Tales of the Plot Complete

     They opened the sarcophagus and found a parchment which seemed to show a map of where each of the tablet pieces had been.

     “Look at what I found!” Maximilien’s tail wagged behind him while he gave the parchment to Pepper.

     “Let me see…” Pepper looked at the parchment. “It looks like this map shows not only which door leads where, but the number of each door. If we can decipher this map, not only can we find the tablet pieces, but we can take them in order!”

     “Can ya program that?” Maximilien asked curiously.

     “I certainly can!” Pepper beamed and began tinkering with her map device. “Let me fine-tune the coordinates and…ahh! It works now!’

     The pair managed to find their way through the temple, entering into many rooms and collecting the pieces of the tablet. There had been a few embarrassing moments for Maximilien, however, including being covered in sand again. They returned to Nuria the Fire Faerie’s statue, and Maximilien doused his torch again, leaving it in front of the statue, which he knew he’d need it.

     The pair picked up any belongings they left behind at the statue, and they prepared for yet another three-day trip to Sakhmet. They eventually arrived there, and they purchased many foods and refilled their canteens before they waited for nightfall outside of the city. The Kau Fortune Teller’s tent appeared, and they entered it.

     “I have been expecting you.” The Kau Fortune Teller grinned. “Please, take a seat.”

     “We’ve found them!” Pepper exclaimed, “Here they are!”

     Pepper had held all of the tablet pieces in her backpack rather than Maximilien’s pockets, so they didn’t slip out. She handed them to the Fortune Teller, whose eyes went alight. Maximilien took two, which he had in his pockets, and placed them onto the table as well.

     The Fortune Teller quickly took the pieces and washed them with Maximilien’s canteen and placed them onto the tablet. The entire tablet had been completed, and she smiled.

     “Ahhh, yes, I see!” The Fortune Teller nodded in understanding, “’The ancient Prince will steal away with the city of Sakhmet.’ That’s what the tablet says.”

     “What Prince?” Maximilien tilted his head in confusion.

     “You will have to discover that…” The Kau Fortune Teller grinned, “On your own.”

     “Wha’d’we do now?” Maximilien frowned, “It feels like all that work fer nothin.”

     “Wait!” Pepper exclaimed, “Do you remember that Fire Faerie statue?”

     “What about it?” Maximilien gazed in confusion at Pepper.

     “It said that we need to tell it the prophecy!” Pepper nodded enthusiastically. “Perhaps the prophecy on this tablet is what we need to tell it.”

     “That’s notta bad idea.” Maximilien grinned, “Guess we can give ‘er a try.”

     “I suggest you leave immediately.” The Kau Fortune Teller insisted.

     “Can’t we stay at an inn first?” Pepper protested, “We’ve been travelling for days…I’m sore and exhausted.”

     “We’ll stay at an inn first.” The Werelupe smiled compassionately, “Then we’ll head for the temple tomorrow.”

     The pair relaxed in their soft beds, and Pepper took a bath while Maximilien ordered room service. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and it was much more comfortable than the tents and sleeping bags on the dunes of the desert.

     They soon fell asleep, and then morning arrived, and they wasted no time using the teleportation device to warp themselves to the Temple of One Thousand Tombs and the Nuria statue. They were whisped away to the statue and the temple, and Maximilien turned to the statue. He realised telling the wrong prophecy may have dire consequences, but he knew they had to try to figure out the meaning of their transfer to the Lost Desert.

     “Whaddya think will happen when we tell th’statue the prophecy?” Maximilien asked Pepper curiously.

     “I don’t know.” Pepper frowned, “We have to try, though. Right?”

     “Well…here goes nothin’.” Maximilien winced and told the prophecy to the statue, “’The ancient Prince will steal away with the city of Sakhmet.’”

     The statue began to crack in several places, and tears started to drop from the statue’s eyes. The tears weren’t water, however, but pure acid which hissed as it touched the ground. Maximilien grabbed Pepper and ran for the exit, which had started to slide closed.

     The Werelupe threw Pepper through the closing exit to make sure at least she got out safely, and she landed on her feet and skidded across the ground on her boots. Maximilien was glad she was safe, and he dove and did a somersault just beneath the door, which slid completely closed. After several minutes, the acid leaked from the room and the door opened, and the ground was normal.

     “Well…that was close.” Pepper brushed some of the dust off of her clothes and looked around for the Werelupe, which was nowhere to be seen.

     She looked around and found a pile of Scarabs with a single eye peeking out from it. It was Maximilien’s eye. She couldn’t help but fall over laughing, and Maximilien growled lightly.

     “’T’ain’t funny.” The Werelupe frowned.

     Pepper laughed and laughed as Maximilien grew more and more frustrated.

     “I said it ain’t funny!” He shook the Scarabs off of his body like they had been water on wet fur.

     “Sorry, sorry.” Pepper attempted to stifle a few chuckles, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

     “Yeah, well…” The Werelupe turned his head. “I’ll be happier when we’re out of here.”

     The pair found their way out of the temple and looked around, but they couldn’t see Sakhmet in the distance. Only Coltzan’s Shrine and the pyramids.

     “Did the temple move?” Maximilien asked Pepper worriedly.

     “I don’t think so.” Pepper shook her head. “I left some surveillance equipment in the inn we stayed at, in case something like this happened.”

     The Shoyru pulled a device from her backpack which had a monitor, and she adjusted a few dials and hit a button that was like a rewind button. She watched on the monitor what had happened the hour before, and what she saw horrified her. She gasped and dropped the device, and Maximilien immediately felt worry coming from her.

     “What’s the matter?” Maximilien’s ears drooped as he could sense the Shoyru’s emotions.

     “See for yourself.” Pepper handed the device to Maximilien, which caused him to gaze in total awe.

     Everything was completely calm and normal, but suddenly, a black mist poured out of the ebb of a shadowy sphere in the centre of the city. It became larger and larger until the shadowy orb eventually swallowed up the city. The sight of skeletons and mummies chasing the townspeople could be seen. There was also the sight of a giant two-headed Scorchio wreaking havoc throughout the city. The Scorchio was breathing fire on some of the buildings, and without warning, the screen turned to static.

     “Wha…what happened?” Maximilien asked the Shoyru curiously, “This doesn’t look good at all.”

     “It looks like the city was pulled into another dimension.” Pepper frowned. “Let’s hope they’re all safe.”

     “Well…” The Werelupe sighed, “No use sittin’ around here, eh?”

     “You’re right.” Pepper nodded agreeably, “Let’s get moving.”

