Defenders & Artefacts: Broken Rules

     Location: Graveyard

     Discoveries: Baby Vandagyre, Wooden board, Cirrus, Crystal ball

     Azul lifted his head, his thoughts lingering on the damp soil. He was still resting, sitting on the cold tombstone when Verde exited triumphantly from his mind world. In his hands, he held the metallic bow, as tightly as a trick or treater would hold onto chocolate during a Halloween venture. It was now fully metallic and shiny. His eyes were gleaming with excitement and he donned his characteristic grin.

     “We’ve done it, Azul!” Verde quickly informed him of his updates. They had finally mastered the weapon, which meant they could defeat Albugineo.

     “This is great news,” Azul croaked. He had been quiet for a while and his throat was dry. After forcefully swallowing to help him clear his throat he continued, “I have one last idea to help us.”

     He reached for his bag which was lying on the ground, placed under the shade cast by a nearby tombstone. The Cirrus had squeezed inside to keep company to the baby Vandagyre which was oblivious to the dire situation they were in. Azul inserted his hand and searched. He lightly pushed the puffy Cirrus aside, grabbed the crystal ball and removed it from the bag, raising it up so that the sunlight shone through it. The smoke contained within the polished glass surface pulsed with a bright white light. Its wisps were flowing in unpredictable directions weaving together before breaking apart, moving on to ever changing destinations.

     His plan was to use the crystal ball and - if he was strong enough - extract an item to help them in their fight against Albugineo. He grabbed the ball with both hands and concentrated on his intelligence, trying to see through the ball. After a second of concentration, he felt his mind mix with the rebellious smoke of the ball. Thoughts and desires merged as one, with the wisps of the white smoke. All around him, painted with blue hues, materialised different items and encircled him. These were the undiscovered items left in the house, Azul knew that as he stood in the middle of this strange buffet. He eyed all of them, considering each one in turn. Above each item floated a short description of the item’s effect written in royal blue letters, similar to the description they received on their wristband whenever they had a notification.

     As he was maneuvering through the items, being informed about their effects before making a decision, he saw them. A set of throwing stars was also hovering around him, slotted in line between a light blue feather on its left and a mirror, which reflected the sky on its surface. Azul approached the throwing stars but he did not select them.

     “Why would I select the second weapon now?” he thought while considering his choices. “We are one step from defeating the malicious Wocky and the new weapon will require to be mastered once more.” He gave a spin on one leg and walked towards the opposite direction, towards a bottle.

     “On the other hand, I can obtain this flask,” he continued his thought process. It was a small flask with a wide base and a long neck made of glass. A cylindrical glass cork was squeezed into the opening of the flask to prevent the spillage of the liquid that was guarded inside. The small writing hovering above it informed him: “Use this flask to momentarily increase by four points a skill of your choice.” This item was better suited to what they needed. Verde could use the flask to increase his strength just before shooting the arrow. He wrestled with the dilemma for a few more seconds before touching the flask with his hand.

     Upon touching it, an immense force surged against him, pulling him backward with overwhelming strength. He felt as if invisible hands had grabbed his waist, determined to remove him - and his empty hand - out of the mind world. He had made his selection, however he still had to prove his prowess and successfully extract the item directly into the Graveyard with him. If he failed, the selection would still be valid but they would have to search for the item in another room; and they definitely did not have time for that. He concentrated on his intelligence further, however his plan was not to fight against the unseen force. He wanted to let himself be ejected from the mind world, along with the item in his hand. All his focus was directed to his hand keeping a tight grip around the flask. As the unknown force was trying to squeeze him out of the crystal ball and its smoky environment, his hand grabbed even stronger onto the item. The pressure built up and, with a feeling as if he was being squeezed through a narrow tube, he got expelled from the mind world. Azul fell backwards, stumbling onto the wet soil and almost falling over a tombstone, with a glass flask in his hands.

     Purpura

     Location: Library

     Discoveries: Mask, Moehog skull, Pair of dice

     Purpura was examining each and every book found on the bookshelves of the Library walls. Between flickering pages and grabbing the next book, she checked her wristband to make sure her friends were still safe. She had struck gold deciding to visit the Library. These books contained vital information on a range of artefacts hidden throughout the house. A specific book even described in great detail how to master the stringless bow they had discovered and how it could be used to defeat great evils, including the cryptic clues they had to solve along the way. Due to its immense power, the creator of the weapon deemed it necessary that only those with a great need be allowed to use, after having proven themselves. Other books provided a plethora of guidance on magical symbols, runes and ancient alphabets in addition to mystical arts that Purpura wasn’t even aware existed.

