"Well, I was selling my wares, when all of a sudden, a Neopet dressed in desert garb dashed in. The oddest thing was, he was wearing a Mask of Coltzan! He held up a scepter, which made a blinding flash, and when I could finally open my eyes again, all my pottery was gone!

"This is most disturbing," muttered the Grarrl. "We must notify Princess Vyssa right away!"

They rushed to Sahkmet Palace, where Osiri explained her plight to the princess.

After hearing what happened, the Princess' face contorted with anger. "This is an outrage! A thief wearing the mask of my father! Something must be done immediately!"

"Yes, my Princess," said the guard bowing deeply. "I shall send for our best tracker right away, to hunt down this villain!"

Princess Vyssa turned towards Lady Osiri, to try and soothe her spirits. "Fear not, we shall bring this thief to justice, and find your wares."

Osiri nodded. "Thank you, my Princess."

Vyssa reflected on the recent events. The Mask of Coltzan can be bought at the Hidden Tower, of course, but a scepter that lets out blinding light... could it possibly be?

"I have brought Aram, your majesty!" said the Grarrl guard, returning to the great hall.

A desert clad Pteri entered the room and made a graceful bow to Vyssa. "Aram the tracker, at your service, my Princess. I have been briefed on the situation, and assure you this evil culprit will be found!"

During the next few hours Aram studied Osiri's Pottery Shop, carefully looking for clues. Eventually he found...

"Hmmm." He rubbed it with his wing, and tapped the piece of pottery with his beak. "It's smooth, very shiny and durable. Royal blue; that's a very valuable colour. The pottery must be worth a fortune... I should report this to Sahkmet Palace immediately!"

Just then, someone appeared in the tent. It was Osiri. She was looking dreadful, but then again who wouldn't, after going through what she had?

"Lady Osiri?" called Aram, "I think I may have found a clue. Take a look."

As she peered at what Aram was holding, Lady Osiri gasped in fright.

"Oh my! The thief! H-h-he couldn't have taken that! Not the Vase of Aratell!"

"The vase of what?" asked Aram, puzzled.

"The Vase of Aratell is a dangerous artifact. No one knows what it does, or how it got here. My great great great grandfather found it after he had returned from his travels. It was lying half buried in a sand dune just north of Sahkmet Palace. He took it home, and later found out something terrible about that very vase."

Her eyes became anxious, frightened and uneasy. Her lips quivered, and she clasped her hands in fright. Just by looking at her, he could tell that something was not right.

"Wh-what about the vase? What's wrong with it? And who is Aratell?" he stammered, afraid of what the answer would be.

The Aisha gulped hard before answering his questions...

"The Vase of Aratell is extremely dangerous!" she cried fearfully, "When my great great great grandfather brought it back from his travels, terrible things started to happen!"

"Like what?" Aram demanded.

Osiri trembled uncontrollably. "Well," she said, her face pale and frightened, "At first my grandfather's pottery started to reveal strange messages on them, that weren't there before the vase came. They said things like 'All bow down to Aratell,' and 'I rule over the Lost Desert!'"

"Then at Coltzan's Shrine, Neopets started to receive strange gifts. It was said that one Neopet got a piece of paper with the picture of a dark figure on it, wearing Coltzan's mask!"

"Then my grandfather started having horrific nightmares, of the Lost Desert being a horrid wasteland, and Neopets all working hard with chains on their wrists, as if they were slaves! Also, in one nightmare, he saw a dark figure come out of Sahkmet Palace, and the figure was wearing Coltzan's mask!"

"Eventually, that fateful day came when he visited Coltzan's Shrine, and it gave him a scoll that said, 'The Lost Desert will be mine!' He also received some chains, as if he was... a-a slave!" That was the last straw. My grandfather knew that the vase was doing all this, and was sure that it held evil powers. That day he sealed the vase in a protected case, in back of the store. The Pottery Shop has been in my family for generations, and so it was eventually given to me, as well as the vase! The vase hasn't done anything yet, but if it does hold evil powers, I don't want to imagine what the thief might do with it!"

The Aisha buried her face into her paws and sobbed.

Aram was deeply concerned. What would the thief do with such a vase? And now, to make matters worse, it has Coltzan's Mask!

That's when the Aisha and Pteri heard a series of terrified screams from outside the shop. They ran out, then gasped... for there, in front of them, was...

Osiri and Aram looked at each other in terror. "What is that?!" Aram asked, shaking uncontrollably.

Osiri gasped in dismay, "The evil in the vase must have been released!" she cried. "What are we going to do?"

Aram saw the giant face's gaze turn towards them. "Run!" he shouted, grabbing Osiri's arm and diving out of the way. Behind them, the shop burst apart... sending shards of pottery flying everywhere.