     The winds were harsh and blew against them, kicking up the sand. They travelled for hours until they ran out of water, and just before they were about to collapse, they came across an oasis. They filled their canteens and drank their fill, and Maximilien smiled.

     “Let’s camp here.” The Werelupe nodded. “We should get some rest.”

     “I agree.” Pepper pulled out the sleeping bags and tent and made camp next to the water of the oasis.

     The pair had fallen asleep, and they dreamt of dark skies and another dimension. Unknown to them, the pair shared the same dream. They dreamt of the city of Sakhmet, and the buildings were on fire, and the people were running from the creatures of the alternate dimension. The sky was black and resonated in a lighter and then darker hue of darkness. The sky was also a brilliant crimson colour, and they saw someone in the royal palace of Sakhmet.

     “Help me!” The figure called out, “Please, help my people!”

     Just as they tried to reach the figure, a fiery being bellowed in laughter, and they suddenly woke up.

     “I had the strangest dream.” Pepper told Maximilien when they had both suddenly woken up.

     “Couldn’t have been weirder than mine.” Maximilien chuckled. “I dreamt we were in the city.”

     “…And a figure called out to you from a tower?” Pepper tilted her head curiously.

     “Yes!” Maximilien furrowed his eyebrow. “It looks like we shared the same dream.”

     “Maybe it wasn’t a dream.” Pepper nodded, “Some say all dreams are another reality.”

     “You may be right.” Maximilien shrugged, “It’d ‘splain why we’re here in th’first place.”

     The pair searched through the desert and took sips of their canteen every so often, as several Tactis could be seen scouring the desert’s surface looking for food and water before the sun rose to its highest point in the sky. They wandered aimlessly through the desert, with only their heart as a compass to guide them.

     “Which way d’we go?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously.

     “Let me see if I can find out.” Pepper pulled out a device from her backpack and worked several dials at its side.

     The device was a digital compass, with buttons on the front of it and knobs on the side. There were two antennae which looked like a Jacob’s Ladder with electricity moving up between them. It detected that they should go due north, and she walked around in a circle to find where north had been.

     “This way.” Pepper gestured for Maximilien to follow her as she walked and looked at the device.

     The Werelupe nodded and followed Pepper through the sands of the dunes.

     They walked through the desert even as Maximilien ran out of water from his canteen, as he had been much larger than Pepper and ran out quickly. Pepper offered some of her water from her canteen, but Maximilien knew as a Jelly Shoyru she’d need to save it for herself.

     They walked until it was sunset, and they were exhausted and too tired to move. In the distance, in the brilliant light of the setting sun, they saw a glowing figure in the distance.

     “What’s that?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously. “It looks like some sorta glowin’ creature!”

     “I don’t know.” Pepper furrowed her Jelly eyebrow, “It doesn’t show up on my device.”

     The figure was cloaked and hooded, and by the time he reached the group, the sun had set, and the moon was rising. The night sky and the light of the moon made it easier to see the glowing figure, and eventually, he arrived by them.

     The pair could only make out the snout of the person from outside of his robe, his arms, his legs, and his tail. He appeared, when he got close enough, to be a Dimensional Krawk. He was glowing like the light of the sun, and he removed his hood and smiled at the group. They went to speak, but he raised his hand in a gesture for them to be silent.

     “Greetings, Maximilien and Pepper.” The Dimensional Krawk smiled pleasantly.

     “How d’ya know’ r’names?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously.

     “I know many things.” The Dimensional Krawk grinned, “But that’s not what’s most important right now.”

     “Then what is?” Pepper gazed cautiously at the Krawk.

     “There is a reason that you are here.” The Krawk explained, “This is as much as I can tell you right now. You are not only in the same place you were, but you are not in the same time, either.”

     “What!?” Maximilien and Pepper blurted out in tandem.

     “That is correct.” The Krawk smiled in a friendly way. “I cannot tell you anything else.”

     “Who are you?” Maximilien asked sternly, yet worriedly. “Can we at least know yer name?”

     “I am a friend.” The figure smiled, “Go, now! Neopia needs you!”

     “Where do we go!?” Pepper asked insistently, “We have no idea where we are!”

     “Close your eyes and reopen them.” The Dimensional Krawk smiled, “Then all will be revealed.” The Krawk walked away from the group as Pepper called out to him.

     “What do you mean!?” Pepper shouted angrily, “That doesn’t explain anything!”

     “May as well do as ‘e says.” Maximilien nodded. “Tell me when yer eyes are closed, and I’ll reopen mine at the same time you do.”

     “Okay, they’re closed.” Pepper responded.

     “We’ll open ‘em on three. One, two, three!” Maximilien said as they opened their eyes at the same time and found themselves surrounded by labourers, and it was daytime again.

     They appeared to be moving sand away and bringing large blocks in. It was some kind of construction site, and everyone seemed to be taking orders from a Yurble Foreman. He had been yelling in every direction.

     They were excavating a large building which appeared to be made of sandstone and gold, and they brought in blocks to help repair it, as it had been dilapidated. No one noticed them at first, but soon two guards ran over to them and addressed them.

     “Halt!” One of the guards spoke up, “Only licensed contractors are allowed here.”

     “What is your business here?” The other guard demanded.

     Pepper tried to think of something to say to them, and she finally blurted out something based on a clue she had read at the Temple of One Thousand Tombs.

     “Well, err…DID that Anubis get its fifteen-minute break yet?” Pepper managed to get out.

     “What do you mean?” One of the guards asked sternly.

     “Well…I…Err…” Pepper stammered.

     “We were sent to make sure e’ry Petpet gets a break.” Maximilien lowered his head to gaze into the face of one of the smaller guards. “I wouldn’ wanna meet th’official who sent me if’n they don’t.”

     “O-O-OH!” One of the guards blurted out, “Please, this way!”

     “Yes, right this way!” The other guard, of which both had been Grarrls, led them into the dig site.

     The guards led them through some tents to an important tent reserved for officials, which the guards assumed the group had been.

     “We’ll make sure the Petpets are getting their breaks!” One of the guards bowed sheepishly as they both made their way out of the tent.

     “Do we even have Petpets working here?” One of the guards asked the other.

     “I don’t know.” The Grarrl guard frowned at the other, “But we’ll make sure they’re getting their breaks if we do.”

     Maximilien wondered about the Dimensional Krawk. He lay back in a cot reserved for officials, and he contemplated silently. Pepper pulled up a chair beside Maximilien and also quietly contemplated. They thought of what the Dimensional Krawk had said. Different place? Different time? They tried to make sense of everything that had happened, and they hadn’t thought of Terror Mountain in quite some time.

