Artefact Hunters: Ikimono's Mirror

     Brynn and Hanso crouched low in the shadow of the wall surrounding the Imperial Palace grounds. They’d found their way here through side streets while most of the crowds were focused on the parade. Now, they just needed to find a way in.

     That part, in theory at least, was easy. They hadn’t exactly been able to contact Lady Min after Hanso was transformed, but she knew what they’d been looking for and what had happened to Brynn. There was a chance that she’d let the imperial guards know to keep an eye out for an Orange Biyako, if nothing else.

     In case that failed, Hanso had pointed out through gestures and dirt-writing that they still had Brynn’s journal. Their plan was to send her first with the travel bag, see if the guards recognised her, and show them the journal if they didn’t. Hanso could join her once everything had been set straight.

     Brynn’s ears were twitching at every sound as she looped the strap of Hanso’s pack over her own shoulders and let him cinch it more securely at her side. She knew from experience that palace guards had more important things to worry about than chasing after wandering petpets, even ones who had disrupted the Founders’ Festival parade. She certainly wouldn’t have left Faerie Castle to chase down a stray outside the grounds. But after everything she and Hanso had dealt with in the past few days, it was hard not to be anxious.

     Hanso let out an assured snort and nodded, and she could practically hear him say, ‘Ready when you are.’ The bulk of Ikimono’s Mirror in its satchel hung awkwardly on his smaller frame, but he looked like he’d manage fine for the short walk from the grounds gate to Lady Min’s workshop.

     Brynn nodded back. With a deep breath, she trotted out toward the gate and gave a feline grunt to catch the guards’ attention.

     One of the guards, a Techo of that greenish-yellowish looking colour that she couldn’t accurately identify, turned toward the sound. Her eyes widened, and she hissed at her coworker, “Kenzo, do you see what that is? Who that is?!”

     Her partner looked over at Brynn as well. Before he could say anything, though, he sneezed.

     “Ugh,” he grumbled. “All I know is, that’s a feline, and I’m allergic.” He scrunched up his nose and waved his spear weakly to try and shoo Brynn away.

     The Techo scowled at him. “Focus! Don’t you remember what Lady Min and Master Hikaru said? We have to be on the lookout for –”

     She suddenly stopped herself and blinked. “Wait, did you say you’re allergic to felines? As in, all felines?”

     Kenzo sniffed and brushed a stray bit of hair back from his face. “Uh, yeah.”

     “...You’re a Wocky.”

     This was ridiculous. Brynn took a step forward and grunted again, louder this time.

     The Techo guard shook her head and gestured toward Brynn. “Anyway, that’s not the point! This is clearly Captain Brynn, from Faerieland! Don’t you remember? Lady Min said she got hit by that artefact she was going after, and that we should look out for an Orange Biyako.”

     Kenzo sniffed again and shrugged. “Yeah, well then where’s her partner? There are a lot of Biyakos around here. As far as we know, this is just someone’s pet. Or some kind of… I dunno, petpet spy or something sent to infiltrate the palace. Did you ever think of that, Jun?”

     Brynn sighed and sat down to swing off her pack. At least this would make plan B easier.

     While she opened it up to dig out her journal, Jun glanced between her and Kenzo and shifted from foot to foot. “And what if she’s not? Do you realise how much Captain Brynn outranks us?! She and Master Hanso are in the Gallery of Heroes, and you’re standing there sneezing at her!”

     “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Hanso and Brynn are quite personable, really.”

     Brynn’s ears perked at the familiar voice. She looked up, book in her jaws, to find Master Hikaru strolling calmly up to the gate from the direction of the palace. The two guards stood to attention as the old Ogrin joined them.

     “We happened to catch reports of a strange Nuk and Biyako causing some disturbance at the Founder’s Festival,” Hikaru went on. “After so long without an update from our esteemed guests, Lady Min suspected that the artefact they were after had caused another incident. We thought it best if I came down to investigate.”

     He winked one clouded eye in Brynn’s direction – and Hanso’s, as he had trotted out to join her when he overheard Hikaru. “After all, I am less likely to fall prey to an artefact that relies on sight,” he added with a chuckle.

     Kenzo tightened his grip a little on his spear, nervous now at the sight of Hanso. “But how do we know it’s really them?”

     Brynn grumbled and held out her journal towards him. Kenzo reached for it delicately, as if he expected it to explode, and then flipped it open to the first page.

     “Ah,” he squeaked, wilting a little. “Never mind, it’s them.”

     Hikaru clasped his hands together. “Wonderful! Hanso, Brynn, come with me. I’m sure that you are as eager to see Lady Min as she is to see you.”

     Hanso had never felt so relieved to have a plain stone floor to sit on. And he’d been on his fair share of the kinds of treks that made simple flooring a welcome change.

