Tekkal Trouble: The Petpet Detective Book 3

     It had been several weeks since the Altador Cup had finished, and Estebon was still in Fire Yooyu form following a stint filling in for the usual petpet after its flames had been doused when an over enthusiastic Kiko Lake player had launched it into the surrounding waters. Estebon was the only petpet in existence that could choose his form at the petpet laboratory, so long as his cause was noble, and saving the Altador Cup from disaster certainly fit that description.

     Today the Kookith at the petpet lab ray was back from his holiday, so Estebon could at last return to his original form, something that he had been desperate to do since the Cup had ended. Too much fame and admiration came with this Yooyu form, and everywhere he went he was being congratulated for his performance and asked for autographs and expected to pose for photographs. He sorely missed the quiet life of working a complex investigation, but sadly cases had been thin on the ground for a while.

     He made his way to the laboratory and nodded to the Vandagyre on reception, who smiled warmly at him as he took his seat.

     “Morning Estebon,” she chirped happily, “I’ll just let the scientist know you’re here.” She tip-tapped over to the back room and popped her head inside.

     “Mr. Kookith, Estebon is here to see y… Oh, not again!” she exclaimed. “This is the third time today! Wake up Mr. Kookith, this is highly unprofessional!”

     “Sorry, sorry!” Mr. Kookith could be heard fumbling around in the next room. “Please, send the next zappee in.”

     “Your next appointment is Estebon, but maybe I should ask him to come back tomorrow, you’re clearly not yourself today.”

     “Estebon? He’s just the petpet to help me I think! Send him in please.”

     Estebon decided to save the Vandagyre the trouble and entered the room to find the disheveled Kookith rubbing sleep from his eyes.

     “Morning Mr. Kookith, what seems to be the trouble?” He asked, unsure how he could help the tired looking scientist.

     “Estebon, I’m so pleased to see you,” he said, stifling a yawn. “You see, I’ve just come back from visiting Mystery Island, and I’m sure there was something fishy going on there… I can remember very little aside from being perpetually exhausted!” He paused and blinked slowly, as if on the verge of nodding off right then and there.

     “That is certainly unusual,” the Kookith’s eyes sprang open and the reply, “can you recall anything at all?”

     “All I can remember is being on the beach, the whole time wandering around half asleep, much worse than I appear today. There were other Neopets, wandering just like me, I’m sure of it. And I can picture a strange round face, possibly a petpet but none that I have ever seen before.” He stepped closer to Estebon, his eyes suddenly pleading. “Oh please, you must help me remember what happened, Estebon; not knowing is driving me crazy!”

     Estebon considered for a moment and replied thoughtfully. “I am certainly intrigued by this mystery. After all the zappings you have done for me I can undoubtedly do you the favour of investigating, and if you are indeed correct and whatever has happened to you is affecting others on the Island, the consequences could be dire.”

     “Oh, thank you! I would dearly love to know what happened to me out there!” The Kookith cried.

     “Do you think that it would be possible to transform me into the creature that you saw? Then we would know for certain whether or not it was really a petpet, or just a strange hallucination. And who knows, perhaps the form may jog your memory.” Estebon looked at the zapper, “all I require is an appearance to focus upon.”

     The Kookith beamed. “What a good idea!” and set about sketching the mystery petpet.

     Moments later Estebon was sat beneath the ray staring intently at the Kookith’s drawing, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. If this petpet was actually a figment of the scientist’s overactive imagination, who knew what he could be zapped into?

     The zapper sprang to life above him and the familiar buzzing sensation filled his body as the room flashed with a blinding light. Suddenly there was smoke everywhere, and in the spot where the Fire Yooyu sat was an unusual looking petpet, golden in colour with a large circular face and strange markings.

     “There!” squealed the scientist, presenting a mirror up to Estebon, “have you ever seen anything like it?”

     Estebon had not, he had to admit. He considered his coin shaped head and watched the flappy arm wiggle as he moved it. “A mysterious creature such as this would certainly belong on Mystery Island. Does this jog your memory at all Mr. Kookith?”

