Back in Meridell, Illusen ran out of her Glade ready
to take on the robot. Not taking any chances, she carried her staff in one hand
and her blade in the other, along with a few battle potions on her belt. There
was no way she was going to lose.
Coming at her from where she first met the robot,
she saw a ball of red and silver streaking straight towards her. She could only
guess that it was the robot that had sent her running, as it was the exact same
color. She stopped running, and waited for the robot to come towards her.
When it was within range, she called upon the
power of her staff and threw her magic at the flying robot ball. The magic did
not affect it. It just kept charging at her! She quickly dodged out of the way
and threw another magical barrage at the passing robot. Again, there was no
effect.
Strange, thought Illusen. Why isn't
my magic working?
When the robot came flying back for another attack,
she decided to try some thing different. She grabbed for a Honey Potion at her
belt and threw it right at the approaching ball. The potion shattered, and the
honey spread across the entirety of the surface of the ball. Dodging the now
covered robot, Illusen turned back towards it to see it crash to the dirt. Good,
thought Illusen, that should keep it busy while I dismantle it.
Before she could move, however, the honey covering
the robot began to boil off. The robot was heating up its hull. With all the
honey off it, the robot reassumed its humanoid form.
Frustrated, Illusen rushed at the robot with
staff and sword raised. Again and again she struck the robot, all the while
dodging its hands. After a few minutes of giving it hard blows without even
a scratch, Illusen began to lose her breath.
I'm definitely out of shape for battle,
thought Illusen. I would have been able to last longer than this in the past.
Her mind exhausted, Illusen happened to forget
that the robot had two hands, and was slapped away by one of them eleven feet
away. Knowing that her defeat was at hand, she grabbed her staff with both her
hands and pointed it at the robot. Using the remainder of her magic, she threw
one last magical blast at the robot. The robot merely raised a forearm, and
the blast was absorbed completely.
That's why my magic was ineffective?
thought an outraged Illusen. He absorbed it?
A mere second later, a hidden compartment opened
up on the robot, and a collar flew out straight at Illusen. Have no strength
left to dodge, the collar snapped around her neck and activated. She convulsed
a bit, and then fell over unconscious.
The Roboball started humming again from the
new power source it had acquired. After a few more seconds, it began to scan
for stronger energy sources around Neopia. After another few moments, the Roboball
finished scanning and said, "Target acquired." It then formed into a ball again
and flew off to the south.
Back with Dr, Sloth's army, Sloth was laughing
maniacally. The collar that was around his neck had just fallen off, and now
his strength was back.
"Mutant Grundos!" laughed Sloth. "Grab your
jet packs! We will now fly too the Roboball's final destination, Faerieland!"
Metonot was looking all over the boat for Jacob.
He was starving, and for the past few months that was a pretty common thing.
He finally found Jacob leaning his elbows against the railing on the deck of
the ship. Sitting on the railing with him was Whooper, staring up at the night
sky.
"So that's where he went," thought Metonot irritably.
Flying up to Jacob and Whooper, Metonot yelled,
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you all over this boat as I haven't
had anything to eat in awhile."
Not even looking at him, Jacob said, "Hello
Metonot."
Angry that he was not being acknowledged, Metonot
flew in front of Jacob's face and screamed, "Are you even listening to me! I'm
starving!
Jacob was looking up at the sky without the
playful smile he usually wore. Finally looking at Metonot, Jacob said, "Alright,
let's get you some food for you."
Picking up the travel bag that was by his side,
Jacob opened it up and pulled out a full helping of lime jelly. Metonot sat
down on the rail and took it from his hands, but his concern at the moment was
not eating it. Why does Jacob look so sad? thought Metonot.
Putting his sack back down, Jacob leaned his
elbows back on the railing and continued to look back up at the sky. Curious,
Metonot followed his gaze to where he was staring. All of a sudden, he knew
why Jacob was feeling down. He was staring up in the sky at the cloud city of
Faerieland. The home where he was born.
Jacob hardly ever talked about the time he grew
up there. But whenever he did, Metonot knew that it was a horrible upbringing.
Even though he was a Faerie, he was never accepted into the hearts of other
faeries, as he was not like them. And not just because he was a bit chubby,
had no wings or pointy ears, even though they ridiculed him for that. He was
born without the ability to cast magic.
For that fact, he was the blunt of all jokes.
Jacob could not walk the streets of Faerieland without someone staring or laughing
at him. And no one seemed to care if he was picked on. Not even his parents,
who were embarrassed that they had a child like him.
Of course, it really shouldn't have been that
way. Jacob was capable of doing things that almost none of the other faeries
could do. His strength was enormous, far beyond Faerie standards. He was capable
of lifting hundreds of pounds with just one arm. And, even though he had no
magic, he could feel and use the magic of all things. There was no magic he
couldn't sense or manipulate to his will. If he was given a magical lock, in
only a few moments he could dispel the magic and open it. Such skills could
only be attained by the highest order of faeries, and that was only after years
of practice. But he was able to do it ever sense he was young.
This was overlooked though by his tormentors.