The Aisha and Pteri ran frantically, slipping in the sand as they tried to dodge the apparition's deadly glare. They barely made it to cover, diving under some rubble from a shop. Aram and Osiri held their breaths as they hid, afraid that the phantom would find them. The entire plaza was in ruins around them. There was a great thundering sound, and Aram was sure they were done for. He looked up to see the evil figure rising into the air, then flying off. They waited for a few minutes, before crawling out from under their shelter.

Aram was confused. "Why did it leave?" he wondered. "And where did it go?"

Osiri shook her head slowly, staring at the sky. "I don't know..."

"This is terrible," Osiri whispered.

Aram nodded solemnly. "Yes... come on, we have to find out where that phantom went!"

Osiri looked up in surprise. "Are you mad?" she cried, "Why in Coltzan's name would you want to go searching for that awful thing?"

"Why? To find out who stole your pottery, and who is unleashing such evil things into the Lost Desert, of course!" Aram exclaimed.

Osiri started to tremble. "But... but it's far too d-dangerous!" she stammered.

Aram sighed. "My mind is made up; I'm going to find the phantom. Are you coming with me?" he asked the Aisha.

Osiri swallowed nervously. It was terribly dangerous, but she did feel responsible about the cursed vase.

"Alright," she said finally, in a choked whisper, "I'll come."

Aram smiled. "Well, the phantom went in that direction." He pointed his wing out towards the Ancient Pyramids, which were only a few miles away.

"The Ancient Pyramids!" Osiri squealed with fright, "The old tales say that those pyramids are cursed and haunted!"

Aram gave a heavy sigh. "Well, there's only one way to find out!" he said confidently.

The two Neopets set off for the Ancient Pyramids, both very nervous of what they would find....

"Eenie, meenie, minie, moe... catch a blue Bruce by the toe..."

His wing landed on the middle pyramid.

"That's the one."

Aram picked up a torch that had been flickering on the wall as the two entered pyramid.

"I-I-I'm scared," Osiri stuttered, now trembling worse than a mixing machine.

"It's okay," Aram consoled.

Further up the passage, Aram spotted something odd. It was a figure, walking along quickly in front of them. Whoever it was, they were wearing a cloak and hood.

"Hey you, stop!" Aram ordered.

The hooded figure took off down the passage. Aram and Osiri gave chase.

"On order of Princess Vyssa, I command you to stop!" Aram shouted again.

It was no good; they continued running down the hall. The hooded figure turned a corner and ran through a trapdoor in the floor. Aram and Osiri pursued the mysterious stranger, jumping into the hidden passage behind them.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Osiri screamed as she fell.

The two came out into a room which took their breaths away...

The two Neopets looked around, squinting and stunned by their fabulous discovery.

"All this treasure was here? All this time?" said Aram, still in a state of wonder. A small grin was spreading across his face.

"This.. this could more than make up for the loss of my shop!" Osiri gasped in wonder.

"Unfortunately, you will not have that chance," said a ghostly voice. The cloaked figure entered the treasure chamber.

"You! Who are you? What do you want?" Osiri asked as she looked for a suitable weapon to defend herself.

"I came when I heard the Vase of Aratell was stolen from your shop." said the cloaked figure as he pulled back his hood and pointed to Aram, "I'm here to stop him!"

Osiri blinked once, then twice in recognition at the old Aisha. "Great grandfather! It was you! Why would you want to stop Aram?"

Just then, she turned around to see that Aram had donned the Mask of Coltzan and had a scepter in one wing and the Vase of Aratell in the other.

"Aram? It was you who robbed my shop?" Osiri said, still in a state of shock. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"Aram is not here anymore, little Aisha. It is I, the spirit of Aratell! Free, finally, after being imprisoned for so long in this horrible vase! Aram was just the unlucky Neopet who got my cursed Mask of Coltzan. It allowed me to take full control over his body! And now, with all this treasure, I shall raise another army and soon, The Lost Desert will be MINE!" the Pteri laughed out loud, his eyes glowing a sickly emerald green through the mask.

"Now, behold the true power of my vase! I shall take your spirit!"

With that, he aimed the vase at Osiri, and a green glowing beam shot out.

"Ohh!" He groaned in pain. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Don't worry, you won't be getting any older." Aratell laughed as he raised his scepter and, with a flash, blasted the old Aisha into a wall.

"Great grandfather!" Osiri cried out in panic.

"Granddaughter, you must destroy the mask." he managed to croak out before fainting.

Osiri looked around at the treasure and thought. She only sold pottery, and not Battledome weapons, for a reason. The truth was, she just wasn't a very good fighter, and now she faced an ancient spirit who was holding two very powerful weapons. With a sigh, Osiri did the only thing she could think of.

She picked up any treasures she could find, and started tossing them at Aratell. Plates flew and vases shattered as the Pteri continued to advance. Slowly, the throw-able treasure continued to dwindle, until all Osiri had in her hands was a small scarab.

With a sigh, she pulled back and threw it with all of her might. The scarab spun so fast that it looked like a blur. Suddenly there was a loud crack, and Aratell's mask split apart and fell off Aram's face.

