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Let Me Tell You A Story


by midnight_sun

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     Oh! Hello there, stranger. Now that you’ve found my hiding spot, I guess we should talk as to why I’m here. Although maybe I should be asking why you’re here…why are you here?

     Well, never you mind. I’ve been hoping to tell my story for a while now so I guess it won’t hurt to tell you. My name is Jacque Renaud. Adventurer Renaud to you! Now, I see you snickering in your little corner. You’re thinking; “What? This rather spectacularly dashing young JubJub is an adventurer?” You see my small stature and you think I can’t do it!

     You all think I can’t do it! Even mother with her warm undertones, pushing me off when I wanted to go exploring in the meadow behind our house. But just you wait! I’ll show all of you!

     You see, I’m lying in wait for a rather fantastic reason. And I don’t think it’ll hurt to tell you seeing as the wheel is in motion. The stage has been set! The story—ah, I’m sorry. I went off tangent there. But here it is. Behind us, not more than one hundred yards, there’s a Lutari that I’ve been following.

     Eleanor, that’s her name. She may look unassuming. I mean, she sure doesn’t seem to be anyone worth following. But that’s where you’re wrong. Because a month ago, I happened to stumble into one Eleanor, or EB, as she likes to be called. Well, more like EB stumbled into me but that’s rather common when you’re a JubJub.

     Now EB was in a bit of a rush, so no sooner had she tripped over me, she was quickly rushing off once again. But little did she know that in her jacket pocket, she had loose leaf of paper that was tightly folded. This folded note fell deftly from her pocket and the unassuming Lutari didn’t realize it in her haste. I did the gentlemanly thing—I called for her but she’d already slipped into a crowd and that would’ve been it…

     Well, it would’ve been it but I’m an adventurer. And as any common and decent adventurer it made sense that I’d find her and return the note. Not knowing who she was at the time, I’d decided that the only way to find our Lutari in question was to hope that her note held a clue or two. This note did hold a clue, but it was to something so much more magical than I’d ever assumed it could be. Here, I’ll read it to you.

     Eleanor,

     The time is near. The mystic sends word about our shadowed lands. He said that the time was fast approaching. There will be one last mission and if solved and the correct order provided, it will soon be ours. The spell will be broken and soon we may all return! I’ve told the others, EB. They’re waiting with bated breath, and should everything go as planned, we’ll storm Lutari Island. We’ll show everyone that there’s no curse that can hold us down for long! You must hurry! A month is all the time the faerie will give us. Xxx

     Now if that’s not a good note to come across, I’ll eat my left foot! I couldn’t believe it. Lutari Island—do you remember it? I was quite young when the land fell into shadows. Not a soul to be found, that’s what everyone said. Where’d they all go? The truth my dear stranger, is I think this was the adventure I’d been waiting for since I’d first wanted to join the profession.

     So, going on this note, I made my way to the Island Mystic. He’s not incredibly helpful, that one, but all I had to do was make mention of those ‘shadowed lands’. He seemed startled that I knew of it but after telling him that EB sent me he suddenly wasn’t so afraid to talk. I informed him that EB was on her way to complete the last mission but I needed to warn her. Mumbled something about a forgotten clause in the curse. What mission was she completing? Did he know?

     Imagine my surprise when he mentioned Chef Bonju. I hear you gasp, and I couldn’t agree more! Chef Bonju is ridiculously hard to get a hold of, and how was he supposed to help with Lutari Island? He was the pickiest chef in all of Neopia. She’d have better luck getting help from Dr. Sloth! Well maybe not Dr. Sloth, but he wouldn’t be as much of a challenge.

     But I digress. You’re wondering why we’re here now. Why do we hide in the covers of trees in the Haunted Wood? Well EB makes a pretty good problem solver and she sweet talked her way right into the answer for our famous Chef. I think even he was surprised by how quickly she got through because he told her exactly why her beloved island was being stormed and raged upon. And the answer to that is behind those trees, waiting for EB to make her way there.

     Edna. Edna was the one to set that curse! I asked Chef Bonju after EB made her way out. Why would Edna cast such a spell on this small unsuspecting island? But you see, that’s where the real story lies. And this is what EB doesn’t know yet! Edna didn’t want to start the curse. She was coerced into it. “It will be fun,” they said. “Just a little storm but then it’ll be over and no one will have to know.” They knew they could get Edna to do their bidding by giving her a challenge. “It’ll be hard…maybe you can’t manage. Maybe I should get someone else.” Well—of course Edna wouldn’t be able to say no. She’d do it even if she exhausted herself trying.

     And she did do it. She made Lutari Island into the swamp that it is today. And she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. Edna sat in her tower, waiting in hopes that she’d be released from the spell that kept her quiet, inform the Lutari all about the horrid spell she’d been forced to cast. If only a Lutari would come to her, maybe she’d be able to finally release the curse, now that they understood she was the one to place it on their island.

     Now you’re wondering where I fit into all of this. Why am I here? EB obviously doesn’t know me. And why should I sit around here, speaking to you about all of this?

     Let me tell you some more about myself. My name is Jacque Renaud. I’m more or less your average adventurer. But I’m also an apprentice. I’m learning the trait. Maybe you’ve heard of my boss. She’s pretty good at what she does. They call her Banks. It confuses a few people. They expect a guy. But Banks is her last name. Eleanor Banks is her full name, or as her friends call her, EB.

     We’ve been waiting for you. We knew you were the one who wished to cast the spell! You didn’t have the power to do it yourself so you fooled Edna into it. But while you’ve been standing here, listening to my story, EB had Edna drop the curse. The Lutari are waiting. They know they’re getting their land back, and they know you’re the one who placed their land under endless storms.

     I’d run away now if I was you—it’s only a matter of time until they’ve found you. More so with Edna helping them. She’s not very pleased either. Anyway, thanks for listening! It’s been fun, hasn’t it?

     The End.

 
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