A Yurble stole my cinnamon roll! Circulation: 191,275,577 Issue: 599 | 14th day of Relaxing, Y15
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Defender of Neopia - A Krawk in Lupe Clothing: Part Three


by kinokiro

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Deep within the reaches of the Haunted Woods, a shadowy figure was making final preparations...

      "It's almost ready," a dark figure said menacingly. It grasped a glass bottled filled with a glowing green liquid. "Are you having fun yet, Balthazar?"

      Balthazar stood in a dimly illuminated room. Heavy chains that seemed to be enchanted were restraining him. They withstood his attempts to break free.

      "What are you planning?" Balthazar sneered.

      "If I told you, it would ruin the surprise," the figure quipped. It waved a scaly digit at Balthazar. "We're nearing the full moon, so you'll find out soon."

      * * *

Meanwhile in Neovia Detective Prigpants and his assistant, Swolthy, were investigating the sudden disappearance of the silver items...

      "I didn't take em, I swears I didn't!" Bart shouted as he backed up. He bumped into his apple-bobbing barrel.

      "How's it you are able to afford them fine prizes then?" Swolthy stated brusquely. He stomped up to the barrel and grabbed a rotten tomato out from the murky water. "See this? Imported right from Meridell it is!"

      "I-I don't know 'ow that got in!" Bart chuckled nervously.

      'Apple-bobbing' Bart the green Gnorbu, well known in Neovia mostly for his creepy grin, runs a mostly-legitimate business.

      "I believe he is telling us the truth," Prigpants declared. He stepped towards Bart slowly and rubbed his beak, a curious look wore on his face. "Have any of your items up and disappeared lately?"

      Bart removed his hat and scratched the balding patch the hat was hiding.

      "Now that ya mention it, I be seemingly missin' some of me apples," he replied.

      "Curious. What, may I ask, is so unique about your apples?" Prigpants pressed on.

      "They ain't be no ordinary apples that gone missin'. They be my silver apples! Pay a fortune for them I do," Bart exclaimed. He placed his hat back on his head and spit into the murky water.

      Swolthy witnessed this and rubbed his hand on Prigpants' jacket feverishly.

      "Do you understand what this means?" Prigpants asked his partner.

      Swolthy took a moment to ponder.

      "That we shouldn't bob for apples anymore?" he replied.

      "It is elementary, my dear Swolthy," Prigpants declared. He removed his monocle for a quick cleaning. "Bart cannot be our silver thief as he has had silver items stolen from him as well."

      "Ah that means we ought to look somewheres else, right?" Swolthy shot a glance across town.

      Prigpants nodded softly as he replaced his monocle.

      "The waters are murkier than we first believed," he said as mysteriously as he could.

      "You don't know the half of it," Swolthy remarked. He took a glance at the apple-bobbing barrel briefly as they made their way to their next stop.

      * * *

Kyshriek had travelled to Balthazar's Grove where we re-join her as she continues her search...

      The Haunted Woods were mostly under perpetual darkness. The trees were so thick it always seemed like it was night.

      Kyshriek knew she was getting closer to the grove. She could see a break in the trees where the sun was coming through. Balthazar's Grove was the only place in the Haunted Woods that had enough space between the trees where light could break in.

      It was oddly quiet in the grove. A slight breeze blowing through the grove rustled the branches. There was not a soul on the grounds.

      Kyshriek figured this would be an opportune time to investigate the grounds without interruption.

      The grove was a relatively large clearing of woods. It appeared the trees had grown sporadically in this area of the woods and appeared torn out by the roots. The ground was packed hard with very little grass and brush littered about. It was mostly dry dirt and mud with the occasional sparkle of faerie dust.

      Balthazar's home appeared to be a large cabin near the rear edge of the grove. She had assumed this, as the outside of the cabin strewn about were various nets and traps.

      She walked towards the cabin, taking note of the flurry of footprints on the dried soil. There were many markings on the ground that matched the one depicted in the sketch mixed in with a set of unfamiliar footprints. They appeared to be long and thin with three toes. The owner of these prints was clearly not a Lupe.

      She arrived at the cabin steeped in darkness. She went to knock on the door but it slowly opened at her touch. She took a few steps into the cabin and found an unlit candle on a table next to the door. She removed a small bottle of fire sand from the utility pocket on her belt and lit the candle.

      The room illuminated and revealed that there had been a scuffle as there were several broken bottled faerie bottles scattered on the floor and some trapping equipment that appeared to have burn damage. It looked like the day after a battledome tournament.

      "What could have caused this much damage?" Kyshriek thought aloud.

      She pressed on further into the cabin, carefully stepping around the broken bottles. She came to one of the rear rooms of the cabin and heard a thumping noise from behind the door.

      "Hello?" she called out. "Is somebody in there?"

      The sound went silent.

      She believed there was something in the cabin with her, so she cautiously reached for the door handle. As she grasped the handle and began to turn the knob, it began to feel warm and then quickly became very hot.

      "Ouch!" she exclaimed. Her shout shattered the glass faerie bottles that remained on the wall.

      The wooden door began to smolder and smoke as flames began forming at the base of the door and quickly shot up the frame.

      She gasped and looked around for a way to escape. She made the fast decision to break through the wall and threw her fist through the wooden beams.

      The flames grew quickly. The nearly caught her just as she had torn open a wide enough hole to squeeze through. She pulled herself through the opening and found herself outside moments before flames engulfed the area she had been standing in.

