good in you,” Skarl insisted.
“Or else you wouldn’t have done this job.”
“I did it for the money,” came the monotonous
reply.
“No,” said Skarl. “I think there’s still good
in you.”
“Really?” asked the Shadow Usul. “Then how come
I have this?” She produced a gold ring in her hand mockingly. It gleamed innocently
in the faint light.
“That’s a family heirloom!” cried Skarl, rising
from his throne angrily. “Guards! Seize her!”
A stampede of armed Lupes burst into the room,
surrounding all exits, and lighting lanterns. But it was too late. The Shadow
Usul had disappeared.
“You can’t live alone forever!” bellowed Skarl.
“You cannot live that life forever alone!”
~*~
Outside the castle, the Shadow Usul replied, “I’ll always live this life.
Because this is what was meant for me.”
She looked back at the castle.
“I’m not alone. I have the shadows…” She vanished
into the darkness.
The End
A/N- ^-^ Send me your thoughts via Neomail!
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