Artefact Hunters: Ikimono's Mirror

’Miserable lowlifes, when I get out of here, I’m going to claw out your eyeballs and use them as cat toys! I’m going to find the biggest, nastiest Petpet you’ve got locked up here and –’

Brynn roared and snarled and clawed at her captors through the bars of the small Petpet cage they’d dumped her into. She was perfectly aware that they couldn’t understand the words she was “saying,” but that was kind of liberating in a way. A heroine of Neopia and head of the Faerie Queen’s guard had a certain image to maintain. Even out here, she wasn’t convinced that her more… colourful threats wouldn’t somehow become public knowledge if anyone caught on to them.

Besides, the poachers got the gist of it. Yasu, a Camouflage Pteri and the one who’d hit Hanso with the freezing potion, tossed an uneasy scowl at Brynn and crossed her wings.

“This is what we get for going after travellers with owned Petpets,” she said. “I told you that Ixi was in trouble. Now what are we supposed to do with this thing?”

Brynn was starting to roar herself hoarse by this point, so she forced herself to calm down a little and settled for glaring back with a soft growl. The Nimmo, whom the others had called Eiko, shot her a venomous look but scoffed at the comment.

“Are you kidding? For an Orange Biyako trained for battle, plus two exotic steeds? The payday will more than make up for it.”

She paused to take a swig of healing potion and continued to nurse her now bandaged arm. “As for what to ‘do’ with the Biyako, we can find some rich idiot who wants a guard Petpet and let them deal with her. Not our fault if a buyer can’t win the loyalty of an aggressive feline.”

Kaito, the Skeith, was leaning up against a nearby tree and chewing on a rice ball. He paused for a moment to look down at the food, and his face pinched in annoyance as if remembering Hanso’s comment about fitting the stereotype.

“Hey, are either of you worried about how the Ixi had two riding Alkenores with him?” he suddenly piped up.

Yasu snapped her beak in annoyance. “I already told you, there was no one else around when I was scouting him out. The second Alkenore was probably for the Biyako or something. The guy’s a complete nutjob; he was talking to her like she was a literal Neopet.”

Brynn tried not to visibly react to the irony of that statement. When all three poachers turned to eye her again, she just snarled.

‘You all are lucky you’re out of my jurisdiction. I’m reporting your sorry tales so hard once I’m back to normal.’

Eiko rolled her eyes and shrugged. “As long as this potion keeps me from getting some kind of infection, who cares? Those Alkenores made sure the Ixi can’t track us down even if he does have backup somewhere in town. And these guys are just a bunch of dumb Petpets.”

Kaito grimaced. “I dunno, I’ve heard stories about some Petpets. And that Biyako looks like she’s plotting something.”

Eiko rolled her eyes again. “You’re thinking too much, Kaito. Come on, we should do a perimeter check before it gets dark.”

With that, the gang dispersed to other parts of their little poacher camp. The Skeith and Nimmo drifted off to opposite ends of the clearing they’d made for themselves – backed by a steep cliff on one side and camouflaged by shrubs and brush the rest of the way around. Meanwhile, Yasu fluttered upward and disappeared into the forest canopy.

Brynn sat back on her haunches and took the opportunity to study the place. Her corner was littered with Petpet cages, through at the moment, only her own and three others seemed to be occupied. A Quilin was pawing at the bars of the one nearest her, while further down she could see a pair of Blue Dandans huddled together in the corner of their cage.

Most curious was the highest enclosure, which had been tucked into a shadowy crevice in the rocks. This one had clear walls affixed to its bars, as if it had been modified into some kind of aquarium. But it held no water, and at first glance it seemed to be empty. Brynn swore she could see flashes of blue and purple as she looked, though, and she got the strangest sense that whatever the smugglers had put in there was looking back out at her.

There wasn’t too much else of note. A pile of snares and traps sat near the cages. The crew’s usual tools of the trade, judging by Yasu’s commentary. They had their personal supplies – straw sleeping mats, cookware, and the like – on the opposite end of the clearing, separate from their captives and the things used to capture them. Eiko had propped Brynn’s sword against a tree next to what must have been her mat, claiming it as a reward for her “quick thinking, leadership, and having to deal with the blazing Biyako.”

