Tales of the Plot Complete

     “Yer in Altador now!” The Yurble Janitor waved his mop, “It’s been several years since I last saw you.”

     “There’s no use arguing.” Pepper implored Maximilien, “Mr. Yurble…do you know of anything that may be of importance?”

     “There’s this button I don’ know what it does!” The Yurble nodded and waved his mop some more, “It doesn’t do anything, though. Don’t press the button, I’ve tried.”

     Maximilien walked over and pressed the button on the wall, which didn’t do anything.

     “I told ya, it doesn’t do anything!” The Janitor got angry and waved his mop around menacingly.

     “Let’s get out of here!” Pepper exclaimed as they both fled from the Hall of Heroes and found their way to the Archivist’s room.

     “We should be safe in here.” Maximilien nodded as they met the Blue Lenny Archivist, named Finneus.

     “Who are you?” Finneus scratched his head, “Better yet, who am I?”

     “We’re adventurers named Maximilien and Pepper.” Maximilien and Pepper introduced themselves, “Whaddya do ‘ere?”

     “I take care of the records and books.” Finneus ruffled his tail feathers and said indignantly, “Though…I feel as though…I don’t remember anything.”

     “What’s that book?” Pepper noticed a large book beneath the table, holding it up.

     “I think it’s a log of Altador…” Finneus trailed off, “But I can’t be certain.”

     “May we look at it?” Pepper asked curiously.

     “I think we’ll need a rock to hold up the table first.” Finneus nodded, “There’s a quarry at the edge of the city. Please, come back with a rock of the exact size and dimensions of the book. Then I’ll let you take it.”

     The pair nodded and found their way to the old quarry. There were two Jubjubs arguing, and they didn’t notice them. The quarry was old and dilapidated, and looked as though it hadn’t been used in a long time despite the Jubjubs’ presence. They took a rock from the top of the quarry which looked like the exact size of the book.

     They returned to the Archivist’s room and replaced the book with the stone, and they were fascinated by what the book said.

     “This book is amazing!” Maximilien beamed, “It says…’Sloth holds the key.’”

     “What!?” Finneus blurted out, “Let me see that book…”

     Finneus looked at the book and didn’t see anything of the sort. It simply talked about the history of Altador, and the first chapter was the only one which was written on. The rest of the book was blank. Pepper then looked at the book and frowned.

     “Maxie…” Pepper trailed off, “It doesn’t say that.”

     Maximilien went wide eyed as he re-read the book and found that it didn’t say anything of the sort.

     “Maybe my eyes are playing tricks’ ‘n’me.” The Werelupe blinked several times and looked at the book curiously.

     Maximilien looked at the book again, and there was the image of the robed Dimensional Krawk, and it said “Grish” beneath it. They realized that the name of the Dimensional Krawk they saw was named Grish, but those pages disappeared quickly as well. Lastly, there was the image of the Space Faerie. Beneath her was a constellation, and they realized they’d need a telescope to use and an observatory.

     “You may keep that book.” Finneus smiled, “I hope it aids you in your quest!”

     “What do you mean, quest?” Maximilien tilted his head, “Do you know why we’re here?”

     “No…” Finneus trailed off, “I don’t know how I knew you were on a quest, either.”

     Maximilien and Pepper both shrugged, and they followed the path back to the Hall of Heroes. There were many statues standing in a row, of the ancient heroes of Altador. They formed a circle, and Maximilien noticed some oil beneath one of the statues.

     “I wonder if…” Maximilien used a little of the oil on the button and then pressed it. The ceiling suddenly opened up and revealed sunlight.

     “Now it’s so bright, I have to get back to doing my job!” The Yurble Janitor complained and started mopping.

     “Look, over there!” Pepper pointed at some stairs that pointed downwards, “It looks like it leads somewhere important!”

     They both followed the path downward and found an observatory. The sky in the observatory was miraculously night as opposed to the bright daytime in the Hallo of Heroes, and they realized they needed a telescope.

     “I thought I saw a flyer in the hall outside of the Archivist’s room about an ‘Astronomy Club.’” Pepper explained, “I’ll bet they have a telescope.”