     “What do you think it all means?” Pepper asked Maximilien curiously.

     “If we were meant to know…” The Werelupe trailed off, “We would.”

     “I see you’re in a contemplative mood.” Pepper grinned, “What have you thought of so far?”

     “I’m uncertain.” Maximilien trailed off. Though his father was a Pirate Lupe, he had also been an intellectual who was in complete control of his accent. Which wasn’t to say Pirates weren’t intellectuals, but Maximilien had been a particularly smart one.

     “Who do you think that Krawk was?” Pepper asked curiously as she gazed at the ceiling of the tent and contemplated.

     “I suppose…” Maximilien trailed off, “They seemed to know us and travelled all the way to the Lost Desert to meet us. We’ll probably find out soon enough. For now, let’s try to discover this Lost Desert Mystery.”

     “It’s almost some kind of…elaborate plot.” Pepper joked.

     Maximilien chuckled. “Very funny. Why don’t we leave this tent and try to figure out what’s goin’ on? Looks like it may be fun.”

     “Agreed.” Pepper nodded as the pair left the tent and headed to the dig site.

     There were thousands of labourers, and some of them had even been refugees from Sakhmet. They were all unearthing and building an ancient Scroll Repository, which was in the shape of a pyramid. They walked over to the Yurble Foreman, who immediately started to yell at them.

     “Hey, YOU!” The Foreman yelled at the pair, “Back to work!”

     “Who, us?” Pepper asked nervously.

     “Yes, you!” The foreman yelled even louder, “Get to digging! That pyramid isn’t gonna unbury itself!”

     “And if we don’t?” Maximilien lowered his head to meet the Foreman’s face.

     The Foreman simply pulled out a cudgel and hit his hand with it as he stared expectantly at the pair.

     “I guess we’d better do as he says.” Pepper nodded as they walked over to the pyramid and started to unearth it. They each took out shovels and began digging.

     The pair dug and dug and ultimately had sixteen handfuls of sand. Pepper kept some of it in her backpack, in a special container. She had always been a sand enthusiast. Maximilien found a Lost Desert Paint Brush mixed in with the sand and teasingly pretended he was going to paint Pepper with it.

     “Don’t even think about it.” Pepper said flatly as Maximilien tossed the paint brush and grinned sheepishly.

     The pair continued digging until they had been thoroughly exhausted. The Yurble Foreman walked over to them and smiled.

     “Now that’s what I liked to see!” The Yurble smiled broadly, “You two! Take a fifteen-minute break!”

     The pair fell with their backs pressed against one another and simply sat on the desert sands as they closed their eyes and took a short nap. When their eyes reopened, they saw that the Repository had been completely unearthed, and the Foreman was walking with an important official discussing the repository with him.

     “Wouldja look at that!” The Foreman smiled proudly, “And under a hundred and four thousand, thirty-nine handfuls of sand, to boot!”

     “Excellent, excellent.” The official turned to look at the pyramid. “But what of the Repository itself? It isn’t…hollow?”

     “What!?” The Foreman blurted out, “Those foolish engineers didn’t even design the thing right in the first place! How are we gonna fit scrolls into a Scroll Repository that don’t even have enough room! What kinda Scroll Repository d’ya call that!?”

     “A poor one.” Pepper replied indignantly, not sure of what was going on.

     “You two!” The Yurble Foreman called to Maximilien and Pepper, “You’re both two of my best workers. Get into that repository and move some blocks from it!”

     “I guess we have no choice.” The Werelupe sighed, “Let’s just get this over with.”

     “I think it’s kind of fun.” Pepper smiled and walked into the Repository.

     “That’s ‘cause yer not doin’ all the work!” Maximilien complained, “Hey, wait up!”

     The pair walked through the repository looking for blocks to move. There were many blocks with no symbols on them, which seemed to be a part of the support of the pyramid. Whenever they got near those blocks, the Yurble Foreman would yell and scream at them. There was, however, a block with the same symbol as the Fire Faerie statue of Nuria, and Maximilien called Pepper over to it.

     “Hey, Pepper! This way!” The Werelupe gestured with his giant hand for the Shoyru to go over to him.

     “Alright, I’m coming!” Pepper ran over to the Werelupe as they both found space to move it.

     Maximilien looked for ways to move the block. He first tried to get his fingers under the block and lift it, and then tried ramming it with his shoulder. He tried desperately to try to find a way to move the block and found that he couldn’t. Pepper, who had been silently observing the fiasco, handed Maximilien a piece of rope which was connected to a drilled hole at the base of the block.

     “Thank you!” Maximilien pulled Pepper into a bear hug and slurped her face; he was so happy with her.

     “Stop that!” Pepper chuckled, “I know I taste like grape, but that’s no reason to lick me!”

     The block started to move as they pushed on one side and pulled on the other. Pepper and Maximilien pulled on their ropes as hard as they could, as the people on the opposite side pushed. They eventually moved the block out of the Repository, and soon, all of the blocks had been moved out of the pyramid. They looked around the inside of the Repository and found that there were no scrolls.

     “Ya know…I’ve been thinkin…” Maximilien trailed off, “If this is a Scroll Repository, and we’re supposed to learn things from the scrolls, how come we’re putting everything in it?”

     “I…don’t know.” Pepper shook her head. “It’s probably best to not think about it.”

     Pepper and Maximilien walked out of the Repository and approached the Yurble Foreman, who was yelling something. When they got closer to him, they could hear what he was yelling.

     “It looks like there ain’t any place to put the scrolls!” The Foreman yelled, “I’ll go tell those Rukis to build some furniture.”

     Maximilien and Pepper followed the Yurble Foreman into one of the tents, where they saw many Rukis working on pieces of furniture and painting them. They were building them from stone, and there were already many pieces of furniture lying against the walls of the tent.

     “You there!” The Yurble Foreman called over to the pair in a softer, less angry tone, “Take some of these painted pieces of furniture and bring ‘em to the Repository.”

     “Where d’we put ‘em?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously.

     “There are spots in the Repository marked for each piece of furniture.” The Foreman explained.

     “We just got back from’th’ Repository!” Maximilien protested, “There weren’t any markers!”

     “We’re fast workers.” The Yurble Foreman laughed heartily and gestured with his hand for the pair to take the furniture.

     Maximilien walked over and grabbed a table and carried it on his back while Pepper grabbed a lamp and carried it with her at her side. They walked into the Repository and looked around and eventually came across chalk markings on the floor in the shape of their furniture.

     They placed it down and walked back to the Yurble Foreman to see what they needed to do next, but he had been yelling at the top of his lungs.

