The Castle of Resurrection: Part Six

by phifi

Inside the Underground Lab

The blue crystal of the column was so thick that Shamathia could only see its surface. Slowly, she went aroud it, wondering what it had been made for. On one side, she found something like a control panel. Sammy cleaned it a bit from the dust and looked at the switches and little handles. Because she thought that the current had been switched of anyway, she pressed the power button. The control panel awaked, a green light first started to flash, than it glowed constantly. On a small screen, some commands were printed:

Power supply ... OK
Checking system status ... OK
Connection to main server ... FAILED

Warning, eternal field status is at 47 %
A niveau lower than 40 % will damage
the contents!

Please choose from list below:
1. Illuminate column
2. Initiate dropout procedure
3. Auto-defrag eternal field
4. Manual-defrag eternal field
5. Quit

Shamathia did not understand what this was good for. Eternal field, what a strange name. Illuminating the column seemed a good idea to her for her eyes had slightly started to hurt. She used the night-mode too long and it was time to relax her magic powers. She chose option 1. At once, the entire room was lighted by electric lights in the ceiling and put into bright and very white light. The crystal column started to glow in blue light from the inside. The blood froze in Shamathia's veins:

The column contained a body! It was unbelievable big and almost did not fit inside the column. The shape was strange, it seemed to be a mixture between a dragon and a Skeith: It had very strong-looking arms and legs, mighty wings and a horn on his nose.

Suddenly Shamathia recognized what it was, she had seen it once in her history book: It was a Cerpull, an ancient species of Neopets that died out when more and more of its breed evolved first to Tatsus and later on to Eyries. How was it possible that this one was still here? At school they had learned that not a single Cerpull was left in Neopia. What a great discovery! The light from inside the column become brighter and Shamathia could see more details. The dangerous looking teeth, the long claws... but than she saw something that absolutely seemed displaced: A tiny cable was coming out of the left side of the Cerpull.

She went around the column to see the other side and froze: The other side was nearly completely covered with some sort of electronic implants! Cables connected the parts made of black steal and the left leg and arm seemed to be supported by a pneumatic system which gave the Cerpull incredible powers. Also, one of the eyes was replaced with a laser-unit. This creature was not a normal Cerpull, it was half a robot and it seemed to be the incarnation of evil to Shamathia! Implants were forbidden by the gods who created the world since ever and everybody who had dared using them had been banished form Neopia. This was unnatural, hideous, mean, unbelievable cruel--just evil. Who ever made this, it must have been a very mean owner... or maybe a hacker? It had happened before that evil-minded owner, so called 'minions' had tried to create super-strong pets to conquer Neopia, but never they had succeeded.

However, the question which Shamathia worried more about was, if the creature was still alive. She had heard before about very advanced magic-spells which could put any creature in some sort of death-sleep in which they could remain for centuries.

Inside the crystal column, it could not move, but what if the crystal broke? Was it possible that this creature was still alive? And should it be released at all; inside the column it was looking rather dangerous, with all his electronics components, cables, his staring laser-eye, ...

Shamathia wanted to switch the control panel off again when her fell on something on the right hand of the creature: He was wearing a ring with a glittering stone. There was a tiny swirl of white and blue colour in it. A tornado ring! The recognition stroke her like a lightning. It was really a tornado ring!!! This was unbelievable, tornado rings are some of Neopia's most precious treasures. Shamathia had only seen one on a picture in her 'Artifacts of Neopia' yet, and in reality the ring looked so amazingly beautiful, so powerful. Desire rose in her. Desire to hold the mighty ring in her hands, to wear it and feel its power filling herself with the strength of a tornado. Great it would be, she would never have to be afraid of anything again. But how can I get it? Shamathia thought. Inside the crystal column, and in addition on the finger of this deadly-looking creature it seemed to be unreachable. Suddenly, Shamathia got an idea: Couldn't she just teleport it out? She knew how to teleport things, but she had never used the spell on an item as highly magic as a tornado ring. Well, I shall dare trying it, what could happen if it does not work? The ring would only stay at its place and this is everything, Sammy thought. And so, she looked at the ring and concentrated herself completely at the idea that the ring was not inside the column but on her finger.

To be continued...