In the small divide between spaces, one of the poachers had tied Rohane and Boraxis to a tree after realising they were too big for any of the cages. The two Alkenores looked about nervously, antennae twitching with the general sense that something was wrong but little idea of what to do about it.

After checking to ensure that the poachers were still far off with their attention turned elsewhere, Brynn next studied the front of her cage to get a better look at the latches holding it shut. There were two of them, at the top and bottom of the door. Each consisted of a pin attached to the door by a small chain and threaded through offset holes at the edges of both the door and the cage’s main body.

The pins had catches on them to stop them from slipping out unless they were turned just so, but there were no locks. The poachers must have considered their hidden wilderness camp security enough from outsiders. And what Petpet, wild or domestic, was smart enough to manipulate a pin latch from behind the narrow bars?

The tip of Brynn’s tail flicked back and forth. Boy, did she have news for these guys.

New movement caught the corner of her eye, and she backed up and made a show of growling at the newcomer.

It was Kaito, grumbling something under his breath and balancing several shallow wooden bowls in his arms. He paused to growl back at her before shoving one of them through a narrow slit at the bottom of her cage.

“Eat up, ya dumb feline,” he said, banging the top of her cage with a fist for emphasis. “You’ve gone and got Eiko in a mood now, so she better be right about you.”

Brynn just glared at him, hackles raised, and lips curled back in a silent snarl. ‘You have no idea how wrong she is. You’ll see soon enough, though.’

The Skeith just snorted at her display and moved on to feed the others. Brynn watched him warily for a few moments before turning to sniff at her own bowl. It was filled with a cold, somewhat congealed stew. Probably leftovers from the group’s lunch, or else their dinner the night before. Better than Petpet chow, at least.

But she wasn’t convinced that this gang was smart enough not to feed the Petpets they captured things that were toxic to them, nor did she relish the idea of testing for herself what foods a Biyako could and could not eat. And frankly, it was possible that she’d done too good a job harassing the poachers and they’d laced her bowl with something that would make her drowsy and less aggressive.

Her tail started twitching again as she thought. The poachers had left all of her and Hanso’s own food supplies behind when they grabbed the Alkenores, so refusing prepared food now when it was available was a risk in itself. But she’d caught a glimpse of Kasuma Village when they were hauling her off, and she was pretty sure she could find her way back if she and Hanso didn’t find each other first. She was getting hungry, but not unmanageably so, and if all else failed, she knew a few things about hunting and foraging.

With that in mind, she pushed the unappetizing stew to the side and lay down to wait until the poachers went to bed.

Hanso stumbled half-dazed into Kasuma Village, overloaded with the supplies the Alkenores had been carrying and hating himself just a little. He’d tried for nearly an hour to pick up the poachers’ trail, scrutinising every snapped branch and vague disturbance in the dirt as if they’d turn into arrows pointing toward his kidnapped partner if he stared hard enough. But the facts were simple. Tracking wasn’t his most practised skill under the best circumstances, and he suspected that the gang had taken to the sky on Rohane and Boraxis and rendered it impossible. All he could think to do now was head to town and pray that someone there had a lead on the poachers.

The village wasn’t especially busy, though he could see some people setting up paper lanterns outside their shops. There was a big “Founder’s Festival” of some sort coming up, and it looked like the villagers had just started getting ready for the party.

Still, Hanso managed to earn a few odd looks as he appeared in their quiet little town wearing foreign gear and loaded with saddlebags. It was a riverside village of thatched roofs and small farms, and he had a feeling they didn’t get many visitors. He cast his gaze around for someone or something that could help him out.

“Poachers!” The word burst out of his mouth as soon as he spotted a town guard looking his way, and he stumbled over. “Out in the woods. They attacked me and stole my steeds, and kidnapped my part- uh, my Biyako!”

The guard, a Silver Acara, straightened up a little and held out a calming hand. “Easy, sir. Poachers, you say? There have been reports of illegal Petpet trapping and smuggling in this area, apparently by a small group. Does that sound like them?”

Hanso nodded. He had a brief moment to find it strange that he, of all people, was out here reporting crime to the local law enforcement. But he was basically part of the Faerieland Guard now, so the feeling passed quickly.