     “Whaddya mean thieves stole the furniture!?” The Yurble yelled loudly, “I guess I’ll need’ta tell those Rukis to make more furniture.”

     “Thieves!?” Maximilien blurted out, “Whaddya mean, thieves!?”

     Pepper and Maximilien walked back over to the Repository to find the furniture they placed was nowhere to be seen.

     “Yer joking.” Maximilien placed his palm into his face. “The furniture is gone.”

     “What!?” Pepper exclaimed, “Who could have done such a thing!?”

     “Sadly, there’s plenty’o thieves in Neopia.” Maximilien frowned, “Le’ss go get summore furniture and try to beat the thieves.”

     Maximilien and Pepper grabbed another table and lamp and carried them to the Repository. They placed them and spent all day placing furniture in the Scroll Repository. They eventually found there was no more room for the furniture, and they realised they were successful in their furniture moving.

     They entered the Foreman’s tent and found that he was greatly pleased.

     “We finally outdid those thieves!” The Foreman said proudly, “Fortunately, we have a team of expert librarians to put the scrolls away. However…”

     “What’s wrong?” Pepper tilted her head curiously.

     “It means I’m outta the job!” The Foreman pouted and walked to the corner of the tent.

     “Well, uhh…” Pepper tried to think of something reassuring to say to the Yurble Foreman. “Maybe you could become a Chef?”

     “That sounds like a great idea!” The Foreman beamed, “Thank you!”

     “Ya certainly made ‘im happy.” Maximilien chuckled, “Let’s go into the Repository and look around.”

     “We should get some rest first.” Pepper said tiredly, “It’s the middle of the night!”

     “Fine, fine.” Maximilien smiled, “Let’s get back to the tent.”

     They found their way back to the Officials’ tent, and Pepper lay down on the cot, and Maximilien lay down on his back. Pepper was out like a lamp, but Maximilien, who was nocturnal by nature and only changed his sleeping habits so he could be awake when Pepper was, lay on his back and thought to himself.

      He thought about his parents, and he thought about what the Kau Fortune Teller had told him. He wondered where his parents were, and if they were safe. He closed his eyes and eventually fell fast asleep in his contemplation.

     Maximilien’s eyes opened again, and the light of the sun was creeping through the cracks in the entrance of the tent. Pepper was nowhere to be found, and he exited the tent and found her outside waiting for him.

     “There you are!” Pepper exclaimed, “I was waiting for you to wake up, sleepy head!”

     “What time is it?” Maximilien stretched and yawned, “I was gonna try to wake up at dawn.”

     “It’s past noon!” Pepper chuckled. “Look! They just completed the Repository!”

     They looked around, and the majority of the tents had been removed, and the majority of the workers were nowhere to be found. The golden pyramid reached high into the sky, and there was a crowd of Neopians which Maximilien didn’t want to lose Pepper in.

     He looked around and found that the Yurble Foreman was nowhere to be seen.

     “Guess ‘e really is outta the job.” Maximilien frowned.

     “Let’s go inside!” Pepper beamed, “Let’s see what they’ve done with the place.”

     They entered the massive entrance of the Repository and found that the blocks were glowing, as though they were made of phosphorescent calcite. Many scrolls were placed within the many hundreds of scroll racks within the temple, and it seemed that they had gotten quite a lot done in a short amount of time.

     Pepper picked up one of the scrolls and realised it was just a catalogue of the many scrolls in the Repository.

     “It would seem we have a LOT of work to do.” Pepper frowned.

     “That’s all we’ve been doin’ lately is work!” Maximilien frowned.

     “Now, that ain’t any way for my best workers’ta talk.” They heard a voice behind them. They turned and looked and found the Yurble Foreman wearing a Chef’s hat.

     “I told you that you’d make a fine chef!” Pepper beamed.

     “I’ll be makin’ lunch as soon as I get the supplies…” The Yurble Chef trailed off, “But…”

     “What is it?? Pepper asked the Yurble Chef curiously.

     “I ain’t gotten any food supplies!” The Chef shouted, “I can’t make anythin’ yet. I just have some mislabeled boxes.”

     “Sounds tough.” Maximilien nodded before turning and starting to walk away. Though the Yurble stopped him.

     “Say…” The Chef started to speak, “I heard somethin’ about’cha survivin’ a pile of scarabs.”

     “What of it?” Maximilien turned his head as his ear tilted a little.

     “Adventurin’ sure sounds like a lot of fun…” The Yurble Chef trailed off, “But I’ve been too busy to take a vacation. I sure would like a souvenir from one of those, you know, exotic locales.”

     “I’ll keep my eye out.” Maximilien wandered to where Pepper was and followed her through the hallways.

     Pepper and Maximilien wandered through the corridors and picked up a scroll every so often and read it. Maximilien found a scroll on Sloth, and how he tried to take over Neopia and turn its inhabitants into mutants, and how the Space Faerie stopped him.

     He also picked up a scroll which talked about some of the denizens of the Haunted Woods. The scroll talked about: Meuka, Hubrid Nox, The Esophagor, Eliv Thade, Magax, Balthazar, the Shadow Usul, and Count Von Roo. Even if Count Von Roo lived on Roo Island, he also stayed in the Haunted Woods at times.

     Maximilien was astounded at what he had read, and he learned about places in Neopia he could only dream of. There were places beyond Neopia he read of, as well. Pepper had a similar experience, and she read about the engineering and construction of the ancient Lost Desert.

     Though they didn’t find any information about why they were there. Pepper pulled out a scroll which was mostly blank except for a symbol on it, and she memorised the colour and symbol of the rack she pulled the scroll from in case they needed to find it later. They eventually arrived at a room and a dead end.

     “Now where do we go?” Maximilien’s ears went flat.

     “I suppose we go inside.” Pepper chuckled.

     Pepper pulled out a flashlight from her backpack as they entered the room. It was dark until they came across some light entering from a hole in the wall, and there was a miniature model of Sakhmet.

     “It’s Sakhmet!” Pepper exclaimed, “I wonder if it was shrunken and placed here?”

     “I doubt it.” Maximilien shook his head. “We’d see tons of tiny people if it was.”

     “I suppose you’re right.” Pepper nodded, “Well, let’s examine it anyway.”

     They looked over the model, and they found that it was completely accurate to modern-day Sakhmet. There were stalls and buildings and the palace and the city’s walls. However, Maximilien discovered a small groove over one of the buildings. It fit perfectly with the useless crystal he found earlier, and he placed the crystal into the groove. The light pouring in from the wall cascaded symbols and colours all against the wall.

