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Untitled Document
"Your ancestors sent us through years of torture, Liji,"
the Poogle stared her down with a fiery glare that seemed to give the rest of
the room great pleasure. The major even chuckled as he saw through the Aisha's
skin her ever-growing fear. "Now, we will show them what it's like to be considered
lower than dirt!"
"You will hurt more than you have ever hurt
before," the general cackled. Liji wanted to pipe up and ask how hurting her-maybe
even killing-could ever be revenge against her ancestors. She thought better
of it and remained both silent and motionless as the general spoke again. "And
they will feel your pain, Liji," he said in his low, crackled voice. Liji was
frightened. Did he just read her thoughts? "We shall make them feel your pain!"
the entire room was shaking. The evil Neopets grabbed their drinks from the
spinning table. Liji who had neglected hers ever since she had gotten it. She
held it in two hands until it was settled down again and everyone got situated.
Looking up, she saw great gobs of mucus dripping of the Lupe's mouth, drenching
his orange fur in spit. It didn't take Liji long to realize that General Ariconn
had very strong opinions about her and her ancestors.
"General Ariconn, save your energy for the torturing.
You could have spilled our drinks, you know!" said Tanren, putting a hand on
his superior's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. General Ariconn threw
it off with great strength, tossing the major across the floor and it the corner
with great speed. Major Tanren got up, limping on one leg, showing the half
broken glass with only a few drops of brandy left in it. Liji knew that the
major was going to torture the general before they got to her. She looked around.
All of the others were staring at the two higher-ups as Major Tanren landed
a solid punch between General Ariconn's eyes. The Kau looked at Liji with a
look that told her that this would be her only chance to escape. Taking the
hint, she slowly and silently stood up from her chair. The Kau made the wall
disappear again, just as it had before. She carefully slipped out into the alley,
but something grabbed at her ear. She squealed in pain and turned around, trying
to pull the scraggly hand off of her. It was the Ixi, one hand holding the tempered
Aisha, the other pulling on the Kau's tail.
"Leaving so soon?" she asked in a fake worried
voice. "We are just getting started. Surely you can stay until dessert? Or should
I say desert?" she cackled at her bad pun. Liji tried to kick her elder. The
desert? She couldn't go back. Not even a million wild Unis could get her to
go back. "I'm sorry if you had other plans, Liji, but you'll be spending your
time with us now. Perhaps the rest of it." And with that she dropped both of
the young and helpless Neopets to the ground with a loud thump. The Kau tried
to get back to on his hooves as Liji rubbed her leg and arm where two oversized
brown bruises began to come into appearance. Once they had stood up, she spoke
again, but only a word, "Follow." And, as if by some sort of strange and eerie
witchcraft, their bodies moved without them and entered the room at the end
of the alley yet again.
The candles were starting to burn low, and the
terrible stench of the melting wax was almost unbearable as it filled the room
into every nook and cranny. The Ixi sat the two Neopets in two chairs at the
end of the table. They both shuddered in fright as they stared at the evil eyes
staring straight back at them. Apparently, the fight between Major Tanren and
General Ariconn had come to an end. It was easy to tell who had won and who
had lost. The absence of the major gave Liji a sudden sense of worry as the
eyes of the orange general glowed a frightening red. He was the first to speak.
"Thank you, Palinni, for returning them to us,"
and the Ixi nodded happily as she stared back at Liji and the Kau. He said nothing
else for quite some time, letting the nerves of the youngest of the room calm
down before he laid a punishment. "Olcoro, I thought I could trust you! Whatever
happened? We finally locate and bring Liji to us and you try to help her make
an escape? What do you have to say for yourself? I'm waiting..."
"I-I-" the Kau, or Olcoro, began to stutter
as they all stared at him with evil grins.
"Yes..." the general was beginning to grow restless.
"II d-don't think-k you can ben-be-benefit from
h-her v-very much-ch..." He was horrified by the experience of talking in front
of them like that, being put on the spot before a large group of blood-thirsty,
battle-loving creatures who sought nothing else in life than the harming of
innocent Neopets And the Kau definitely qualified as innocent.
"What?" asked the Zafara in an angered tone.
"Say it again, louder and clearer. And be more specific. We need to have all
the information we can get before choosing your punishment."
Olcoro was nearly dead from all of the fear
he felt. He was panting heavily, and Liji could almost hear his quickly pulsing
heartbeat. As her face lit up in rage, she finally belted out a blow that no
one saw coming.
"YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE DID NOTHING WRONG!
YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!" her whole body was red and her breathing
was deep and quick. She wiped her mouth with her hand daintily and took her
seat. It is hard to describe the look on the faces of the Neopets about the
room. The Ixi was in a state of total shock; the Chia, who had been quiet almost
the whole time, had wide eyes; the general, a confused look on his face; the
Poogle, ready to faint; the Zafara, jaw dropped to the ground; and the Kau was
just about all of these things. The chandelier was dangling by a single thin
chain, swinging back and forth lightly after the blast.
"Well..." said the general, clearing his throat.
"All the more quicker we shall get to business, I suppose..."
"Uh...yes," said the Ixi, still in total disbelief.
Liji gulped.
"Well, we're ready right now, are we not?" asked
the general. No one seemed to be paying attention to him now. They all stared
at Liji. "Okay, then..." He continued, "Why not just send them now? Yes, I think
I will." No one noticed him getting up to retrieve something from a dark corner.
Even Liji was amazed at herself. She was constantly gasping. "Goodbye, Liji.
Sayonara, Olcoro." And the two disappeared from the room.
THUD.
"Huh? What?" said the Kau, getting up. Liji
slumped over on the hot ground. "Where are we?" he asked again.
"You want to know? You really want to know?"
she said, shading her eyes from the blazing sunshine.
"Yes..."
"The Lost Desert. The uninhabited part. Not
very nice, is it?" she got up and trudged through the sand. "I've been here
before, and I promised myself I would never return. Well, I guess there are
some things that just can't be helped."
"You've been here before?" he got up excitedly.
"You can get us out in no time!"
"Well...I can't. I don't remember... sorry,"
she said sadly.
"WHAT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" he was growing tense
and angry.
"Well, we will get out, that is for sure," she
began to walk away.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked the Kau, trying
to catch up.
"Well, I'm trying to find a way out, silly,"
and she walked on. Without hesitation or complaint, Olcoro followed through
the scorching heat.
"But-but we don't know where we're going, Liji..."
he said after a while, panting from the heat. "How can we get out if we don't
even have a clue?"
"Don't need one," was all Liji said in reply.
"Well, it certainly would be helpful," said
Olcoro.
"Well, we can't get one anyway."
"True-"
"Come on, let's get out of here already!" and
with that she ran, leaving the Kau trying to catch up in the trailing dust following
her swift body.
"LIJI!" he screeched at the top of his lungs.
"LIJI, I CAN'T RUN!"
"Just try!" she said. She didn't have time to
stop and nurture a Kau who was probably older than herself.
"NO, LIJI, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" he tripped
over a sand dune and fell face first into the ground. Liji, sighing and rolling
her eyes, galloped back over to where he lay to help get him back on his feet.
"There you go... what do you mean, 'I don't
understand?'" she asked him.
"I have a fake leg... because that stupid general
took it from me when I was very young. So, well, I can't run." Liji was shocked,
and embarrassed.
"Oh, I am sorry... we'll walk, then..."
To be continued...
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