     It helped that Brynn was sitting close enough that he could lean into her soft fur if he wanted. He resisted the temptation, though. She kept adjusting her position, like she was trying to find the best way to sit that would keep her from looking ridiculous once she was bipedal again.

     Hanso smiled a little at the thought. For his own part, he’d pretty much given up on dignity for this mission. But he wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist a bit of light teasing if Brynn finally went and lost hers, too.

     At the other end of the workshop, Min had one dextrous Jubjub foot in Ryuji’s satchel while she used the other to complete the motions for yet another protection charm. Her eyes were closed as she focused on whatever magical reading she was getting from the hidden mirror. After a moment, she let out a self-assured harrumph.

     “That should do it,” she announced, opening the bag all the way and slipping Ikimono’s Mirror out. Hanso flinched back, but Min gave the artefact’s polished surface a good lookover without it affecting a single tuft of her pastel fur.

     Swivelling on the tall chair at her desk, she grasped the mirror deftly in her toes and set it so that it stood upright and facing out into the room.

     “One of you, please step forward and face the mirror so that I can perform the counterspell,” she announced.

     With a flick of the tail, Brynn got to her feet and trotted up. Min muttered an incantation, and even as Brynn was trying to situate herself, a pale green glow started to emanate from both her body and the Jubjub’s outstretched foot. Before Hanso’s eyes, the Biyako’s form grew and shifted into that of a Kougra. In the process, her travel armour appeared as if from her own skin. Hanso tried not to think too much about that.

     The whole process lasted only a few seconds, at the end of which Brynn tipped over gracelessly with a yelp.

     “Ow,” she groaned, sprawled out on the floor.

     Hanso snorted, half in amusement and half in sheer relief to see the counterspell working. He sat up on his haunches, precariously balanced, to clap his forehooves together in playful mockery of his partner’s awkward return to Neopet-dom.

     Brynn just glared at him. Without missing a beat, Min turned Ikimono’s Mirror to face him and started doing the incantation again.

     Before Hanso could fully process what was happening, his limbs had reconfigured themselves to their proper positions, and he found himself tipping over from his own shifted weight.

     “...Okay, I deserved that one,” he muttered from the floor. Despite the less-than-glorious admission, he felt a surge of delight at hearing his own proper voice make actual words again.

     Brynn snickered a little, but it turned into a sigh as she rose gingerly onto two feet. “Thank Fyora that’s over.”

     Min raised a prim eyebrow as she picked the mirror back up and laid it on her desk. “While I’m sure Queen Fyora would have been just as capable of performing the counterspell, I believe I should be the one you’re thanking.”

     Hanso, sitting up now, raised his own eyebrow. “Was that a joke I just heard from the ever-proper Lady Min? Or do you just not get the expression?”

     Min levelled a glare at him. “I know a good Neopet-to-Gikerot spell. It is far less involved than Ikimono’s Mirror, so I can remove it whenever I wish. Such as, say, no sooner than the moment you’re ready to return home.”

     Hanso wilted under her threat, his mouth snapping shut. Brynn walked up to him and put a protective hand on his shoulder.

     “Thank you, Lady Min,” she said, the words coming out with a bit more bite than she’d perhaps intended. “But we can take care of ourselves from here.”

     She turned to help Hanso to his feet before adding, “That said, is there anything else we can help you with? Or are we better off staying out of your fur while you work on the mirror?”

     “I just need time alone to focus, thank you,” Min replied, glancing back at the troublesome artefact. “Unstable or not, Ikimono’s Mirror is powerful. It will take some time to make it so that it remains safe without being surrounded by protective charms.”

     She waved toward the door leading outside. “Go on. I’m sure the two of you would like to get cleaned up and rested after this little misadventure.”

     Hanso and Brynn didn’t speak for several moments as they stepped out into the balmy spring night. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but Hanso figured they were still getting used to being able to speak again in the first place.

     Lady Min’s workshop was situated at the edge of a palace building that overlooked a sharp drop on the mountain. It had long grown dark by now, but a near-full moon bathed the palace grounds in a soft light. The two of them stopped in wordless agreement at the railing that lined the balcony walkway.

     They just stood there together at first, watching the city that sprawled below them and answered the moon’s glow with countless cheerful lights of its own. The buildings and streets were still adorned in the rich colours of the festival, which looked all the brighter for the fact that Hanso and Brynn could see them in full again.

     After a few moments, Hanso let out a dramatic groan and flopped his arms over the railing. “Remind me to give Rohane and Boraxis all the treats when we check on them tomorrow. Being a petpet is hard.”