     “Blanca would have loved this room,” Purpura thought in disappointment, as she closed the cover of a book titled “Spilled beans on the pavement: Can the rain wash them away?” and slotted it back on the shelf. She had gone through almost every book in this room and she was aware that this house also hid a Tower that Blanca almost visited, right after the Paved Pathway. Inside its stone walls she could enrich her knowledge even further. It potentially hid more interesting literature which could assist her in her quest. As soon as she returned to headquarters, she planned on gathering together another squad to revisit the house and collect any leftover items, weapons and books that they might miss during this exploration mission.

     “I will try discussing the matter with Verde and Azul, they will understand,” she assured herself as she was thinking of an alibi to justify the next mission she had in mind. She didn’t want to give it too much thought at this instance. She had decided to visit the Library to search for the second weapon, and she had to get back on track.

     According to Orion’s words, and after everything that had already ensued, the throwing stars could only be found in the Library or the Treasury. Armed with her posh ball mask, she tapped into the immeasurable intelligence that flowed through her and let it guide her into the mind world once more. The mask acted like a free passport that allowed her to enter and leave the mind world as she pleased, granted to her by an unknown ambassador to whom she was deeply grateful. She did not realise the exact moment that she entered the purple hued room. The blue coloured walls had turned into a soft purple and the dark carpet was now a deep shade of eggplant, the transition so seamless to her eyes.

     She gave a slow twirl to marvel at the purple world around her and then started to meticulously scan each square of the room for the elusive weapon. Her focus passed over the bookshelves, quickly checking each book without success. She continued her search on the opposite wall, while examining each nook and corner. The carpet was then scanned, each thread carefully inspected. She followed the carpet’s path towards the sofa and the fireplace. She could quickly breeze through every inch of the Library due to the boundless power she possessed, inspecting under each cushion of the sofa with her mind before quickly turning her focus to the fireplace.

     Suddenly, she felt the cold temperature of the unlit fireplace seeping into her mind, as if freezing waves were emanating from its metallic surface and twisting themselves and mixing with her mind world. She had never felt her mind being cold. Surely, she suffered the occasional brain freeze from slurping her slushies too fast, but that was always harmless. This kind of cold felt different. The chill that was assaulting her mind, acting as a cautionary warning - or an affirmative cue - gave her hope that she was getting closer to her goal. While her mind was literally slowly freezing over, as she could feel icy spikes trying to ward her off - spikes that had started manifesting themselves as physical entities in the room -, she poured all her intelligence on the inner heath of the fireplace. There she saw it. Shrouded in a cloud of floating soot, she noticed a pair of throwing stars, tinted in dusty plum hues. The frost got closer, it was now covering the whole room, from ceiling to floor. As it started enveloping her mind, she reached for the stars. She felt their freezing temperature and grasped them. With one last effort, she pulled back and exited the mind world, crashing to the ground. In her hands lay a pair of grey throwing stars.

     Verde

     Location: Graveyard

     Discoveries: Bite, Stringless bow

     Verde had moved Azul under the shade, right next to his bag which was lying beneath a tombstone. The Cirrus had come out and was snuggling against Azul’s face. He was conscious and in good health, but he needed a second of respite. Judge Hog had been very clear regarding the importance of recovery, and Purpura was correct earlier when she prevented him from entering the mind world again. In the end, they had managed to see their plan through without the need to exert himself; at least not excessively.

     After a few long seconds, Azul opened his eyes and was the first one to speak.

     “I have got it,” he croaked, raising his right hand to present a flask to Verde, “Please have it, it’s yours.”

     Verde grabbed it and turned to his wristband to find out more information. The green light jumped out of the screen and informed about the powerful effects of the potion preserved inside.

     “This is great news!” Verde exclaimed happily, “I can drink this right before I confront Albugineo and immensely increase my strength. Great job, buddy!”

     “I hope I’ve done well,” Azul replied, his voice trailing off. After he felt ready, he got up from the ground and Verde followed. This was their cue for their final battle. This was the time to defeat or be defeated.

     Verde checked his green map, which popped out of the wristband and expanded. Through its translucent green surface he could see the soil on the floor. Both their green and blue dots were still in the Graveyard. A purple dot appeared in the Library, where Purpura had successfully found the second weapon. This was reassuring. In case the bow did not work properly, they could still master the throwing stars and attempt once more to emerge victorious, until they succeeded - given they were not defeated by that point. Two more dots appeared in the Abandoned Room. Two treacherous white dots. One was the same size as the other coloured dots albeit its circumference was laced with a black dotted line. The second dot was bigger and shone brighter; Albugineo.