"What.. what happened?" Aram looked around, confused. "The last thing II remember was trying on a mask that I got at Coltzan's Shrine."

"No time now, Aram. Aim the vase over there!" Osiri pointed up.

Aram looked up to see a hideous specter hovering above him.

"Noooo! I will still rule all! I will conquer the Lost Desert! It shall be mine!" howled Aratell's spirit, his eyes glowing a sickly green.

That was all he said, as Aram aimed the vase at the disembodied spirit and waited... and waited... still, nothing happened.

"You fools! You do not know how to use the vase!" cackled the evil spirit...

Osiri sped around to see the spirit of her great-grandfather.

"Grandfather!" Osiri cried. "What happened to you?"

"I knew you still needed me, so I couldn't leave you." Osiri's great-grandfather cried.

"Oh no, I'm SO sorry! You're not gonna haunt me or anything because I kinda, well, uh," Aram muttered.

"Killed me?" finished Osiri's great-grandfather. "I won't haunt you as long as you destroy Aratell!"

"So how do we do it?" Osiri and Aram cried together.

"See those dents in the vase?" Osiri's great-grandfather asked.

"Yes," Osiri replied, as Aram handed her the vase.

"Put your paws over them."

Osiri did so.

"Okay, now aim it at Aratell and focus your whole mind on hitting him," Osiri's grandfather told her.

But Aratell was not easy to aim at. He was flying around the room very fast, cackling madly.

"I- I can't do it! I can't hit him!" Osiri cried. She was shooting little green beams everywhere, except at Aratell.

"Focus! Close your eyes and predict where he'll be next!" her great-grandfather cried.

Osiri closed her eyes and put all of her heart and soul in predicting where Aratell would be.

Suddenly, Osiri had a funny feeling of where he would be. Following her insticts, she shot a beam out of the vase.

"Argh!" Aratell cried.

Osiri opened her eyes, just in time to see Aratell disintegrate.

"You did it! Osiri, you did it!" Aram cried.

"Yes, you did very well," her great-grandfather complimented.

"Thanks, great-grandfather... wait! You're disappearing!" Osiri cried.

Like I told you before, I came back to help you, and now my job is done."

"No!" Osiri cried, now in tears.

"Don't worry about me, sweet great-granddaughter. I am with you, always..." With that, Osiri's great-grandfather disappeared.

"Come on, Osiri. Let's get back," Aram said while helping the poor, broken-hearted Osiri out...

Osiri gazed down at the vase with tears filling her eyes. In one day, this beautiful piece of pottery had caused her so much trouble and chaos. "Something I should've done a long time ago..." she whispered.

Going over to a large rock, Osiri took one last look at the vase. She had made her decision. Lifting it over her head, Osiri slammed the vase down upon the stone with all her strength, smashing it to bits. Picking up a handful of shards, she turned to Aram. "Here," she said, giving him the shards. "I want you to go and bury these somewhere. I don't care where, just make sure they won't be found."

Aram nodded and went to perform his duty. Osiri sighed as she knelt down and dug a hole with her hands, her tears mixing with the sand as she buried the remaining pieces.

Osiri sighed as she sat on the rock, gazing at stars while her form basked in the full moon. This had been a most confusing experience for her, and she was glad it was over. Still, she missed her great-grandfather dearly.

"Osiri."

Osiri turned to find Aram coming back, wiping the sand off his wings. "I buried the shards..."

"Good," said Osiri softly. "Hopefully, that vase will never be put back together."

"You don't seem very happy," Aram commented as he sat next to Osiri. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know. I got to see my great-grandfather again, but... that vase. I know it sounds crazy, but it was the only thing I had to remind me of my great-grandfather. It hurt to destroy it."

Aram placed his wing over her hand. "You did the right thing, Osiri. It took a lot of courage." Aram blushed and shuffled his feet. "Actually, when you were trying to zap Aratell with the vase, you looked pretty... courageous."

Osiri glanced over at Aram and smiled. "You were pretty courageous yourself."

"Even though I was possessed by Aratell?"

"That wasn't your fault. You couldn't help yourself."

Aram blushed even brighter and looked down at his feet again. Osiri smiled and invited him to sit on the rock alongside her. The two pets sat together staring up into the sky.

Looking at the shining stars, Osiri sighed. "Do you think great-grandfather's watching us now?"

Aram smiled and placed his wing around Osiri's shoulders. "I think so. He said he'll always be with you..."

"Thanks Aram... for everything." Osiri said as she placed her head on Aram's shoulder.

Although this tale ended happily ever after for our two heroes, there was one thing Aram and Osiri had forgotten about. Hours after they left for home, the Mask of Coltzan was left behind in the pyramid. The mask's eyes glowed brightly and slowly levitated up in the air.

"This... isn't... over," said a ghostly voice. "Aratell will rise... again!" A fiendish laugh echoed in the night as the mask's glow died down. Waiting... for the next victim.

The End