      "That was a close call," she thought to herself. She glanced at the scorch mark on her paw.

      There came movement from inside the cabin.

      There was a figure moving between the flames. There came a bright flash of light and a fiery streak burst out of the roof that sent a shower of embers cascading across the area.

      "You're not going to take me!" a fiery figure shouted. It streaked across the sky.

      It was a young Fire Faerie. Her eyes were burning with a mix of anger and fear. She floated high above Kyshriek and raised her hand.

      "Wait, I'm not your enemy!" Kyshriek shouted.

      "I don't believe you," the Faerie cried out. A large ball of flames grew above her hand. She threw her hand down violently, which sent the massive fireball hurtling towards Kyshriek.

      Kyshriek leapt out of the way just as the faerie's attack blasted into the ground. It cooked the dirt to a scorched black.

      "I don't want to hurt you," she yelled out. The attacks would not cease.

      The Faerie cupped her hands outward and blasted a cone of fire towards Kyshriek. She covered her face as the flames licked at her. The flame resistant fabric in her costume did a good job at absorbing the damage.

      Kyshriek decided that there was no other choice but to fight back. She waited until the Faerie had taken a moment to regroup and then leapt towards her.

      "I said that I am not your enemy!" she screamed. The shout sent a blast of sound towards the Faerie and stunned her.

      Kyshriek grappled the Faerie to the ground before she could gather her bearings and held her down firmly.

      "Do your worst," the Faerie said sadly. She struggled slightly. Her eyes closed tight, she was trembling; she had felt defeat.

      Kyshriek let go of the Faerie and stood up.

      "I apologize for being so harsh." Kyshriek extended a paw to help the Faerie to her feet.

      The faerie lay on the ground for a moment. She was still trembling with fear. She opened one eye and looked at the gesture offered by her opponent. Cautiously, the Faerie took her hand and returned to her feet.

      "Don't you want to take me away too?" she asked sheepishly.

      "No," Kyshriek replied and shook her head. "I told you that I am not your enemy. I am Kyshriek, a Defender of Neopia."

      The Faerie sighed deeply in relief. "I must apologize for my haste. I am Faye the Fire Faerie. I had mistaken you for somebody else," Faye explained.

      "Are you hurt?" Kyshriek asked. She had noticed a mark on Faye's arm.

      "I am fine. This is nothing that Nereid cannot cure. She is the Water Faerie that oversees the Healing Springs in Faerieland," she said. She had begun rubbing her wound.

      "Take this," Kyshriek urged. She removed a small vial of liquid from her utility pouch and handed it to Faye. "It's not much, but it's essence of everlasting apple. I always carry some in case of injury."

      Faye smiled and dabbed some on her wound.

      "Thank you. It is already starting to help," she said and smiled.

      "Why are you out here?" Kyshriek asked. "It is very dangerous for Faeries to venture here."

      "I was captured by Balthazar." Faye looked to the ground with shame. "He was going to trap me in a bottle and sell me to the highest bidder before he was attacked."

      "Balthazar was attacked?" Kyshriek gasped.

      She had thought this whole time that Balthazar was the one perpetuating the chaos. Perhaps this was not the case after all.

      "I did not get to see who attacked him. I heard a commotion outside of the room. I was bound by a powerful magic that Balthazar controls, so I could not break free to escape. After some time the magic began to fade and the only way that would happen is if Balthazar was no longer in close enough proximity to cast the enchantment," Faye explained.

      Kyshriek, shocked by this development, began to doubt that Balthazar was behind the attack of Defender HQ.

      "How long were you in that room after the attack happened?" she asked Faye.

      "I don't know. I was so scared to leave the room and I lost track of time. When I heard movement inside the cabin, I thought that the ones who had taken Balthazar had come back for me and I panicked," Faye said remorsefully.

      "Are you well enough to fly back to Faerieland?" Kyshriek asked with concern in her voice.

      "I should be," Faye responded. She then had suddenly remembered a detail. "I did overhear someone mention Neovia."

      "Neovia..." Kyshriek mumbled. She pondered this for a moment, as it was on a list of destinations that she had yet to investigate. "What could they possibly need there?"

      "I don't know." Faye shook her head. "All I heard was that is where they were planning on taking Balthazar."

      "Thank you very much for your help," Kyshriek said. She nodded softly. "Please deliver word of this to Fyora. I am certain she will be happy to see you are in one piece."

      Faye agreed and paused for a moment.

      "Before I go I want to give you my blessing as a thank you for rescuing me," she waved her hands gently as a soft, warm glow enveloped Kyshriek.

      "Thank you," Kyshriek replied to the kind gesture. She felt even stronger than she did before.

      "It is all that I can do to help. Thank you again. I hope you find the evil ones who did this," Faye commented. She smiled weakly as she took flight and streaked across the sky leaving a faint trail of flame in her wake.

      "Who are we really dealing with here?" Kyshriek wondered to herself. She began to leave the Grove.

      Neovia was a day's travel and with the amount of she had already wasted, there was no time left to lose.

To be continued...

 
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Other Episodes


» Defender of Neopia - A Krawk in Lupe Clothing: Part One
» Defender of Neopia - A Krawk in Lupe Clothing: Part Two
» Defender of Neopia - A Krawk in Lupe Clothing: Part Four



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