     “Look at the symbols!” Pepper exclaimed, “It seems to be some kind of a message!”

     “I guess it wasn’t so useless after all.” Maximilien chuckled.

     “Hey, wait a minute!” Pepper looked closely. “One of those symbols and colours is the same as a scroll I read earlier.”

     “And?” Maximilien tilted his head.

     “It was blank except for a single symbol of one of the symbols and colours on the wall.”

     “D’ya think it has some kind of a meaning?” Maximilien asked curiously.

     “Indeed.” Pepper nodded, “I believe it does. Now I just need to remember where I found…ahh, the catalogues!”

     “If we can identify the symbols on the wall with the correct catalogue, does that mean we can crack the code?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously.

     “If we can get the correct symbols and I can record them with my scanner…” Pepper explained, “We may be able to make sense of this message.”

     “We need’ta get back to the catalogues.” Maximilien nodded and started to leave the room.

     “Don’t forget this.” Pepper tossed the useless crystal to Maximilien, who caught it and placed it into his pocket.

     They went back to the catalogues, and Pepper made a startling conclusion. The scrolls had to be read in a certain order, based on colour and symbol, or else the message would be messed up. What’s more, is that she discovered that not every symbol meant something.

     “We need to read these symbols in a row,” Pepper explained, “Red Ahn, Yellow Tep, Blue Fer, Blue Set, and Red Kha.” She pointed at the scrolls which showed the different colours and symbols.

     “And then…?” Maximilien asked flatly.

     “Then it’ll tell us where we need to go.” Pepper nodded.

     The pair wandered through the hallways and searched for the symbols and scrolls they needed. The first was the hardest, but the rest fell into place as soon as they became better at searching for them.

     Pepper recorded the symbols with her scanner, and when they read the last scroll, she was able to translate the symbols. Though as hard as she tried, she was unable to understand what it meant.

     “It’s a bunch of random symbols.” Pepper frowned. “My translator can’t make rhyme or reason of it. Maybe you can try?”

     “Let me see…” Maximilien took the device and examined it.

     There were symbols stacked on top of one another, which started with the head of an Anubis, a Flamingo, two men standing, and several lines as well as other symbols.

     “The temple!” Maximilien blurted out, “I’ve seen these symbols at the Temple of One Thousand Tombs!”

     “Oh yeah!” Pepper exclaimed, “The room with the many symbols on the wall. Good thinking, Maximilien!”

     “Does yer teleporter still work?” Maximilien asked curiously.

     “I have two of them.” Pepper grinned. “I’ll leave one in front of the catalogues so we can return here quickly. My sensors seem to indicate the one at the temple is still functional, even if it melted a little in the acid.”

     Pepper took a teleporter prong out and placed it in front of the catalogues, and she calibrated the two teleporters to work between one another. She would just have to set which prong to teleport to.

     “I need to perform a test, first, to see if the teleporter at the Temple of One Thousand Tombs still functions properly.” Pepper explained.

     Pepper sent a camera to the temple and looked at the surroundings. The teleporter was in working order, and the room had no acid in it any longer. It was completely dry and clean, and Pepper nodded affirmatively.

     “As long as we don’t try anything strange, we should be good to go.” Pepper nodded.

     “Excellent!” Maximilien wagged his tail and barked, “Let’s go!”

     Pepper pressed a button on her device, but instead of teleporting to the room with the statue of Nuria the Fire Faerie, the teleporter malfunctioned and sent them just in front of the Temple of One Thousand Tombs. They were unharmed but bewildered.

     “It looks like we’re gonna have to do it the hard way.” Pepper took a bold step towards the temple. “Let’s go!”

     “Hey, is that a gift shop?” Maximilien looked over to the side of the Temple of One Thousand Tombs. “I have a favour I owe to the Yurble; you go on ahead.”

     “You trust me?” Pepper chuckled, “You normally don’t let me out of your sight.”

     “Yeah, well…I think we’ve triggered every trap inside of the temple anyway.” Maximilien laughed, “Jes’ don’t get yerself into any trouble. Just that one room.”

     “I have a map on my scanner, now.” Pepper smiled happily, “I know where I’m going.”

     “I’ll be back t’help ya lickity split.” Maximilien barked, “It’s just that I feel…that we should help the guy.”

     “I understand.” Pepper nodded, “He definitely seemed like he needed the encouragement.”

      ***

      Maximilien walked over to the door of what appeared to be a gift shop and knocked on it. He waited for several minutes and then felt that letting Pepper go off on her own was a bad idea. He was just about to walk back to the temple to meet up with Pepper, but a voice came from the other side of the door.

     “You a…customer?” The voice said in a surprised tone.

     “I suppose so, yes.” Maximilien said sheepishly.

     “Please, come in!” The voice said excitedly.

     The entire inside of the room had been dilapidated and falling apart. There were cobwebs everywhere, and the ceiling, or what was left of it, was crumbling away. There was a depressed-looking Ruki sitting behind the counter.

     “Welcome to the Gift Shop of One Thousand Trinkets.” The Ruki said in a low, sullen tone. “We don’t actually have very many, you know, gifts right now. Business has been slow.”

     “D’ya have any souvenirs of sorts?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously. “I have a promise I made to a Yurble Fo- I mean Chef.”

     “Well, I do have something.” The Ruki looked below the counter and smiled, “But I can’t just give it to you.”

     “I’m low on Neopoints. What did you want for it?” Maximilien asked seriously.

     “Here’s a vial.” The Ruki handed a glass container to Maximilien. “I want some black smoke.”

     “That’s it? Smoke?” Maximilien asked curiously.

     “I don’t want just any smoke. I want smoke from the Spirit of the Ruins. The Ruins where he resides aren’t far from here, and I can give you a map to their location.”

     “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.” Maximilien nodded and took the vial and the map.

     Maximilien travelled through the desert while the blush coloured dunes reflected the setting sun as though the colours had been a river of magma trailing across the sky in magenta, red, and pink. The Werelupe was low on water from his canteen, and Pepper had the food supplies, and he was hungry.

     The light of the moon shone on an ancient, dilapidated palace and a courtyard and other structures which had completely collapsed into the sand below.

     “This must be the place.” Maximilien said to himself while searching the ruins for the Spirit.

     Before long, a large shadowy figure appeared above Maximilien and had an orange mouth and orange eyes. It looked as though the Spirit had a fire inside of him, and he drew his two Iron Lupe Swords, which reflected the orange light from inside the Spirit of the Ruins, and he charged him.

     The Werelupe leapt at the Spirit of the Ruins, who dodged him effortlessly. The Spirit laughed at Maximilien’s efforts, and even when he was able to land a blow on the Spirit, the swords just moved right through him.

