Treasure at the Fairgrounds

     Meddiant had disguised herself as best she could, wearing a top hat and coat to make her look a little more like she belonged. Of course, her hooked hand wasn't exactly easy to hide, but that was all right. If anyone spotted her and asked, she could always tell them she'd lost it in the Battledome or something crazy like that. It was believable enough, or so she hoped. The last thing she wanted was to be turned into a Mortog or fed to the Esophagor. She shuddered just thinking about it.

     "Now where would the best treasure be?" Meddiant murmured softly to herself, gazing around nervously through the trees. She already knew where she wanted to go. The Fairgrounds seemed like the place to be. She wished she had a better light to see, though; she'd only brought her Scroll of Moon Light to guide her along. But it would do for now. She knew the Fairgrounds had to be brighter than the woods. At least that was what her friend Spyzey had told her. And Spyzey would know, after all.

     Humming another pirate tune to herself, Meddiant tip-toed past the terrifyingly ugly Brain Tree, hoping it didn't stop her and ask her to do one of its quests. That was all she needed now; paying a visit to the Esophagor didn't sound appealing. Especially since she'd have to see him twice just to gain the information she would need to placate her silly Tree. A few seconds later, she was past and let out a small sigh of relief.

     Meddiant knew she was getting closer. She could hear faint carnival sounds drifting through the trees. The insane laughter of a clown echoed maliciously and caused another shudder to ripple through her. Some fearless pirate she was. Letting out a scoff, Meddiant started to chastise herself for being so silly, but a strange howl burst through the chill night air, making her jump and peer around nervously. Her hand was shaking and her heart was racing. If she met a Werelupe now, she wasn't sure what she would do. Her hook hand wouldn't be very useful against its razor sharp teeth.

     Picking up the pace, Meddiant scurried past the ominous Stone Dome, wondering how many ghosts made their home in there. That thought started to scare her even more, so she pushed it away, knowing she needed to focus on less terrifying things. The Fairgrounds were up ahead, blinking lights flashing through the trees. Another insane cackle of laughter assaulted her ears and she cringed. "Only a few more steps and I'll be there," she whispered to herself.

     After what seemed like ages, Meddiant spotted the rusty looking gates that led to the Fairgrounds. Why they were called the Deserted Fairgrounds was beyond her. There was laughter and lights and music all making the place seem cheerier than it should be. A giggling Chia ran past her as she stepped through the gates, its face painted to resemble a clown's. She heard it say something about a Carnival of Terror, but didn't think much of it. Now that she had arrived at her destination, she could relax. The spooky castle that belonged to Nox did creep her out a bit, but Meddiant wasn't planning on visiting it today. No, she was here for one thing and one thing only: treasure.

     Pirates loved treasure, that much was true. Now all she needed to do was find some. Gazing around with wide-eyed wonder, Meddiant approached a strange looking wheel, walking past a cork gun gallery and a strange looking critter that she thought might have been a Wocky. The wheel was being run by shadowy looking Gelert. Swallowing her fear, she asked, "H-how much is it to spin the wheel?"

     The shadow figure answered, sounding strangely hollow, "One hundred and fifty neopoints, please."

     Meddiant dug into her pocket, pulling out some coins. She handed them over, surprised they didn't just fall through the Gelert's hand. Taking a deep breath, she raised her good hand and gave the wheel a hefty spin, watching with nervous excitement as it went 'round and 'round. A moment later, it started to slow. Meddiant held her breath as the wheel stopped on a picture of something that resembled a bag of neopoints. Turning her gaze back to the Gelert, she waited to hear what he had to say.

     "Lucky!" the shadowy figure growled, a hint of shock in its voice. "You have won five hundred neopoints. Congrats."

     The Gelert handed over her winnings, causing a huge grin to spread across Meddiant's face. She thanked the Gelert and walked away, pocketing the neopoints she'd just won. She let her gaze wander, trying to decide where she wanted to go next. Her eyes landed on a happy looking Quiggle, so she walked over to him, ignoring the strength test, noticing five coconuts perched precariously on what resembled tiki torches. Curious, she asked the Quiggle how much it was to throw a ball at the coconuts. He chuckled gleefully, rubbing his hands together, and said, "Only one hundred neopoints a throw. Twenty throws max."

     Meddiant pondered this, then dug in her coat pocket, plopping down the five hundred neopoints she'd just won. "I'd like five throws, please," she told him with a sure voice, eyeing up the coconuts. As a pirate, she had a feeling this was rigged. But she knew she had a decent shot at hitting at least one of them. The Quiggle offered her five moldy looking balls, one of which she picked up gingerly. Squinting one eye shut, she focused on the coconut in the middle, throwing the ball directly at it. The coconut shuddered, almost falling, but then it stilled.

     The crazy Quiggle laughed and pointed, dancing around with glee. "Look!" he said in a high-pitched voice. "You almost knocked one down!"

     Meddiant sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. She picked up another ball, aimed, and threw it at the middle coconut again. It hit the coconut, but bounced right off, not even stirring the silly thing. The Quiggle began giggling again, making Meddiant wish she hadn't even bothered. But she'd won three hundred and fifty neopoints already. She had three more throws, so she was going to use them up before heading to a new game.

     Hefting the third ball, she tossed it, hitting the coconut once more, jolting it, but not knocking it down. "Another three hundred points," she muttered, ignoring the crazy Quiggle. Ball four was thrown, but it completely missed. Now it was her last throw. "Better make it count," she told herself, focusing directly on her target. She took aim, tossed the ball, and watched as it hit, then bounced to the floor of the stall.

     "Aww, too bad," the Quiggle said in his high pitched voice. "But you have won seven hundred neopoints. Here you go." He handed her the coins, watching her carefully as she slid them back into her pocket.

     Meddiant turned and left the stall, glad to be away from the weird Quiggle. Then she spotted a scratchcard kiosk and smirked, knowing that would be the best place to find some treasure. She entered the kiosk, noticing an amused looking Nimmo wearing a top hat. She smiled at him and asked, "Can I purchase a scratchcard?"

     "Yesssssssss," Sidney hissed, reminding her of the Gelert that manned the wheel. "Twelve hundred neopointssssssss pleasssssssse."

     That was a bit steep, but Meddiant reached into her pocket and handed over the coins, taking the scratchcard that was being offered to her. She began scratching it off, Sidney explaining that she needed to match three images to win something. The scratchcard was something involving an undead jackpot, according to the Nimmo. Meddiant didn't care what it was, as long as she won something.

     Finally, she was done scratching and handed her card back to the Nimmo, a grin playing on her face. "I believe I've won," she said to him smugly, waiting for her prize.

     Sidney glanced at the card and shook his head, hissing, "Congratssssssss. You have won ten thoussssssssand neopointssssssssss."

     Meddiant let out a cheer that echoed throughout the fairgrounds, earning her some glances from the crazy Chia clowns. As Sidney handed her her winnings, she pocketed them, knowing it was time to leave. She was pressing her luck now, and knew it would run out soon. At least she had enough points now to hail a ride from Faerieland back to Krawk Island without having to swim her way across. That was definitely a plus.

     As she walked through the gates and back into the spooky woods, her mood clearly improved, she said, "Today was a great day. I'm definitely coming here again."

The End