     They walked back to the Archivist’s room’s hallway and found the flyer, and they went to the location marked on it. They were greeted by a green Blumaroo, and they were welcomed as members of the group.

     “Hi, we’d be glad to have you in our club!” The President of the Astronomy Club welcomed them into the room.

     “D’ya think we’ll need’ta be permanent members?” Maximilien asked Pepper curiously.

     “Just for as long as we’re here.” Pepper nodded.

     “We’ll join ya!” Maximilien smiled and barked.

     “Hey, thanks for coming. We’ll be happy to have you as a member of our group.” The President of the Astronomy Club welcomed them, “In fact, we have a special gift for you…”

     They handed Maximilien and pepper a telescope, which looked like it was designed to fit the mount in the observatory they were just at.

     “This is jes’ what we needed, thank you!” Maximilien beamed as they took the telescope and went back to the observatory.

     Despite being bright out, the observatory showed the night sky surrounding Altador. Maximilien placed the telescope and looked into it, and there were suddenly glowing stars all around the location of the telescope. Some formed lines while others formed shapes. Maximilien was able to piece the constellations together, and found these constellations: The Sleeper, The Dreamer, The First to Rise, The Farmer, The Dancer, The Wave, The Gladiator, The Collector, The Thief, The Gatherer, The Protector, and The Hunter.

     When Maximilien pieced the constellations together, a door next to the observatory slid open. They followed the path and Pepper pulled out a flashlight. They were inky dark catacombs, and there were all kinds of bones of ancient Neopians and Spyder webs everywhere, with Spyders scuttling about.

     “It looks kind of…dead.” Maximilien looked around at all of the many ancient skeletons, and he was tempted to gnaw on some of the bones. Though, he didn’t want to embarrass Pepper. They walked through the hallway for about an hour, and Maximilien found something on the ground.

     “It looks like a bag of somethin’.” Maximilien picked up the item, which was a Bag of Healing Dust.

     He placed it into a holder on his side, which fit it at his waist. He was able to take it out and use it whenever he needed to, and he now had the ability to heal wounds and illness and replenish strength with it. Even if he took some of the powder out of the bag, it would always replenish itself, even if wet. It was a mystic bag.

     They eventually found the end of the passage, and they were led to what looked like the outskirts of Neopia. In fact, they knew they were in the plains of Meridell. They saw Meridell Castle in the distance, but dark clouds surrounded it.

     “I don’ think we’re in Altador ‘n’ymore.” Maximilien frowned.

     There were many skeletons and other creatures wandering about, and Maximilien drew his Iron Lupe Swords. Pepper pulled out her Virtublaster 3000s, and they fought their way through the hordes of creatures which plagued Meridell. They eventually came across the castle, and they met a Yellow Lupe and a Blue Acara named Tor and Roberta.

     Tor drew his sword and pointed it at Maximilien, who had his drawn. The Werelupes of the area they were in were causing havoc, and Tor mistook him as one of the Darkest Faerie’s minions.

     “Wait, ‘m friendly!” Maximilien sheathed his swords and implored the Lupe.

     “Don’t see many friendly Werelupes around these parts.” Tor sheathed his sword, “Sorry for the confusion.”

     “What is going on?” Pepper asked worriedly.

     “The Darkest Faerie is taking over the world of Neopia.” Tor explained, “We were sent to stop her and her minions. Right now, we have to free King Skarl from his entrapment of the Darkest Faerie and free the Kingdom of Meridell.”

     “We can help you!” Pepper exclaimed, “Maxie, let’s go!”

     The group walked in the direction of the castle, but Maximilien felt uneasy.

     “How are we supposed to free Skarl?” Maximilien asked Tor curiously.

     “We need to find Fyora’s Rod, first.” Tor nodded, “But I wanted to scout the castle to see what we’re up against.”

     “Sounds like my kinda plan!” Maximilien barked and wagged his tail.

     The group entered into King Skarl’s castle from the kingdom, and inside they found a mesmerized King Skarl and the Dark Faerie Sisters waiting for them.

     “Well look, Spite. It seems we have visitors.” One of the Dark Faerie Sisters grinned.