In fact, it may have even made them a bit jealous, as he had something they
didn't. The teasing went on till he had left the city. Metonot did not know
the circumstances that lead up to his departure, but it was not necessary for
him to know. He was just glad Jacob was away from all that.
Whenever Jacob did happen to go back to Faerieland,
he always went through back roads and alleys that he knew he wouldn't be recognized
in. He never wanted to be seen by another Faerie, as he feared of being ridiculed
again. At least that's what Metonot thought.
After sitting silently together on the railing
for a bit, Jacob said, "You better eat that up Metonot. It might spoil."
Metonot forgot all about the lime jelly as he
was thinking about Jacob. He didn't feel like eating much anymore, but he knew
he had to eat the jelly. It would eventually spoil, and that would only sadden
Jacob more. He hated it when good food was wasted.
As Metonot chewed into his jelly, Jacob looked
at him from the corner of his eyes, smiling slightly.
Early the next morning, in the outskirts of
Faerie City, Jhudora woke up from her bed and began to walk out into the air
outside. Inside of her home in her dark and thunderous cloud, she could not
see much of the outside world. She did not come out here to see how far she
could see though. She merely wanted a bit of fresh air before she retreated
back into her home, where she would stay the entire day.
Back inside her house, Jhudora went straight
to the room that held her crystal ball. She knew that Neopets were coming to
see her. Some were bringing with them her desired items. Others were coming
to be sent on a quest to gather items. What ever the case, she wanted to see
whom was coming, and when, to be prepared for them. It was in her best interest
to put in the correct amount of fear for each Neopet when they came.
As Jhudora stared at her crystal ball, she saw
that something she had never seen before. A red and silver metal ball moving
at incredible speed towards her cloud. She had no time to wonder what it was,
as it was about to be upon her house in only ten seconds. Quickly getting up
from her seat, she began to run to the entrance. But before she could get there,
the metal ball slammed through the doors and flew straight at her. Quickly dodging
away, the ball went past her, and spread out into a humanoid robot.
"A robot!" screamed Jhudora. "Someone dares
to attack me and my home with a robot!"
"Target acquired," said the robot, paying no
notice to Jhudora's screams. "Beginning capture."
"I will not be captured by the likes of you,
mechanical creature! Your pathetic existence is about to end!"
Jhudora threw out her hands and cast spells
of darkness on the robot. The robot merely stood there, unaffected.
"What?" thought Jhudora. "My magic didn't affect
it?"
The robot now raised up it own hands and fired
off laser blasts. Jhudora raised a protective shield in front of her in time
to deflect them. When the robot paused between firing, Jhudora threw magical
flame at it, with no success again. Back and forth the two of them went, until
the robot stopped firing back. He simply began to walk towards Jhudora.
"What is it thinking?" thought Jhudora. "With
it not trying to defend itself, I'll be able to take it down before it even
reaches me with its hands."
And so Jhudora summoned up her strength and
cast one of her most powerful spells. The burst of the spell shook the entire
foundation of her home. Even those outside the house could have felt the shockwave.
Thinking her opponent defeated, Jhudora smiled, as it had been a long time since
she had a foe give her a challenge.
Jhudora's hopes were dashed though when the
robot walked out of the smoky haze left by her spell. Sparks were flying from
cracks her spell made in its armor. Shocked that it was still alive and moving,
Jhudora was unable to dodge the robot's hand as it punched her. Jhudora flew
across the room into the wall, creating a large crack in it.
Jhudora was unable to bring herself up to her
feet. She couldn't even keep her eyes open. After a few more painful seconds,
she felt the robot tear away the collar that she wore, and replaced it with
another one. Then Jhudora fell into unconsciousness when the collar activated.
The Roboball didn't just hum now from the energy
it received from Jhudora. Bands of electric energy began to spark and singe
the area surrounding it. With its power up complete and armor fused back together
again, it said, "Two collars remain. Only one necessary to capture final target."
And the Roboball flew off again, straight towards
Faerie City.
A Shoyru captain stood atop the outside wall
of Faerie City, resting his eyes. He had missed out on the explosion that had
sounded from Jhudora's Cloud, but two of his fellow guards didn't. They rushed
to him yelling, waking him up from his nap.
"What is it now?" asked the disgruntled Shoyru.
"Another unauthorized visitor trying to get in?"
"A sound of an explosion just came from Jhudora's
Cloud!" yelled an excited Lenny. "Someone reported earlier that something entered
there earlier and began a fight with her."
"Well, I feel sorry for whoever crosses with
her. Nothing we can do about it now."
"Captain!" said a Kacheek. "The one who entered
her home came out!"
"Oh. Well, that's good. I guess we don't have
to worry about her no more."
"The one who defeated Jhudora is coming right
this way!" said the Lenny.
"What?"
Right then, all three guards were knocked off
their feet, as something hit the wall with incredible force. Getting quickly
back to their feet, they rushed to the side of the wall to see what happened.
A red and silver ball had just crashed through the wall and into the city. Panicking,
the Shoyru captain cried out, "Sound the alarm. Faerie City is under attack!"
To be continued...
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