     Verde clutched the glass flask in his left hand and the stringless bow in his right hand, with fury. He saw Azul check on the baby, before fastening his bag on his back, checking and rechecking that everything was in order and well secured. When they were both ready, they started walking towards the exit - or rather - entrance door back to the Ballroom. They stepped inside and were greeted by the rainbows on the hardwood floor. Azul approached the enormous mirror that covered the wall straight ahead. Through his reflection, he quickly ensured that all the straps were correctly fastened and secure on his backpack and his wristband. He gave a twirl to see if any flaps were open or if any cords were in the dangling from the bag. The Cirrus happily followed him around, gliding through the area and leaving behind small puffs. Once he was ready, he joined Verde who had turned to his right and was waiting near the fateful door.

     Verde pushed against the glass cork that was sealing the opening of the flask and with a satisfying popping sound, it got ejected and fell on the floor, magically not shattering. A faint smoke emerged from the opening, its texture so fine and fleeting like the steam rising from a freshly baked loaf of bread. It filled the air with an aroma of ripe pinannas that transported Verde back to Krawk Island and placed him inside the Golden Dubloon. There, Rosetta Fontaine used to sneakily slip him some leftover Pinanna Paradise which was his favourite dessert. He savoured the aroma for a long minute before raising the flask and, with one gulp, drank the potion. Pinannas disappeared from his mind as he started focusing on the skill he wanted to raise. He concentrated on his strength which would be the most useful in his upcoming fight, as most duels required a high level of strength, unlike Albugineo’s other form of attack which used clarity to enter the mind world and mentally attack from within. However, that rendered him motionless, thus it was clear that he would opt for his ranged attacks.

     He felt the liquid slide down and reach his belly, before branching out to fill every crevice of his body. It felt warm and familiar although it was tasteless. The effects of the potion became more noticeable with every passing second, his strength increasing with every breath he took. Despite there not being any physical changes to his Kacheek body, he felt his muscles enlarge and newfound power flow through them. He was unstoppable and ready to take on the Wocky that shamed the Defenders of Neopia. With the bow in hand and his friend Azul by his side, they took the next step and passed the threshold into the Abandoned Room.

     Azul

     Location: Abandoned Room

     Discoveries: Baby Vandagyre, Wooden board, Cirrus, Crystal ball

     Azul was the first to notice the thin white aura, almost like a sewing thread that came to life and was swaying on its own in mid-air, connecting the minds of Albugineo and of the sleeping Blanca. Albugineo’s eyes were shut but behind the eyelids the venomous green light was trying to escape its prison and poison everyone who risked looking at them.

     “Don’t you dare hurt her, you vile -” shouted Azul, as he rushed towards Albugineo, oblivious to what he was about to do. His body worked irrespective of his mind. Albugineo looked bigger than the last time they saw him. His aura was visibly larger, always encasing him inside its protective field. Azul rammed head first into Albugineo and pushed him backwards and away from the sofa where Blanca was sleeping. Upon making contact with his aura, Azul felt his whole body burning, but he didn't care. He kept pushing him back, until they hit the wall. Albugineo was floating but Azul had to traverse through the forgotten furniture that laid in his path while pushing him. The force with which Albugineo was driven against the wall forced the few empty frames, that were barely hanging from a nail on the surface, to fall and crash on the ground. The whole room rumbled with an ear piercing noise and the frame glass shattered, further littering the already chaotic room. The silky white thread that was transferring Blanca’s essence broke as if severed by a pair of sharp scissors.

     Albugineo opened his eyes, full of rage. The green glow escaped its palpebral guard and shone out of his pupils. He saw the green Kacheek standing near the entrance and turned his gaze down to see who dared interfere with his sacred ceremony of essence absorption. With visible disgust, he saw a blue Shoyru walking backwards and stepping away from him, with a revolting Cirrus floating around him in circles. These weaklings hadn’t learnt their lesson yet. It would be a hard earned lesson, and a well deserved one, having dared to show any sign of rebellion against his obvious superiority. Albugineo huffed angrily and his aura glowed even brighter, bathing the whole room with its radiance. Branching off the brilliant aura, two sturdy knuckles started forming, elongating and extracting from his shoulders.

