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The Orbs of Power: Part One


by burning_shadows_79

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I had been waiting patiently for the month of Running to arrive. My owner had saved up her Neopoints to prepare for my vacation, and I had been training and exercising so that I would be fit enough to explore the Neopian wilderness. When the first day of Running finally dawned, I could not wait to set off.

     I packed my food, water and equipment into my sturdy black backpack, bade farewell to my owner and family, and left my home in Altador, heading for the centre of town. When I reached the main street, the travel agent was just opening his doors.

     As I entered the shop, the travel agent's face broke into a broad and welcoming smile. This old Bruce knew me well; as a keen bushwalker who journeyed to a different part of Neopia every six months, I was a regular customer.

     "Angel," said the travel agent, beaming. "The daring, dashing Halloween Nimmo whose greatest love is to explore the land."

     "I don't know about 'daring and dashing'," I said with an awkward smile. I couldn't blush because red is my natural colour, but I could feel the heat in my face.

     "Never mind," said the Bruce jovially. "Where are you heading on your next brave adventure?"

     "Oh, stop that," I laughed.

     ***

     It was my first visit to Mystery Island. I was amazed by the beauty of the place; the grass, trees and plants were lush and green, the birds were singing their musical songs; the sky was a deep, gorgeous blue, with only a few wisps of pure white cloud drifting across it. The island seemed to be waiting for me to explore its secrets.

     With all provisions packed, I was ready to set off on a hike into the jungle. There were several paths leading into the forest; I took the most narrow path, which was closest to me. Under the canopy of leaves, the light filtering down from the sun was dappled green. Among the bushes were a few brightly coloured flowers; they had strong, sweet fragrances, and seemed to be popular with the innumerous insects and birds that inhabited the area. I watched as a bumblebee landed on one of the larger flowers to drink its nectar, and a tropical bird swooped down and snatched up the bee in its short beak.

     I journeyed ever deeper into the jungle, until the path widened as I arrived at a clearing. I had reached the edge of a valley, and the path wound down into the depths of the gorge. On the other side of the valley, a vast mountain dominated the scene, towering over the trees below. I had no idea where the winding path into the gully would lead, but I was well equipped to survive several nights in the wilderness; I had packed plenty of food, I had brought a device to collect and purify water, and I had a strong, sturdy tent to sleep in. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a certain unease, as though some unknown part of me could tell that there was danger at the end of this narrow trail. Nevertheless, the beauty of this place, and my overwhelming curiosity, drove me to continue my adventure into the wilderness...

     ***

     I continued my trek along the narrow trail. The path sloped steeply downwards as I made my way into the depths of the valley. As I travelled onwards, the journey seemed to become more and more dangerous. The path was becoming narrower and more uneven, winding down the face of a massive cliff. It was all I could do to prevent myself losing my grip on the rocky ground and plummeting into the gully.

     After a treacherous and tiring two hours, I finally reached the very bottom of the valley. The winding path continued deep into the jungle, and I followed it, determined to reach the end of the trail. The plants and animals were even more beautiful here than at the top of the cliff; gorgeous tropical birds, dazzling flowers with strong sweet perfumes, and large, colourful butterflies were everywhere. As I walked onwards, a sudden loud, musical chiming commenced in one of the trees near me. I turned and saw a bird with a stunning coat of feathers, singing with a clear, beautiful voice. I was so captivated by the appearance of this bird that I stared for several seconds as I walked on; the feathers were a wonderful blend of vivid, shining blues, greens and yellows, and the bird's voice was beautiful beyond any sound I had ever heard. The bird continued to sing, occasionally pausing to preen its gorgeous feathers, and my focus remained fixed until a horrible sensation struck the side of my head as if I had walked into a fishing net. I turned and saw a large spider scurrying away into the undergrowth.

     Brushing the sticky web off my face, I continued along the trail. The canopy of leaves above me was becoming thicker and thicker; soon the leaves were so dense that I couldn't see the sun at all. The effect of this deep green darkness was eerie; even the flowers were losing their colour as the sunlight struggled to filter through the canopy. The path was still becoming ever more narrow; now it was only the width of my hand. I was suddenly gripped with a fear of getting lost in this dense jungle. I checked my watch - I had been hiking for five hours. If I lost the path, I would stand no hope of getting back to civilisation before running out of supplies. On the other hand, this path had to lead somewhere...

     Despite my doubts, I continued along the trail. The canopy was clearing now, but night was falling and I would need shelter soon. I was worried about the snakes, insects and spiders that this jungle was teeming with - what if they were venomous, what if they could hurt me? I searched for a safe place to pitch my tent for the night, but there seemed to be none close enough to the path. I searched for what seemed like an eternity until a small cave caught my eye, hidden behind a thick layer of undergrowth, at the very end of the narrow trail.

