The Boy Balthazar: The Story of a Lupe That Went Bad... by elitetyrannitar |  |
Many times in Neopia, I have heard stories of the infamous Balthazar. This
Lupe was said to be pure evil from birth. But I could not believe that, since
he donates hundreds of faeries to the Money Tree. How could such a generous
NeoPet turn into a hideous beast? Besides, I had never heard of a NeoPet being
evil from birth. I decided to start this dangerous quest for highly wanted information
in the Haunted Woods.
As I traveled through the treacherous paths and hindering terrain, I came
upon a tiny village. It seemed ragged and aged as if under a spell. I strolled
through the village, peering through broken glass of burned out buildings. As
my search continued, I came upon a strange outgrove on the outskirts of the
town. I knocked on the door, and to my surprise, an old Lupe tackled me! I threw
him off and released a snow wurm that pinned him down. He easily gave in and
told me who he was. His name was Razair, the father of Balthazar! I was very
excited to hear this news, but soon calmed due to Razair's look. I asked Razair
where I could find him, but he seemed very disappointed at the name. He quickly
denied the question, and advised to stay clear of the creature. Then I turned
to leave the hut, muttering my lack of information.
Razair suddenly jumped again, hearing my muttering, and started to tell me
his story. The following is the story of the boy Balthazar, before he became
the evil faerie bounty hunter he is known as today.
The Cliff.
Some loved it.
Some hated it.
And Balthazar definitely hated it.
The Cliff was a place that was favourite to young Lupes who wished to spend
the day basking and playing in the sun. The Cliff was also rumoured to hide
runaway faeries from Fyora, the ruler of Faerieland. The young Lupes always
loved to search in the trees surrounding the Cliff looking to catch a glimpse
of the fabled faeries. But this place of fun and excitement was not yet known
as the Haunted Woods.
Balthazar was not the usual Lupe you would find strolling around the Cliff.
He was the one Lupe who would never go to play. The only time he left his dwelling
was to get away from his parents. He despised his parents. Always telling him
what to do and when to do it, and never giving him any free time. It was not
his fault he was a bit slow and could not take orders right. He deeply regretted
that he had let his family down the one time they had to protect their food
stock from a very hungry tribe of Skeiths. Lately, he had been sneaking out
during the day. He only did this for the greatest love of his life, hunting.
He loved to hunt, whether it be small Pteris on their way back from the Tyrannian
Plateau, Chias running from the small island to Neopia Central, or other Lupe
children. He had grown strong, defeating these insolent creatures day after
day, but was not totally indestructible. He once ran into a werewolf, which
was made hideous by Edna, the local shaman. They traded blows, each more devastating
than the next. But the werewolf pulled a Rod of Super Nova and used it on full
power. With a howl of defeat, Balthazar laid torn and beaten on the ground,
the moonlight shining on his broken body. The next day, he woke and started
for home. When he returned, his mother and father had left the dwelling. He
picked up a note posted to the door reading:
"Balthazar,
You have failed our family for the last time. This was the last time to
get a stock of food from the market, and you have yet again forgotten to take
your orders. We have left you here to become worthy of our family. Maybe being
here will teach you your priorities and you will learn some discipline. I hope
you will learn the ways of the Lupe and be true to your kin. Goodbye Balthazar.
Your ungrateful father,
Razair."
Balthazar burst into tears. He ran back into the woods, past playing Lupes,
past Pteris and Chias, and almost past a group of teenage faeries. He doubled
back, and stared at the extremely rare fliers. They were beautiful, with glazed
eyes of different shades, their long silky hair, and their fashionable dresses
and skirts. They soon discovered his peering, and turned to him.
"Who's there? Ohh, look Jhudora, a Lupe!"
"Oh, I've always wanted to see one of those!"
Jhudora was dressed in a black gown with purple lining around the rims. She
was not as pretty as the other faeries, but still shone radiantly.
"Aren't you a little short to be a real hunting Lupe?"
Balthazar was outraged, after all the fights he had won, he had been ridiculed
by a tiny faerie?
"Hey, go easy on him Jhudora... he's kinda cute."
The magical faerie looked at him in the eyes, blowing him a kiss.
"What do you mean? He is a weakling! He's not a real hunter, and therefore
should not be honoured by our presence. Be gone with you, you wimp!"
The loving faerie tried to stop the laughter among the faeries, but was beaten.
The whole group soon was teasing and poking at the scared and confused Lupe
Balthazar was soon feeling as sad as he was before. He now hated the faeries
and their ways, and he wished them to be destroyed. He was stricken by all the
power summed up in his lonesome heart, and released a deadly cry above the forest.
His cry was full of hate, anger, and somehow room for despair. Over the cry,
the forest shook. The once playful and joyous Cliff was turned into a scary,
mountainous hill overlooking a darkened forest. Balthazar's hate had said it
all, as the playing Lupes were suddenly turned into swamp creatures. The faerie
Jhudora was sent flying into a hideous bog, not to be seen for the longest time.
Even Balthazar himself overtook changes. His body grew large, heavy, and shaggy.
His face grew muggy and shady. His claws grew long and sharp, and deadly. With
a final attempt, the faerie renegades tried their best to hold Balthazar back,
but could only merely slash his face. He devoured every faerie with a gulp of
air, and spit them back into a cramped bottle. He then left his creation, the
Haunted Woods, and went into a deeper place not known to Neopians, to hunt faeries
the rest of his life. He sometimes shows a glimpse of his former self to Neopians
in the Money Tree. I have learned greatly of this tortured soul and his story,
hoping to find a solution to his hatred. With a heavy heart, I return this story
to you, the Neopians.
The End |