     “Dang!” Maximilien blurted out, “How am I s’posed’ta fight this thing!?”

     The Spirit of the Ruins struck Maximilien right in his shoulder, causing one of his Iron Lupe Blades to fly from his hand and get stuck midway into a dune. He grabbed his remaining Iron Lupe Sword in both hands, as he had been trained in both dual weapon combat and single weapon combat, and he leapt at the Spirit of the Ruins.

      He would strike and parry and strike again while the Spirit dodged and struck and dodged again as well. He immediately leapt to the side of the Spirit of the Ruins and sliced through him, but he just went through one side and out the other.

      He threw his Iron Lupe Sword at the Spirit of the Ruins while making many backflips behind him to where the other sword had been sticking out of the dune. The one sword went through the Spirit of the Ruins and got stuck in a crumbling wall, while he used the other sword to slash repeatedly at the Spirit, but still to no avail.

     “How am I going to defeat him?” Maximilien pondered to himself, “Wait, I know!”

     Maximilien pulled out the vial and pointed it at the Spirit.

     “Eh?” The Spirit of the Ruins blurted out as he felt more and more of himself being pulled into the vial like a vacuum.

     The Spirit clawed at the air as he was pulled into the vial, and eventually all of him was pulled inside. Maximilien collected his Iron Lupe Sword from the wall and grinned at the Spirit.

     “Ain’t so tough now, are ye?” Maximilien laughed.

      ***

      Pepper walked aimlessly through the Temple of One Thousand Tombs and felt that, even if she had a map drawn in her device, the temple seemed different. Or maybe it was her or something about her which was different.

     She walked through the hallways and walked into a room which she was certain had the next clue in it. The room had the symbols on it which she recorded into her device, but try as she might, she was unable to decipher it. She eventually got frustrated and kicked the corner of the wall, and the entire wall collapsed and revealed another useless crystal.

     “That was easy.” Pepper chuckled.

     Pepper thought she heard the Mummy she had seen earlier shambling through the hallways. She turned off her flashlight and put the useless crystal she collected into her pocket. She stealthily made her way through the corridors until she came across Maximilien, who had been looking for her. She turned on her flashlight and ran over and hugged the Werelupe.

     “Maxie!” Pepper beamed. “I’m glad to see you!”

     “Is anything wrong?” Maximilien asked Pepper with a stern expression.

     “Err, no! Nothing is wrong…” Pepper trailed off, not wanting the Werelupe to know that she was afraid of the Mummy.

     “Good.” Maximilien gave a triumphant nod, “It looks like yer able’ta take care ‘o yerself more than I thought.”

     “How about you?” Pepper looked curiously to the Werelupe, “Did you fare okay?”

     “Oh…yes!” Maximilien nodded, not wanting the Shoyru to know that he didn’t use the vial on the Spirit of the Ruins much further into battle, as she probably would have suggested he use it immediately.

     “It seems like we have everything we need.” Pepper nodded.

     “Let’s head to that gift shop, then get outta here.” Maximilien smiled.

     The pair returned to the Gift Shop of One Thousand Trinkets, and the Ruki shopkeeper seemed interested in the fact that Maximilien had a friend. Pepper was fascinated by the state of the gift shop, and she had always loved ruins.

     “Didja get the smoke?” The Ruki gave a hopeful glance.

     “’ere.” Maximilien took the vial out of his pocket and placed it onto the table.

     “You got it!” The shopkeeper gazed excitedly at the tiny Spirit inside of the vial. “I suppose you’ll want your souvenir now…here.”

     The Ruki looked under the table and pulled out a T-shirt.

     “This!?” The Werelupe snapped, “This is what we battled for?”

     “Sorry…” The Ruki frowned, “It’s all I have.”

     “It’s fine, honestly.” Pepper gave Maximilien a look to show that he had been rude to the shopkeeper.

     “Oh! Ah…yeah! It’s, um…great!” Maximilien grinned, “Let’s head back to the repository now, Pepper.”

     The Shoyru nodded and pulled out her device and twisted some dials and pressed some buttons. They were instantly teleported back to the Scroll Repository, where the Yurble Chef was waving his rolling pin and muttering about not having any supplies.

     “Hey, you!” Maximilien called out to the Chef, “I’ve got somethin’ for ya!”

     “Who, me?” The Yurble Chef turned around, “Oh, it’s you two! Show me what’cha got!”

     Maximilien pulled out a shirt which said on the front of it ‘I mapped the Temple of One Thousand Tombs and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.’

     “It’s…it’s…” The Yurble began, and the pair thought that he was about to rant and rave about how he hated it. “It’s wonderful!’

     Maximilien and Pepper’s jaws dropped as they saw the Yurble Chef happy for the first time.

     “It’s just my size! I love T-shirts!” The Yurble went on and on, “Did I ever tell you that I loved T-shirts?”

     “Well, I’m glad yer happy.” Maximilien smiled as he and Pepper were about to walk away. Though the Yurble Chef stopped them.

     “Wait!” The Chef blurted out, “Please, take this.”

     The Chef handed the group a single crystal like the others they had.

     “It seems useless, but we got a huge shipment of them. I hope you’re able to find a use for it!” The Yurble Chef beamed.

     “That’s the third piece!” Pepper took the crystal and attached it to the other two after Maximilien took his crystal out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Eureka!”

     “Le’ss try putting the crystal into the same slot and see if it fits.” Maximilien nodded as the pair made their way to the room with the miniature Sakhmet City model inside of it.

     Pepper nodded, and the pair made their way through the hallways until they eventually reached the room with the model. Though it was the dead of night and no light shone through the wall. They spent all of that time fighting the Spirit of the Ruins and going through the tomb looking for the crystals, but they couldn’t even use them.

     “Why don’ we get some sleep?” Maximilien yawned and asked tiredly, “We can come back in the morning.”

     “Let me see something…” Pepper took the crystal and placed it into the groove. It fit perfectly, and Pepper was ecstatic. She knew it wasn’t a question of if it would work…but when.”

     The group headed out of the Repository and into the campsite, which, despite having most of its workers leave, still had the officials’ tent standing for them to sleep in. Pepper slept in the cot, and Maximilien lay down on the ground, and they both closed their eyes and fell fast asleep.

     They shared the same dream again. They dreamt of Scordrax ravaging the city and burning it with his breath and many skeletons terrorising the citizens of the city. There was a group of Freedom Fighters fighting against the skeletons, and they could see the lone figure in the palace much closer than she had been before. It was none other than Princess Amira.