     “I’m afraid not. Perhaps someone else on the Island will know what petpet you are?”

     “Then I shall go at once.” Estebon declared. “Could you please instruct your receptionist to contact Detective Hendro and ask him to meet me at the Harbor? He will definitely want to be a part of this investigation.”

     As Estebon watched the boat approach the dock a large Shadow Shoyru crept up behind him. “Good day, my dear friend. What a strange appearance you’ve taken for this case.”

     “Hendro, so glad you could join me.” Estebon turned to his oldest companion. “Have you been told the particulars of this investigation?”

     “I have! This certainly makes a change from rescuing Angelpuss from trees; at last, something I can sink my teeth into.” Hendro looked positively gleeful. “Perhaps there’ll even be time while we’re here to sightsee? I hear that Jake the Kougra Explorer has once again braved the Deserted Tomb of Geraptiku and uncovered some more great treasures.”

     “There will be time enough for excursions once the case has been closed. For now, let us discuss the case aboard the boat.”

     After a long journey though mysterious fog and churning seas, Hendro and Estebon now stood upon the shore watching the Island tourists enjoying the many features that the beach had to offer. Having discussed the case at length they had agreed that this should be their starting point, after all, this was where the Kookith remembered being for most of his trip.

     At first glance all of the Neopets appeared to be having a splendid time, sunbathing, making sandcastles, playing beach volleyball; not one appeared to have the sleepy symptoms of the stricken scientist.

     Estebon was about to say this to Hendro, when he noticed a concerned look on the Shoyru’s face. He followed his gaze and found a Pink Kyrii stumbling about, attempting to lay a beach towel but evidently lacking the focus to do so.

     They approached her and Hendro spoke softly, “good day, ma’am.”

     Despite his cautious approach he had startled the Kyrii, who dropped the towel and jumped back swiftly.

     “So sorry to frighten you, I was just wondering if you had noticed anything strange happening hereabouts.”

     The Kyrii relaxed and smiled. “Sorry about that, I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. I’ve come here for a relaxing holiday, but instead I’m tenser than ever!” Her smile faded as she scanned the beach.

     Estebon looked at the tourists more closely, and sure enough, between the laughing Neopians were some acting most peculiarly. A Speckled Kau walked to and from the ocean over and over again, a Split Chia applied sun cream for what seemed to be for the thirtieth time, and a distracted Kiko stared off into the distance while the ice cream they were holding melted into a puddle at their feet.

     “What has happened to take away your focus?” Hendro asked her.

     “I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been here for several days and cannot remember much apart from being on this beach. I think that maybe I woke up here this morning? But no, that’s absurd.”

     “Whatever has afflicted you does not appear to affect most on this beach. We should find out if they are also experiencing strange sleepy symptoms” Estebon said to Hendro.

     “Most of these Neopians are day visitors,” the Kyrii replied, “they will head back to the mainland at dusk. They probably are not here long enough for anything… Oh!” she gasped, looking at Estebon for the first time “you! I’ve seen you here before! What are you doing to us?!” she lunged forwards attempting to grab hold of him, but he dashed aside just in time and the Kyrii crashed into the sand.

     “Madam, what is it you’re accusing this petpet of?” Hendro asked her, approaching cautiously.

     She let out a huge snore in response, fast asleep in the pile of sand she had landed upon.

     “That was unsettling,” Estebon mused “perhaps we should not approach the other tired Neopets in case they also do not take kindly to this appearance. Clearly whatever part these creatures play in this mystery is not a favorable one.”

     The detectives made their way around the Island, first to the Tombola stand where they were met with a ‘Closed’ sign. Then they visited a deserted Trading Post, an abandoned Haiku Generator and an empty Island Arena. No one was manning the Cooking Pot and the Tiki Tours cart sat discarded under a pile of fallen leaves. Everywhere they went they found the locals missing from their posts and visiting Neopians looking confused and disappointed; they had gotten no further in their investigation and nightfall was fast approaching.