     “Let’s show them a little hospitality, Malice.” The other Sister grinned.

     The Dark Faerie Sisters drew two Kris daggers between the three of them, totaling six. They flew at the group and swooped down on them with their Dark Faerie wings and fired blasts of malevolent energy at them. The group fled from the castle and found that the Dark Faerie Sisters stayed behind at the castle. They weren’t being followed, at least, but they realized they’d need Fyora’s Rod to stop them.

     They traveled to Brightvale, and they met with King Hagan. He instructed the group that they’d need to try to find a way to stop the black clouds from reaching Brightvale, and the group headed out to fulfill the King’s plan.

     “So…who exactly is ‘The Darkest Faerie?’” Maximilien asked curiously.

     “She used to be King Altador’s friend, but she betrayed him.” Tor frowned, “She’s now trying to take over the entire world of Neopia.”

     “We can stop her.” Pepper nodded affirmatively, “We stopped Razul, and we can stop The Darkest Faerie.”

     They eventually arrived at a village named Bogshot, where there was a large Purple Hissi terrorizing everyone. His name was Kastraliss, and Tor drew his sword and attacked him. Roberta started to use abilities on him, and Maximilien drew his Spear of Infinite Wisdom and struck at the Hissi.

     Pepper pulled out a device from her backpack which she fiddled with while the others fought. Kastraliss was about to deliver a fatal blow to Tor, but Pepper caught him in a laser harness which bound him. She then pressed a button on the device and sealed Kastraliss away in a ripple of dimension.

     “You did it!” Tor exclaimed, “It’s…astonishing. You were able to defeat Kastraliss with your technology!”

     Pepper simply smiled happily that her idea worked.

     The people of Bogshot were rescued and came forward and thanked them. They were free of the mind control of The Darkest Faerie, and they all cheered for the heroes who saved them.

     “Do you know where Fyora’s Rod is held?” Maximilien asked the leader of Bogshot Village, and the Village Elder, a Techno, nodded.

     “We in fact know of its location.” The Elder, a Brown Tuskanniny, nodded, “Here is a map of its location.”

     Pepper took the map and adjusted one of her devices, and Fyora’s Rod solidified in front of them. Tor grabbed it and beamed.

     “You were able to retrieve it for us!” Tor smiled broadly, “Your technology has been of the greatest use to us!”

     “It was nothing.” Pepper blushed.

     “The path to Meridell is being blocked by a strong enchantment.” The Elder explained, “You’ll need to fight the Werelupe King for Illusen’s Charm to bypass it.”

     “Take my steed, Solarin.” Roberta implored Maximilien, who they all knew wanted to be the one to fight the Werelupe King. “He will bring you swiftly to the Werelupe King’s lair, where you can retrieve the charm.”

     Roberta played a reed, and suddenly, Solarin came running by them. Maximilien leapt onto his back and rode into the distance. He stopped only for the sight of Grish walking towards him.

     “Why are you here?” Maximilien titled his head curiously.

     “I wanted to instruct you on your mission.” Grish explained, “You see, the Werelupe King is waiting outside of Brightvale. Your presence caused him to go someplace he wasn’t before. Take heed, he is waiting for you.”

     The Dimensional Krawk disappeared, and Maximilien changed his course to return to Brightvale.

     Solarin charged with Maximilien on his back and they sped through the plains separating the path they were currently on and back to Brightvale. Though, Brightvale was different. It was covered in black clouds, as they weren’t able to stop them and they helped Bogshot instead.

     Maximilien frowned and looked around for the Werelupe King. He saw him sitting on King Hagan’s throne, with King Hagan mesmerized by the Darkest Faerie’s abilities.

     “It looks like you ‘n’ I are gonna fight.” Maximilien dismounted Solarin, who ran a bit away from the battle.

     “Well…if it isn’t a pup!” The Werelupe King grinned and walked towards Maximilien. “What are you gonna do, pup?”

     “This.” Maximilien drew his Spear of Infinite Wisdom and spun it around so quick that it was semi-transparent and then pointed it at the Werelupe King.

     “Bwahahaha!” The Werelupe King laughed heartily, “The pup has a stick!”