“There was a female Green Nimmo and a male Red Skeith. Oh, and I think a Lenny or Pteri or something? I don’t know, I didn’t get a good look at the last one before they knocked me out with a freezing potion.”

The Acara nodded, his face hardening. “If they’re starting to attack travellers, then this is more serious than we thought.”

He turned and beckoned for Hanso to follow him. “Come with me, and tell me everything you remember about your encounter. What can I call you?”

Hanso blinked. “Oh. Uh, Hanso.”

The Acara just nodded again, evidently failing to connect the dots and recognise him. “Very well, Hanzo. I believe the Petpet Protection League is already out searching for this gang, but with your information, we should be able to find them much more quickly. We will do everything we can to get your Petpets back.”

Hanso opened his mouth to correct the guard on his name as he fell into step behind him, but then decided against it. These guards would probably be better off without the distraction anyway.

As long as he got Brynn back safe, that was the only thing that really mattered here.

Night had fallen, and the poacher camp had settled in for bed. Yasu had drawn the short straw to take watch, and now she perched on a tree branch at the camp’s perimeter in hidden, silent vigil. But she was on the lookout for outside threats, and Pteri eyes weren’t particularly suited for the dark.

Brynn sat upright at the front of her cage, one forepaw hooked around a bar for balance while she tried to open the top latch with the other. It was harder than she’d hoped. The bars were sturdy and set close together, and she couldn’t quite fit her full paw through the gaps. She had to squeeze her foretoes through as far as she could manage, and then use her extended claws to try and turn the bolt into place without any real chance at a good grip.

She held her breath when she managed to wriggle one claw beneath the catch jutting out from the far end of the pin. With a careful twist, she turned it into place and started pushing it toward the hole, keeping the latch shut.

The pin was almost there when it slipped from its precarious position on the tip of the claw, and its weight twisted it to point back downward. Brynn growled softly to herself.

She took a moment to glance around and ensure that Yasu was still facing away from her and the other two were still asleep. All was clear, so she repositioned her claws and tried again.

This time, she managed to position and push the pin as far as she could reach from that angle into the hole. With it now keeping the catch in place, she repositioned again to hook another claw around the chain attached to the other end of the pin. With a quick tug, she was able to pull it the rest of the way through.

The top half of the cage door came loose with a satisfying jolt, and Brynn let out a soft sigh of relief. She couldn’t quite get the gap big enough to fit her body through, but with a little maneuvering, she was able to squeeze a forelimb through to get a better hold on the bottom latch.

With another minute or two of work, the cage door popped open and nearly sent her tumbling headfirst out into the camp.

Stepping into the open, Brynn took only a moment to stretch her legs and relish her freedom. This was just the first step. She still needed to retrieve her sword and the Alkenores, and then escape without getting spotted and recaptured.

Crouching low, she slunk through the trimmed-down undergrowth toward the sleeping mats. This part was risky, and perhaps a little foolhardy. But her sword had seen her through the Fall of Faerieland and a dozen other battles besides. It was like a part of her, and she would not give it up to some puffed-up Petpet smugglers without a fight.

Eiko and Kaito didn’t stir as she reached the former’s mat, and Yasu hadn’t moved from her perch. With any luck, the Pteri had nodded off. Brynn eyed her sheathed longsword, trying to figure out how best to carry it.

Angling herself a little to the side, she reached up with a forepaw and hooked it around the scabbard. Delicately, she pulled it away from the tree and let it drop onto her shoulder. The jolt of it falling on her made her wince a little, but she and it both managed to stay quiet.

Turning her head, she took the strap in her teeth near where it attached to the top of the sheath and started to pull. With a little manoeuvring, she got the sword so that it lay diagonally down her back, so long as she kept a grip on the strap. It wasn’t the most stable arrangement, but she just had to hang on until she could get the sword to one of the Alkenores.

Boraxis was asleep on his hooves when she reached the two of them, but Rohane raised his head and twitched his antennae. He let out a shrill chirrup.

Brynn’s breath caught in her throat, and she pressed herself down against the ground and as close to the tree as she could manage. She swore she could hear rustling from Yasu’s direction. She stayed down for a long minute, praying that the lookout would think nothing of it.