     “Estebon, this peculiar day has yielded little in the way of information. Shall we pitch our tent on the beach and start afresh tomorrow?” Hendro suggested sleepily.

     “I think that would be best” Estebon agreed, stifling a yawn. “Perhaps the locals will reappear then.”

     Night descended upon the Island, and Hendro was fast asleep in the tent, his gentle snores reaching Estebon who sat outside, unable to drift off. He was too preoccupied with the investigation, perturbed by the Pink Kyrii’s reaction to his appearance, and did not notice that Hendro’s snores had stopped until the Shoyru was halfway down the beach, nearly a speck in the distance.

     Estebon chased after him.

     “Hendro, where are you going?” he called to his friend, but he received no reply. He ran faster, catching up at last to Hendro, and saw the problem immediately: Hendro was still fast asleep. Estebon tried his best to wake him, yelling, shaking, jumping on his back, but he was unable to rouse him.

     He decided to follow him instead, to make sure his friend did not sleepwalk into the ocean or somewhere equally dangerous, and could hear a faint chanting on the wind. The language was unfamiliar to Estebon, but the sound was unmistakably getting louder the further they walked. As he peered through the dark he could see the shapes of other Neopets, all shuffling in the same direction, seemingly asleep too. Just what was going on here? Had this been going on night after night? No wonder the Neopians were exhausted, if some unknown force was commanding them to walk all night long.

     Before long the forest trees of Mystery Island began to clear, and a sign overhead told Estebon that they were heading towards the city of Geraptiku. There were torches lighting the way here and eerie shadows were cast upon the ground as the sleeping Neopets made their way into the Deserted Tomb, the insistent chanting pouring out of its entrance.

     Hendro entered with the others, picking up a shovel that was resting against the wall and dragging it down into the depths. Estebon followed him closely, trying to take everything in but concerned about losing his friend in these dark corridors. Other Pets were dragging shovels too, and digging sounds could be heard alongside the chanting, not too far ahead.

     They reached an enormous brightly lit room, the centre of which was engulfed by a huge crater where the sleepwalking Neopians were hard at work, unearthing something enormous that Estebon could not quite make out. From the door he could see some familiar faces within the chasm; the Tiki Tack Man; the haiku generating Island Kougra; even Ryshu from the Training School, all digging away, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.

     Estebon crept closer, alone now Hendro had joined the excavation, and could see that it was a statue of a Tonu, easily ten times the size of the largest Neopet that he had ever seen, mostly unearthed but still with its feet encased in stone.

     He wondered what on earth could be so important about a statue, that Neopians were dragged from their beds every night to raise it from the earth, when he spotted a large group of petpets that looked identical to him, chanting and dancing in a circle at the front of the room. He crept over to them and saw that within the outer circle was another, and another one inside that, all frolicking around one petpet standing within the chain of a large golden medallion, the same patterns upon it that were on the petpet’s faces.

     Intrigued by the amulet Estebon stepped forwards, accidentally entering the outer circle and bumping into several of the spinning petpets. The dancing stopped and all of the creatures turned towards him, confused looks appearing on their small faces. The one wearing the medallion hissed something angrily, and a pair of strong hands suddenly grasped Estebon and hoisted him into the air. The unknown assailant carried him towards the door and swiftly out of the temple, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground before returning inside and slamming the door shut behind them.

     Estebon caught a flash of a fuchsia tail as he spun around and saw that the pet that had accosted him was the Pink Kyrii from the beach earlier. Approaching the entrance once again Estebon was dismayed to find it completely sealed, his best friend stuck inside.

     He started looking around for something to open the door; a secret button, a hidden lever, maybe a floor switch of some sort?

     “Tekkal. Come with us.” A booming voice commanded from behind.