     After a second of respite and scarcely assessing the situation, Azul charged again, fists extended outwards. He was running towards his foe when he saw Albugineo’s auric knuckles snap off and lunge towards him. Azul concentrated on his movement, feeling the vibrations emitted by the incoming knuckles as they cut through the air zooming towards him. Time seemed to have paused. He sensed how the knuckles disturbed the air, causing laminar and turbulent waves to form in the surroundings and emanate outwards. At the correct moment, time resumed and he jumped, launching himself off the ground for a surprise aerial attack. With his fists extended and ready to strike, he had bypassed the predicted trajectory of the aura, as disciplined by Aisheena.

     Verde did not remain an idle spectator throughout the ordeal. He took advantage of Albugineo’s distraction during the commotion to find the best vantage point. He required sufficient space to perform the bow’s actions as well as good visibility to his target, in order to maximise the weapon’s capabilities. He swiftly moved away from the door and climbed on top of an old set of drawers near the right hand side wall, which he hoped and wished could sustain his weight without breaking down. From on top of the furniture, he had good visibility of Albugineo.

     Albugineo was prepared for Azul’s sneak attack. He swiftly redirected his knuckles upwards, where they met with Azul’s fists. They collided mid flight in a brilliant explosion of sound and light which echoed and shone throughout the Abandoned Room, rattling the loose floor tiles. Verde crouched low, almost becoming one with the surface of the furniture he had stood on, to avoid the wave of energy that had expanded outwards from the point of collision. The impact pushed Albugineo deeper into the wall, denting it and crashing the bricks, which started falling down in pieces. His aura momentarily looked as if it had splattered on the wall behind him, flattening and resembling a water balloon thrown on a hard surface. In the blink of an eye it regained its cocoon structure and encased Albugineo to protect him.

     Azul was blasted backwards. In the mere seconds before he reached the ground, he swung his bag from his back and brought it to the front with him in order to protect the baby. He hugged it tightly atop his chest. Just before crashing into the rubble of an old coffee table next to the sofa, he caught a glimpse of the Cirrus rushing past and placing itself as a protective cushion, to shield his head from the impact. Clutching firmly the bag and the baby, he crashed and lost consciousness.

     Verde

     Location: Abandoned Room

     Discoveries: Bite, Stringless bow, Skill flask

     Verde felt ready. Every mistake that had shaped his personality, every adventure that had both sparked and fueled his interest in exploration and in the greater good, along with his natural instinct to be helpful, had all converged to place him in this exact moment. A natural born leader whose eager and loyal friends always energised and emboldened him.

     “Step zero. Information received from Orion.”

     He stood upright on top of the set of drawers with his back straight and the weapon in his left hand. He extended it outwards and away from his body and slowly turned it in the horizontal position, so that the sharp ends were parallel to the ground.

     “Step one done. Riddle cracked by me.”

     With a swift motion, he swiped his right hand from left to right. His hand never touched the bow. Its motion was forceful and it glided above the weapon as if slicing through an invisible piece of clay. In an instant he felt the arrow made of pure energy pulsate underneath his left paw.

     “Step two finished. Riddle cracked by Purpura.”

     He wanted to announce every single one - defender or not - that contributed to mastering this weapon. It had not been a solitary task and each individual had to be acknowledged.

     He subsequently placed his right hand on top of the left, momentarily, in the middle of the bow. He slowly drew back the arrow. As the arrow was being drawn, the silver thread appeared, swirling and moving in seemingly erratic directions but always bound by the the two ends of the weapon. The silver thread bore all the tension which was amplified due to Verde’s immense strength.

     “Step three accomplished. Riddle cracked by Azul.”

     He then closed his left eye and squinted his right one. The crosshair appeared right in front of him, floating in mid air in the middle of his field of vision. The crosshair followed his eye’s every saccade like a dedicated follower. Wherever he focused his vision, the crosshair intensified and locked.

     “Step four ready and locked. Riddle cracked by me, Verde.” That was his final announcement and he felt that he had come full circle, paying his respect to everyone. He had performed all the actions in seconds.

     Verde saw Azul falling through the air in the Abandoned room, while the Cirrus zoomed past him to cushion his fall as much as possible. It wasn’t a fall from grace. It was a brave fall, suitable for a real hero. He wanted to shout and run and help his friend, but he couldn't lose his observation post. Neither could he lose the element of surprise to outsmart his enemy.