     Brynn shrugged, leaning onto the railing with folded arms. “Being a Neopet is hard, too,” she replied, her expression thoughtful. “I guess it kind of depends on what you’re used to. That was definitely a… unique experience.”

     “I am never eating grass again,” Hanso muttered.

     Brynn patted him on the shoulder, but there was a note of amusement in her voice as she pointed out, “You never ate grass on this mission, dear.”

     Hanso waved a hand. “Bamboo, then. Or just leaves in general. I don’t care if it tasted fine; it was still weird. No more salads unless they’re smothered in dressing.”

     Brynn chuckled. “I’ll admit, I could go without sushi or sashimi for a while. I guess it was kind of appropriate that I got stuck hunting fish while we were here in Shenkuu.”

     Hanso snorted softly in amusement. The two of them went quiet again for a few moments. He stood back upright and stretched, relishing in just being himself again.

     Brynn eyed him curiously. “You know, there is one thing this whole mess made me realise.”

     Hanso looked back at her. “Yeah? What’s that?”

     The corner of Brynn’s mouth quirked into a little smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ixis bleat before, even though your petpet cousins do.”

     Hanso pulled a face. “That’s because it’s embarrassing!” he shouted, ears flattening a bit as he threw his arms up. “Don’t get me wrong, we Ixis have a lot going for us. The ears? Great at their job. The horns? A perfect size, and after dealing with Nuk horns, I’m even more sure of that fact. But not every species gets to have cool natural sounds like growls and roars and – why are you laughing?”

     Brynn covered her mouth and tried to swallow the giggles bubbling out of her throat. “Sorry. I just didn’t expect you to be so passionate about it. I thought the bleating was cute.”

     Hanso huffed, feeling the heat rise in his face. He had to admit, though, that it wasn’t all from embarrassment.

     When he didn’t give any more response, Brynn turned back toward the city and closed her eyes. She took a moment to soak it all in – not just the soft breeze caressing her face, but the feeling of sturdy, even flooring beneath her feet and her travel armour pressed protectively against her fur. That latter part reminded her that she should go check that her sword and their other supplies had all made it here safely with the Alkenores, but that could wait until tomorrow.

     The soft taps of fingertips against wood drew her attention back to Hanso. She looked over to see him drumming his fingers against the railing. He cleared his throat.

     “So, uh. I guess you didn’t catch what I was trying to tell you back at the parade, huh? You know, when I got caught?”

     Brynn frowned. “You mean when you signalled that I should keep going and leave you behind? Or was it something else?”

     Hanso blinked, a little surprised in spite of himself. “Oh. No, that was it.”

     He paused. “So then, why did you still come back? You were carrying this whole unstable artefact that we’d hiked through the mountains for almost a week just to keep from falling into the wrong hands. Why risk it all for me when you could do the smart thing and just go back for me after you’d gotten it secure here? I mean… I know you don’t want me blaming myself for the whole thing, but by that point I was pretty much just dealing with the consequences of my own actions!”

     Brynn’s gaze softened, and she reached out to clasp his hand in her own. “Hanso, you’re my partner. Your ‘actions’ involved jumping into a pool that you knew could be dangerous, heedless of your own safety, because you thought I was in serious trouble.”

     Hanso’s eyes widened, and she shrugged at his unasked question. “I had plenty of time to figure out your reasoning. My point is, even if what you did was reckless, you did it to help your teammate. What kind of knight would I be if I didn’t do the same?”

     She shrugged again. “And besides, I knew I could deal with one festival official if I timed it right. Right then, my biggest concern was for you. We’re better off when we’re doing this artefact hunting thing together. Just remember that, okay?”

     Hanso wrapped his fingers around hers and allowed himself a little smile. “Sure thing, sweetie.”

     After a moment, the smile grew into a grin. He turned back toward the city, though he still kept his hand in hers. “Man, look at us. We are so good at communicating!”

     Brynn let out a playful huff. “Well now we are. I just hope this doesn’t turn into us miming and growling everything to the rest of our friends and expecting them to figure it out.”

     “They’re all going to be so confused,” Hanso agreed.

     He then pointed down at a particularly festive-looking part of the city. “By the way, I don’t care what that Eyrie guy said. We are absolutely going back to the festival tomorrow night.”

     “Oh, absolutely. I don’t think anyone will mind as long as we don’t crash any more parades.”

     “Aww, but that was the part I was most looking forward to!” Hanso joked with a mock pout.

     Brynn just laughed and shook her head hopelessly at him, nudging his shoulder with her own.

     The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence yet again, relishing in the sheer relief of a quest complete and enjoying each other’s company. And, yeah, maybe they’d had plenty of each other’s company in the past week or so already. But it was nice to just see each other as their proper selves again. To hear each other’s voices again.

     For the moment, though, nothing more needed to be said.

     The End.