     Estebon span around to find several crudely made spears pointed at him, the bearers of which were clad in coconut masks and skirts made of long grass. Estebon could not believe his eyes; although peculiar Neopians often reported sightings of this clan they were widely believed to be false sightings, their existence long committed to legend, but here they were, the Tribe of Pango, and apparently Estebon was now their prisoner.

     They took him deep into the forest, a sack over his head prevented him from seeing exactly where they were heading, but the stuffiness of the air told him that they had entered the jungle. He tried calling to the Tribe but the words were muffled but the thick cloth, so he sat quietly instead.

     Eventually they stopped, and Estebon was nudged forwards.

     “We have caught one at last.” someone said behind him; a prod of a spear encouraging him to stagger forwards slightly more.

     Estebon felt a twitch of the hood, but the movement was interrupted by a clan member speaking out.

     “Beware removing the hood, Leader; it silences the creature lest its twisted chant turn our minds as it has the foolish residents of this Island.”

     Estebon struggled against the cloth over his head, desperate to speak the truth of his situation. “mffmph, mmphgrr uphamff!” he called out.

     “That is like no chant that I have heard before,” the voice in front of him said carefully, “remove its cover, I would hear what it has to say.”

     The tribesman reached over and pulled off the thick hood, and Estebon gulped in the fresh air that he had been struggling to access. In front of him stood a large Neopet, whose coconut mask was adorned with colourful feathers.

     “My good Tribesfolk, please believe me when I tell you that I am not, one of these strange creatures that is native to this Island. My name is Estebon; I have been zapped into this form by one who has experienced strange happenings here, and has requested that I investigate what has been going on.”

     The tribe looked at him, astonished.

     “Are these petpets - Tekkals? I believe you called them - the cause for what is happening to the residents of this Island? My friend is among them, and I cannot wake him.”

     The Leader called to someone behind him, “Shaman, come here and determine the truth of this creatures words.”

     A small Tribeswoman scrambled forwards, a necklace of small bones clanking on her mask.

     She stood before Estebon, waving her hands in front of his face, softly stoking the air.

     “It speaks the truth, Leader; it is here to help us.” She paused, seemingly concerned by something that she felt. “There is more… he has seen Tiankah, and she is almost free.” She looked up sharply. “I must convene with Pango Pango,” she said quickly disappearing into the trees.

     “Tell us what you saw within the Temple, Tekkal Estebon.” The Leader commanded.

     Estebon described what he had witnessed, and how the visiting Neopians had been unearthing the large statue every night, and the locals possibly even longer.

     “That was no statue; that was Tiankah, sister of Pango Pango, condemned to stone centuries ago as punishment for the plagues she inflicted upon the people of these lands. The amulet you saw was designed with the markings of the Tekkal, an ancient and once worshipped petpet, and is able to control them into doing her bidding.”

     “Well, that explains why the Tekkal are behaving this way, but why now, if Tiankah has been in this form for centuries? And how can these creatures drag Neopians from their beds night after night, if they are being controlled themselves?” Estebon had so many questions, and every answer he received just lead to more.

     “The amulet was thought to be destroyed when Pango Pango defeated his sister in the Temple, but unfortunately some explorer recently unearthed the trinket, and since then it has been calling to its master. We initially attempted to retrieve it but the amulet forced us back, and the Tekkal took it instead, tapping into its ancient curse to warp the simple minds of the Island folk.” The Leader sounded grim; clearly there was a vital piece of information that Estebon was missing.

     “But to what end? If she is now nothing but a statue then what is the reason for dragging her back from the earth?”

     “If Tiankah is reunited with that medallion within the Flame of Techo Mountain, she will be reborn, and the whole of Neopia will suffer her wrath. We have warriors everywhere ready to ambush the creatures, but so far they have outsmarted us at every turn.”

     Estebon did not know what to say; this situation was far more dangerous than he had expected.

     Suddenly a brawny Tribesman rushed through the trees and called the clan.

     “Leader, you must come quickly! The Tekkal have unearthed Tiankah and are taking her to Techo Mountain!”