     As Albugineo was detaching from the wall and his aura was returning to its stronghold shape, Verde concentrated on the black symbol on Albugineo’s left side. The crosshair intensified in vibrance, its outlines clearing perfectly, and locked with the centre of the symbol. He amassed all his strength and transferred it into the arrow. He let go. A feeling of success overtook him.

     The string catapulted the arrow forward with immense power. Pure energy was now zooming through the air from one side of the room, chasing its target on the opposite side. The arrow met its target and caught Albugineo off guard. It struck his aura and punctured it, as if a piece of blazing coal was piercing through a block of ice, and hit the symbol. Albugineo let out a mighty roar that sounded more like a battlecry than a plea for help. He looked at Verde and venomous green eyes locked with pure green eyes.

     Albugineo twisted his torso to his left, preparing his counterattack. Verde took this opportunity, he knew that he only had a second to act. He quickly swiped his right hand over the bow. He subsequently drew back the new arrow that materialised, constraining it within the ethereal string. This had now become second nature to him. His eyes focused on the second black symbol that adorned Albugineo’s right side, which only became visible for a split second as he twisted. That moment, even if ephemeral, let the crosshair lock on its new target. Albugineo spun his torso back to the centre of his body, releasing the built up tension like a spring and simultaneously Verde let go of the arrow.

     A crescent shaped aura got separated from Albugineo’s hips and darted towards Verde. Its surface was a brilliant white. The edges were sharp but the rest had a smooth arc shape, resembling Kreludor during its waning crescent phase, or rather the weapon that Verde was holding. He jumped onto the floor, leaving behind his higher ground, and tumbled on the cold tiles to avoid it. The crescent aura barged into the set of drawers with full force, destroying them. Broken wood and splinters were flying in the air, falling onto Blanca and Azul which were impervious to what was happening. The released arrow was zooming through the room, its surface a sea of chaotic energy pulsating as it moved. It expanded and retracted while it searched for its prey, curving around the forgotten furniture in the room. Albugineo had twisted back his torso and was standing straight, but the arrow remembered the symbol; and it hunted it down, ignoring an expected straight trajectory.

     Albugineo had no choice but to halt the arrow. Ethereal shurikens were being expelled from his aura, aiming for it. Forming on the surface and ejecting from the aura at high speeds, the brilliantly white shurikens were spinning menacingly, their sharp edges intending to knock it down. The arrow was deterred. It eloquently dodged every single shuriken that came its way, turning and swiveling to avoid the incoming onslaught. After a few seconds, it met its target. It pierced through the aura, just as easily as before, and struck the second symbol. At once, the aura shattered into a million pieces with a loud crack and started dissolving.

     “This is a disgrace!” shouted Albugineo, looking around him as the aura slowly disappeared in a pandemonium of bright pieces losing their opacity and slowly melting away, turning into an aethereal steam. The once mighty cocoon had cracked open but from within did not emerge any elegant butterfly.

     “How dare you defy the mighty Albugineo?” he bellowed at Verde, his voice echoing throughout the whole house, as he tried to regain his composure. Despite losing his protection and being badly wounded, Albugineo still clung to his strength and his arrogance. He was desperately trying to locate the green Kacheek, who had disappeared from his sight, and to put an end to this child’s play once and for all.

     He was as slow, though, as he was vain, pompous and, admittedly, formidable. Verde had managed to crawl on the broken floor undetected, earning himself some fresh scratches that he hadn’t yet realised. He was only a few breaths away from Albugineo, who hadn’t managed to locate him. During that moment, when time felt that it had paused, Verde thought he saw an ounce of fear in those despicable eyes. Those eyes that haunted him and his friends ever since the Wocky stepped foot in this house. Was it fear for his upcoming defeat or was it apprehension for his looming shattered ego?

     Verde pushed hard onto the floor, forcing all his strength to flow through his hands and feet. Unexpectedly, he propelled himself off the ground, right in front of his foe. Albugineo was stunned and, even though he tried to use his aura to protect himself, it was futile. Verde swung his fist. It radiated with a bright green glow that covered his knuckle, due to the power that it bore. Azul’s potion was a lifesaver at this moment. He struck a third symbol, right in the middle of Albugineo’s torso. The impact pushed Albugineo back into the Wocky shaped imprint he had left on the wall earlier, and lost consciousness.

     Verde fell gracefully onto the floor, dodging a stray metal rod that lay there. He gazed up at his enemy, who lay motionless against the wall. This time, he did not disappear from in front of him only to return stronger than before. This time, they had truly defeated him and the mission was a success.

     In this game of checkers, white had lost.

     To be continued…