     Maximilien didn’t waste any time fighting the Werelupe King and he dove to the front of him and struck with his spear, and the Werelupe King dodged out of the way. Maximilien dove several more times and lunged at the Werelupe King, but he kept dodging.

     “He’s too fast…” Maximilien said while huffing and heaving and trying to catch his breath.

     “My turn.” The Werelupe King drew a sword made of bones and struck at Maximilien repeatedly, though he was able to dodge.

     Maximilien sheathed his spear and drew his two Iron Lupe Swords, and he formed an X in front of him and caught and parried the Werelupe King’s sword. Maximilien clashed and clanged against the sword, and eventually Maximilien was able to strike at it with both swords so hard that the Bone Sword shattered.

     “Grrrrr!” The Werelupe King growled, “I’ll put an end to this once and for all!”

     The Werelupe King pulled out Illusen’s Charm and attempted to use it to destroy Maximilien. Maximilien dove forward and crisscrossed his swords in front of him and formed an X, blocking the black from Illusen’s charm and fired it back at the Werelupe King. He then walked over to the Werelupe King and stood over him as he coughed and wheezed.

     “Are you going to…finish me?” The Werelupe King glanced up at Maximilien.

     “No.” Maximilien took Illusen’s Charm from the Werelupe King. “It would be wrong.”

     The Werelupe King ran away with a limp and made his way back to his forest, while the rest of the Werelupes who had been there scattered, and even if he wasn’t dead, the Werelupe King was finished.

     Within the halls of his castle, King Hagan was free of his mind control and the dark clouds surrounding Brightvale dissipated.

     “Thank you, young Neopet.” King Hagan smiled, “The clouds are leaving the Kingdom of Brightvale, and peace is returning to our land. Take heart: Illusen’s blessings are on you! This is why you and your Shoyru friend haven’t succumbed to the Darkest Faerie’s abilities.”

     “How d’we defeat the Darkest Faerie?” Maximilien asked King Hagan curiously.

     “Return to Bogshot.” King Hagan instructed and then held out a parchment, “And take this map. It will show you the location of Jerdana’s Orb. The Orb will be used to imprison the Darkest Faerie, and peace will return to Neopia.”

     “Thank ya, yer majesty.” Maximilien bowed his head and took the map and rode Solarin back to Bogshot, where the other three were waiting for them.

     “I have a map’ta Jerdana’s Orb.” Maximilien explained, “King Hagan said that it will imprison the Darkest Faerie.”

     “Do you have Illusen’s Charm?” Tor asked Maximilien curiously.

     “Here.” Maximilien pulled out the charm and handed it to Tor.

     “You and Pepper look for Jerdana’s Orb.” Tor instructed, “Roberta and I will fight our way to Meridell Castle. We’ll take Fyora’s Rod with us, and we’ll use the charm to open a path to you when you’ve successfully recovered Jerdana’s Orb.”

     “Will do.” Maximilien nodded as both he and Pepper climbed atop Solarin and rode him into the distance.

           ***

          Maximilien and Pepper arrived at a lonely cave in the middle of a field. They entered inside of it and inside were many skeletons. They charged the pair, and Maximilien drew his Iron Lupe Swords and struck the skeletons. They shattered into pieces but then rematerialized and became whole again.

     “Maxie, let me try!” Pepper insisted and pulled out her QX-92 Neutrino Blaster. She charged it and fired a blast of energy through the cave which incinerated every skeleton in its path. They weren’t able to rematerialize, and they walked through the cave after she had blasted them.

     They wandered through the caves and found that there were no more skeleton guards, and they were able to find the chamber that Jerdana’s Orb was in. There was a steel portcullis gate in front of them, and Maximilien tried prying them open with brute strength. Pepper pulled out a device which interacted with the puzzle on the lock, and after a few moments, the door opened. The Portcullis pulled to the ceiling and the door swung open.

     “Good job, Pepper!” Maximilien smiled.

     “It was nothing.” Pepper brushed the back of her head with her hand as they both entered the room.