     “There is no time to lose. You must retrieve the amulet and bring it back to us, the curse upon it prevents us from touching it but with your help we can take it from them.”

     Estebon was flabbergasted. “How do you expect me to do this? The last time I was faced with these Tekkal creatures they ejected me from the Temple. I do not think that they will hand the trinket over so easily.”

     “You must convince them you are one of them,” the Shaman replied, appearing out of nowhere. “I have communed with the great Pango Pango, He has shown the way.”

     She conveyed to the Tribe the message that she received, and Estebon was troubled to hear how much of a pivotal role that he was expected to play. Nonetheless, if the Leader was correct and Tiankah and the amulet were reunited at Techo Mountain, Neopia as they knew it would be doomed.

     The Tribe made haste towards the Mountain, through a network of secret tunnels they covered more ground than Estebon had thought possible. The climb up the mountain was arduous and Estebon stumbled more than once, but soon they were near the top. Just ahead they spotted them; a long procession of Neopets dragging the colossal Tonu statue behind them, and behind that a large group of dancing Tekkal, still chanting the same monotonous chant.

     They had reached the edge, and Estebon knew the Tribe needed to act now if they had any hope of preventing the resurrection.

     The Leader called out a powerful battle cry, halting the Tekkal and stopping their hypnotic chanting. Free of the chanting the Neopians stopped in their tracks, the ropes slacking behind them.

     The warriors rushed at the Tekkal, throwing nets and rocks, forcing them to retreat. The Tekkal wielding the Medallion stayed put however, commencing the chant once again and commanding the Neopians to drag the statue over the edge. The Tribesmen rushed forwards but were too late, the statue fell down into the void and hit the lava with a hiss.

     Before the commanding Tekkal could release the amulet into the pit Estebon lunged forwards, throwing it off balance and the two tumbled together, wrestling for control of the trinket. Down the mountain they rolled, until they were pulled apart from one another, both held tightly by Tekkal that had somehow managed to regroup.

     They released the commander of the amulet and it continued chanting, dancing towards the edge of the mountain once again, the Tribe of Pango nowhere in sight. It raised the cursed medallion high above the pit, ready to plunge it into the depths of the mountain, when the shrill voice of the Shaman shouted “NOW!” and it set the amulet down instead.

     Looking over at where the Tekkal restrained the previous amulet wearer, Estebon now saw that the Tribe of Pango surrounded them, keeping the creatures in place with their pointed spears. The plan had worked perfectly; Estebon had somehow managed to convince the petpets that he was one of them and separated them from the medallion long enough for the Tribe to surround them.

     The Leader reached Estebon and extended his axe high into the air, calling out for the Gift of Pango Pango. A Bolt of lightning struck the axe and the Leader swung it down hard, smashing the medallion and breaking its hold upon Tekkal and Neopians alike.

     The Neopians began rubbing their eyes, tired and confused, and the sheepish Tekkal fled into the trees.

     “We will take them back to their homes,” the Leader assured Estebon, “these people are in need of a good night’s sleep, and with any luck they will remember.”

     “Estebon,” yawned Hendro behind him, “what on earth is going on here?”

     Estebon beamed at his friend, happy to see him back to his old self. “I will explain on the journey home; we have had quite the adventure!” He turned back to the Leader. “What will happen now? Tiankah is already within the Flame, and if that amulet joins her she may yet return.”

     “We Tribesfolk were foolish to think that this threat affected us alone; we risked everyone in Neopia by letting the legend of Tiankah be forgotten. We shall notify the world leaders about what has happened here, and entrust them all with a piece of the medallion so that they may protect it and help keep our world safe. Speaking of which,” the Leader reached down and collected a shard, offering it to Estebon. “I shall be honored if you would accept this; I can think of no safer place than with the petpet who risked his life to help us.”

     “The honor is all mine,” Estebon replied, accepting the gift, “and if you ever require my help again, the Defenders of Neopia are only a phone call away.”

     The End.