     I took off my travelling bag, withdrew a hatchet from inside it and cut away the plants and vines blocking the entrance. This little cave seemed like a perfect place to sleep. I made my way inside, feeling the ground, searching for a suitable spot to secure the tent pegs. The ground was totally solid; maybe this was not a good place to stay the night after all. I turned around and looked for the exit, but everything was pitch black. Again, I rummaged through my travelling pack, this time looking for an electric torch. I found it and turned it on, and the beam of dim light illuminated the walls of the cave, which were carved with countless hieroglyphs - somebody had been here before! Suddenly excited, I continued into the cave, until I reached a small chamber at the end of the tunnel. Standing on a pillar in this room was an elaborately carved stone box, marked with symbols that represented fire and water, earth and air, light and darkness. The lid of this box was slightly ajar. Seized with curiosity and excitement, I opened the lid...

     ***

     The lid of the stone box was very heavy, but I managed to lift it and lower it onto the ground without dropping it. I raised my little torch and shone its light into the box. Inside was a very old, blank piece of parchment, and a small instrument that looked like it was made to hold candles.

     I removed the instrument from the box and laid it gently to one side. It occurred to me that perhaps the old parchment did have something written on its other side... perhaps it would tell me what the instrument was used for. Very carefully, I lifted the parchment from the box. It seemed to be extremely fragile; if there was indeed something written on it, I didn't want to risk the parchment falling to pieces in my hands. I managed to remove it from the box without tearing it, and I gently turned it over...

     There were drawings on this side of the parchment. Six circles were sketched in fading ink, and inside these circles were markings that appeared to represent scenery. Lines were traced through the circles, and each of these lines led to a tiny symbol - these drawings were apparently maps. Where did they lead?

     I turned my eyes to the drawing in the upper left of the parchment. The scenery depicted in this first map was striking; huge columns of rock towered over the ground, with bridges spanning the spaces between the pillars. This seemed to be a drawing of Shenkuu. A dotted line ran across the landscape, crossing a few of the bridges before stopping at a small circled symbol near the top of one of the columns of rock. This was the symbol of Air.

     My heart raced. Did this mean something was concealed on one of the mountains of Shenkuu? Shenkuu had only recently been discovered, yet this parchment seemed to be extremely old. Had an ancient Neopian people known about Shenkuu, and hidden something there? I resolved to travel there and search for the hidden artefact as soon as I left Mystery Island.

     What about the other maps? I ran my eyes over the parchment... the second map depicted a forest and buildings. This was a town; judging by the appearance of the buildings, it could have been Neovia. The dotted line ran past the settlement and a short way into the forest, where the symbol of Earth was drawn.

     The third map was a drawing of Maraqua. There could be no mistake about that; there were fish, weeds and corals in this circle. The path led past the houses and into the area near the Maraquan Ruins, where the symbol of Water was drawn.

     The fourth map depicted stone sculptures just like those in Tyrannia. The dotted line crossed vast, barren plateaus and stopped at the symbol of Fire.

     The fifth map could only be the Lost Desert. The path wound between pyramids and cacti, and the symbol of Light was drawn at the end of the path.

     The sixth and final map was a path to the symbol of Darkness. The scenery in this drawing was more vague; the shapes could have been ponds, or plateaus, or craters, but no other clues were shown as to where this location was. My curiosity intensified even further; I wanted to find these mysterious hidden items, but I had no idea what they might be...

     I peered into the open stone box on the pillar. It was empty now, but the symbols carved around its edges might have been clues as to what the hidden artefacts were. All around the box were carvings of the signs of air and earth, water and fire, light and darkness. Every one of these was circled. I was now more confused than ever.

     I folded the parchment with great care, attempting to stow it away in my travelling bag, but it was far too fragile. It ripped in two, and one corner came away and floated to the floor. It was the Darkness map. The drawings were still clearly visible. I rummaged in my bag and pulled out a pen and notebook, and began jotting down the sketches and symbols as I saw them on the parchment. I slipped the notebook into my bag; now I had a duplicate of all six maps. I made to place the parchment back into the box, but it couldn't withstand any more handling. It broke up, crumbling to dust in my hands.

     As the remains of the original map floated to the ground, my eyes fell upon the lid of the box, and the instrument that had been inside with the parchment. Instantly I realised that the object wasn't designed to hold candles. It was designed to hold the six hidden items - that was why it was placed in the box with the map. I picked it up; it was much more resilient than the old parchment had been. I wrapped it in a towel and put it in my travelling pack, intending to take it with me as I searched for the hidden artefacts.

     The lid of the box was still lying on the ground; I took hold of it and, with great effort, managed to heave it back onto the empty stone box. As I replaced the lid, I noticed that the carvings on it were different than on the sides of the box. They depicted the six elemental symbols, all of them circled, united around a central point. This must be the purpose of the map and the instrument - to find the hidden items and unite them. Excitement and curiosity welled inside me, overpowering me. I was determined to take up the challenge...

To be continued...

 
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