     There was a red Kyrii with a white and gold robe and a royal golden snake-like crown adorned at the top of his head with a grey and white pharaoh’s headdress, and he appeared to be royalty himself.

     “You must marry me, Amira!” The Kyrii implored the Princess, “It’s for the best of both our kingdoms!”

     “I will never marry you, Jazan!” Amira protested and then turned to the two sleepers, “Please, save me! Save my people!”

     Pepper and Maximilien leapt off the ground and out of their cot, respectively, and got to their two feet. They gave a look to one another knowingly.

     “Same dream?” Maximilien asked Pepper curiously.

     “Yep.” Pepper nodded. “Let’s get back to solving the puzzles, now. Maybe they’ll give us a way to help.”

     “Right!” Maximilien nodded in return “Let’s go!”

     The pair walked through the tent’s entrance and found their way back into the Scroll Repository. They went to the room with the model and found light pouring in through the wall. The crystal, which they left in the groove, was reflecting light onto the wall, and Pepper took out a device to decipher it. She fine-tuned her instrument, and she smiled widely.

     “I believe I have the answer.” Pepper smiled.

     They walked through the catalogues and looked through the different scrolls, and when Pepper came to a blank scroll, her device beeped and translated the clues.

     “A sharp eye holds the next clue.” Pepper nodded.

     “…But what does it mean?” Maximilien’s ears drooped.

     “I’m not sure, but I believe it has something to do with the Temple of One Thousand Tombs again.” Pepper said matter-of-factly.

     “Again!?” Maximilien blurted out, “I’m gettin’ sick o’ the place.”

     “I can go there alone if you like.” Pepper smiled, “I can take care of myself.”

     “It’s against my better judgment, but…” Maximilien nodded respectfully to the Shoyru, “I’ll let’cha do it.”

     “Wonderful!” Pepper exclaimed and pulled out a device and teleported back to the Temple of One Thousand Tombs.

     Maximilien realised it may have been the worst decision to stay at the Repository, as it had been just as boring. Just as he started to feel it was a bad idea to let Pepper go there alone, Maximilien bumped into the Yurble Chef, who started to talk to him.

     “Boy, adventurin’ sure sounds fun.” The Yurble started, “It reminds me of the time I got my job as the Foreman. Did I ever tell you about my job as the Foreman? I loved my job as the Foreman. I got to tell people what to do, and I yelled a lot. Why, I remember the first time I yelled…”

     Maximilien sat on the ground and placed his head between his legs and decided to listen to the Yurble’s stories.

      ***

      Pepper found herself whisked to the room with the Nuria statue in it, though there hadn’t been any danger like there had been when they told it the wrong prophecy. She used her cartography device to map a path to the room in question, and she backtracked all throughout the temple.

     She had an idea of what the clue might have meant, but she didn’t want to bring Maximilien in case there was any danger. She returned to the room with the spike trap, and she noticed that the spikes were very sharp. There were many skulls in them, and she thought she noticed something in one of the skulls’ eyes. She flew down and examined it, and realised the other crystal was inside of it.

     “It seems I was right.” Pepper said to herself as she reached inside of the skull and pulled out the crystal! “No reason to be here anymore…”

     Pepper pulled out the teleportation device and teleported back to Maximilien, who had been nearly sobbing listening to the Yurble Chef’s stories. The Shoyru cleared her throat and smiled at Maximilien.

     “Maxie, did you want to go now?” Pepper smiled at the Werelupe.

     The Werelupe’s eyes lit up, and he leapt to his feet and began wagging his tail furiously.

     “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Maximilien beamed, “I mean, err…yes, I’m ready to go.”

     “If you ever wanted to know about my time in the Neopian Troupe for Gifted Yurbles, just let me know.”

     “I err…yeah, I…err…” Maximilien couldn’t think of anything to say and simply ran off behind Pepper into the distance as fast as he could go.

     The pair made their way back to the Sakhmetian model, and Pepper took out the crystal. She placed the last crystal against it and found it was as thick as it could be while still fitting in the groove, so she knew that it was the final crystal.

     She connected all of the crystals together and placed them into the slot, and a laser burst through the crystal as it focused so intensely and blew a hole in the wall.

     They walked inside and found a scroll hidden inside the room, and Pepper took it and read it over. It was an indecipherable language, and she realised the only one who could help them was the Kau Fortune Teller. Though she and Sakhmet had been gone.

     “I can’t translate it.” Pepper frowned. “We need someone with a vast knowledge of ancient Sakhmetian language to help us.”

     “What about th’Kau Fortune Teller?” Maximilien tilted his head curiously.

     “She was teleported away to who knows where.” Pepper frowned but thought about it for a few minutes. “Eureka!” The Shoyru exclaimed, “I can use my camera.”

     “Didn’t you lose contact with it some time ago?” Maximilien tilted his head in confusion. “How are ya s’posed’ta do it?”

     “I have my ways.” Pepper grinned.

     Pepper pulled out the controller for the remote camera, which was able to fly around and move freely. After working on it for a bit, she found that the camera transmitted scenery back to her and flew out of the room it had been in. They saw the same display they had seen in their dreams, with the undead and Scordrax wreaking havoc and the sky black and crimson.

     Pepper piloted the camera to the outside of the city, where the Kau Fortune Teller’s tent could be seen. She was using her abilities to keep the flames and undead away from her, and when she recognized the camera as from Pepper, she allowed it into her tent.

     Pepper started to speak through the camera’s speakers, as they also had a microphone and a screen on it to show the Fortune Teller the image of Pepper as she talked into the device.

     “Greetings!” Pepper said through the camera.

     “I never imagined you’d think of something like THAT!” The Fortune Teller grinned. “What do you need of me?”

     “We found a scroll with ancient Sakhmetian written on it which we can’t make out. Could you help us translate it?” Pepper asked the Kau Fortune Teller curiously.

     “Of course.” The Fortune teller smiled, “Let me take a look at it.”

     Pepper unfurled the scroll and showed it to the device, and the camera created a three-dimensional hologram of it which projected from it.

     “Hmmm…” The Kau Fortune Teller looked at the scroll and thought aloud. “There seems to be a lot of gibberish, but what I can translate says ‘The curse of Jazan will make Sakhmet disappear.’ It also says ‘Jazan must marry a true Princess of Qasala to break the curse.’”

     “But what does it mean!?” Pepper shouted, “All this work…for THAT!?”

     “Calm down, young one.” The Kau Fortune Teller attempted to reassure Pepper, “Perhaps we should try to read the tablet again?”

     “It’s worth a shot.” Pepper nodded. “Why don’t we take another look at it?”