Other than some muttered comment about “noisy beasts,” nothing else seemed to happen. Cautiously, Brynn picked herself back up. Gesturing downward with a paw, she let out a low huff in a desperate attempt to shush Rohane and the now-awakened Boraxis.

She wasn’t sure whether the signal had actually worked or the pair were just in a quiet mood, but they didn’t make any more significant noise. Satisfied for the time being, Brynn shrugged off her sword and looped its strap over Rohane’s neck. It caught awkwardly where his reins were tied to the tree, so she settled in to untie him first. Rearing up and setting her forepaws on the tree, she gripped a part of the knotted leather strip in her teeth and pulled it undone.

Once that was finished and she’d arranged everything so her sword rested a bit neater against Rohane’s shoulder, Brynn ducked down and checked again to make sure the poachers were still where they’d last been. Rohane and Boraxis had started shuffling around more after she joined them, but they hadn’t made any sounds louder than a few gentle chirps. That must not have been too unusual to the smugglers, because Yasu was still hidden in her shadowed perch, and what little Brynn could see of her seemed to be turned away.

Still, it got Brynn thinking as she started on Boraxis’ reins. Once she got the two of them moving, they would be far more noticeable than she was slinking around by herself. It seemed she could keep them from vocalising too loudly, but they were big Petpets and not built for stealth. A single glance back from the lookout was all it would take to raise the alarm.

Brynn paused and turned to eye the other cages. The Quilin was close by, its enclosure just out of the Alkenores’ range, and it was awake and watching her.

She didn’t like the idea of leaving the other Petpets to the poachers’ care. Most likely, some of them – perhaps all – were wild. And any domestic ones probably came from Kasuma Village or somewhere else nearby. They’d have a better chance of finding their way home if she set them loose than they did if the smugglers had their way.

Brynn doubted she’d be able to free them all without raising the alarm… but if she was likely to raise the alarm anyway, it was better to have a distraction. The poachers couldn’t recapture every single Petpet at once, after all.

Once she was done with Boraxis, Brynn went to the Quilin’s cage. The Petpet backed up and gave her a wary look, but there was an intelligence in its eyes, and it seemed to have an idea of what she was trying to do. After fighting with the latch of her own cage from the inside, Brynn was able to get the pins on the Quilin’s into position and remove them with relative ease.

As she pulled the cage door open and the Petpet padded softly out, Brynn looked back once again and confirmed that the poachers were still unaware. One down.

Rohane and Boraxis had stayed more or less where they were after she’d loosed their reins, but now they followed her to the Dandans’ cage. The two smaller Petpets pressed themselves as low as they could in the back corner, fearful of the large predator approaching them. Brynn worried that if she lingered too long, they would feel cornered enough to switch to the attack. She got their cage open as quickly as she could, and then wove her way to the back.

It took a little climbing to reach the nook where the walled cage was. Brynn could only guess that it had been raised above the others so the poachers could get a better look at its hidden occupant whenever they bothered to check on the Petpets. By some miracle, they still had yet to do so right now.

With a start, Brynn realised that the strange hidden creature had made itself fully visible by the time she reached it. It was a Kazeriu, slender and sharp-eyed and almost ethereal. And like the Dandans – and, she supposed, herself – it wasn’t the standard colour. This one was lighter, its body mostly a stark white and its accents pale cool colours that she couldn’t quite place with the low light and her limited colour vision. Most telling, though, were the wings. How in Neopia had these chuckleheads managed to find and capture a Faerie Kazeriu?

Whatever the answer, the Petpet regarded Brynn with a curious little tilt of the head. She got to work on the latch of its cage, shielded from the clever Petpet’s own dextrous paws by the clear walls surrounding it. She glanced back only once and saw that the Dandans had scurried out of their cage and the Alkenores were fluttering their wings and shuffling their hooves just beneath her. Whatever luck had kept her hidden thus far, it was about to run out.

In a few moments, the enclosure was open. The Kazeriu slunk serpent-like through the gap in the doorway and turned to regard Brynn one last time with what she swore was a small nod of the head. With a flutter of wings, the Petpet sprang into the air.

And then, as the saying goes, Moltara erupted.

To be continued…