     The Fortune Teller picked up the tablet, but realised she had it upside down. Before she read it, Pepper exclaimed.

     “Ma’am!” Pepper blurted out, “Do you think you were reading the tablet upside down?”

     “…I believe I was!” The Fortune Teller exclaimed and attempted to read it in its correct position. “It reads…’The father of the Prince will destroy the great desert.’”

     “We should go tell the prophecy to the Nuria statue in the temple!” Maximilien took a step towards the camera and smiled, “Thank ye for all of yer help.”

     “Think nothing of it.” The Kau Fortune Teller smiled, “The sooner I’m out of this dimension, the better.”

     Pepper pulled out a device, and they teleported to the Nuria statue, where they both gazed at it ominously.

     “Last time…” Maximilien explained, “We read the wrong prophecy to it. If we tell it the right prophecy…”

     “It won’t trigger a trap!” Pepper beamed. “Let’s try it!”

     “’The father of the Prince will destroy the great desert.’” Maximilien spoke boldly to the statue.

     The statue began glowing, and a compartment beneath it opened. Three weapons appeared: a scimitar, a mace, and a spear. Maximilien didn’t need the scimitar as he already had swords, and the mace seemed too heavy for him. He took the spear, and the statue began speaking.

     “You have chosen the Spear of Infinite Wisdom.” The statue stated, “Go…take this mighty weapon and defeat the evil King once and for all!”

     “Hey, do you hear that beeping?” Pepper dug through her backpack and found the camera controller. “The camera, it’s back in this dimension! That means Sakhmet must be, too!”

     “It’d seem this is the best time to get back there.” Maximilien nodded, “Let’s return there; I know the way.”

     The teleportation fizzled out and broke, and Maximilien spun his spear around in a circle and placed it in the leather strap between his two Iron Lupe Swords. He had two canteens with him in case they needed to travel through the desert again, and they exited from the Temple of One Thousand Tombs. They had food, water, and sleep every so often as they needed it.

     The pair travelled at night like the Fortune Teller suggested to them, and they eventually arrived at Sakhmet. They found the Dragon, Scordrax, had no longer been attacking the city. The undead were gone, as well. They found in the middle of the city a massive figure wearing a black robe and appearing to be made of fire standing there.

     Jazan was standing next to a pink Ixi, and it was evident that they cared very strongly for one another. Even love. Jazan attempted to take down the figure, which they realised was his father, and he turned to the pair, Maximilien and Pepper, and laughed.

     “Bwahahahaha!” The figure bellowed, “If my mighty son cannot defeat me, what hope do you have?”

     “We’ll see about that, skull-face!” Maximilien exclaimed and drew his Iron Lupe Swords.

     Maximilien leapt at the figure and struck him repeatedly with his Iron Lupe Swords, to no avail. He leapt into the air and struck so quickly that the swords in the midday sun gleamed light which looked like trails of light moving up against Jazan’s father, Razul. He did a backflip and landed on both of his feet and skidded against the ground backwards.

     “This guy’s tough!” Maximilien shouted to Pepper, “Pepper, you try!”

     “Roger.” Pepper nodded and fired her Virtublaster 3000s at Razul.

     Pepper fired her blasters at the figure, but found that they simply pinged off of him. She flew up into the air and fired as she darted about, avoiding his massive skeletal hands. She realised they wouldn’t be enough, so she landed on one of the buildings’ roofs and charged her QX-92 Neutrino Blaster. She had fine-tuned it and worked on it to be a much stronger model, and she began charging the energy at the figure.

     A massive blue orb and energy charged in front of it as it built up strength, and she pressed the button and fired a massive orb of blue light at Razul. Razul simply laughed and knocked the ball away with his hand.

     Maximilien didn’t know how they’d be able to defeat him, but he remembered his Spear of Infinite Wisdom he took from the temple. He drew it and spun it so quickly it resembled a rotating fan, and he then pointed the spear at Razul, stopping on a dime.

     “I don’t know why we’re here…” Maximilien explained, “Or what our purpose is…but Razul, for everything you’ve done to the city and the desert…THIS ENDS NOW!”

     “Come and get me.” Razul grinned.

     Maximilien cried out and leapt at Razul and struck at him with the spear. He struck towards Razul, which caused him to leap back, using his massive hand to try to crush Maximilien. Maximilien would strike, and Razul would dodge, and Razul would strike, and Maximilien leapt from building to building.

     Finally, he saw an opening and struck Razul in the centre of his body. This caused him to fall forward onto his knee. Razul saw behind Maximilien that Jazan was attempting to create a massive burst of energy while the pair distracted him. He was furious that Razul tried to hurt him by hurting Nabile, and he growled.

     “Father…” Jazan trailed off, “In the name of everything, BEGONE!”

     Jazan hit the stunned giant with a burst of electric blue energy. More and more of the energy flowed from his hands and hit up against his father, Razul. Pieces of his skeletal body and robe began to disintegrate, and Jazan dipped into the strongest source of energy he knew…his love.

     “N…no…!” Razul exclaimed “It cannot be! AHHHHHHhhhhhhh….”

     Razul disintegrated into a pile of dust and was gone as though he had never been there. The battle was over, and they had won.

     Jazan ran over to Nabile and held her close to him, and the pair loved each other dearly. Maximilien sheathed his Spear of Infinite Wisdom, and he and Pepper started to walk away. Though before they left, Jazan called out to them.

     “Wait! I wanted to say…thank you.” Jazan called to the pair.

     “Don’ mention it.” Maximilien waved his hand as they both walked into the distance.

     As Pepper and Maximilien walked away from the City of Sakhmet, they knew that the whole of Neopia could have been destroyed if not for their help. As they contemplated their role in things, and the fact they had nowhere to go now, the sky shifted and pulsed waves of prismatic coloured energy, and they moved through what seemed like a wormhole.

     They found themselves in a completely new place, with statues strewn about as though they were in some kind of Hall of Heroes. They looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

     “Where are we…?” Pepper asked in a fit of confusion.

     “I dunno…” Maximilien frowned, “Maybe we can ask that…wait…”

     “Well I’ll be!” The Yurble Janitor cried out, “If it isn’t my two best workers. Where’ve ya been? Did I ever tell you about the time I…”

     Maximilien tucked his tail between his legs and started to whimper as the Yurble Janitor began talking again.

     “I guess we’d better listen to him.” Pepper nodded, “Maybe we can at least figure out where we are.”

     “Where ya are?” The Yurble Janitor smiled, “Why, yer in Altador! It’s been years since I last saw ya.”

To be continued…