     There was nothing inside to prevent them from taking the Orb, and when they did, an intense light burst out from the ceiling of the cave and shattered it. They dodged the debris and found that the light shined completely inside of the room they were in. The portcullis sealed shut behind them, and there was a stone stairway which led up to the top of the cave.

     “Looks like we’re gonna climb.” Maximilien nodded as they both made their way up the stairs.

     They found their way back up to Solarin and re-mounted him, and they galloped to the direction of Meridell Castle. They found monsters and skeletons strewn about the ground and realized that Tor and Roberta had cleared a path for them back to Meridell.

     They found Tor and Roberta fighting against the Dark Faerie Sisters, and Maximilien immediately dove off of Solarin and drew his Spear of Infinite Wisdom and assisted in the battle.

     “It looks like we have more visitors, Vanity.” One of the Dark Sisters hissed.

     “We’ll take them down, Spite.” The other grinned.

     Pepper pulled out her Virtublaster 3000s and fired at the Dark Faerie Sisters, and Maximilien dove and struck at them. Tor, using Fyora’s Rod, was able to knock out Malice and left only two more Dark Faerie Sisters. Roberta healed the group and then used her special abilities to stun Spite, and Tor crashed down over her with Fyora’s Rod. This left Vanity, and Maximilie, Pepper, Roberta, and Tor all cornered her.

     “You haven’t seen the last of us!” Vanity grabbed Spite and Malice and flew from the castle and retreated.

     King Skarl was freed of the mind control, and he and the guards and other members of the royal castle snapped back to reality and saw the four heroes who saved them.

     “I’ll throw a feast in your honor when we’ve won!” King Skarl smiled broadly, “I remember Tor and Roberta. Though…who are the other two?”

     “We’re, uhhh…” Maximilien tried to explain.

     “They’re friends of the Kingdom.” Tor smiled, “They have helped us tremendously against the Darkest Faerie’s minions.”

     “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine!” King Skarl smiled, “For now…we need to stop the Darkest Faerie once and for all!”

     Maximilien handed Tor Jerdana’s Orb and sheathed his spear, as Pepper put away her Virtublaster 3000s. They all exited from King Skarl’s castle and realized the only way to get to Faerieland was to fly.

     “How are we going to reach Faerieland?” Tor frowned, “I…wait, what’s that?”

     There was a portal which appeared like a half-circle bubble of gravity and reality bending waves which caused it to constantly flux, and they decided to step into it. They were wisped away to the land of Altador, and they met the Darkest Faerie there.

     “Altador was not destroyed, rather, it was encased in this bubble.” The Darkest Faerie explained, “I will finish the job I started!”

     “Not if we can help it!” Tor wielded Fyora’s Rod and struck the Darkest Faerie.

     The Darkest Faerie cried out and grabbed Fyora’s Rod and threw Tor clear across the battlefield and into a building. Tor winced and Roberta ran over to him and began healing him and helping him up. Maximilien and Pepper both stared down the Darkest Faerie, and she grinned at them.

     “So…you have finally arrived.” The Darkest Faerie grinned, “Though I’m certain you still don’t know what’s going on. I will put an end to your quest before you have time to figure it out! I have defeated armies and heroes and champions. You have no idea what you’re up against.”

     “We won’t fall so easily!” Maximilien pulled out a single Iron Lupe Sword and grabbed it with both hands, and he lunged at the Darket Faerie and struck Fyora’s Rod repeatedly. It didn’t chip or break, but it did make a loud metal twanging sound when the blade struck it. Pepper fired her Virtublaster 3000s at the Darkest Faerie, but the laser fire simply pinged off of her.

     “I really don’t have enough time to fight with you right now.” The Darkest Faerie glared, “I will be waiting at Faerieland. Come find me…if you dare.”

     The Darkest Faerie disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Pepper and Maximilien ran over to Tor and helped him to his feet.

     “Are you alright?” Pepper took out a first aid kit and addressed Tor’s wounds.

     “I’m fine.” Tor winced, “I had no idea she was so strong. I lost the rod…darn it.”

     “She said she’d be waiting for us at Faerieland.” Maximilien explained, “Do ya still have th’orb?”

     “I have it right here.” Tor pulled out Jerdana’s Orb, which was unharmed from the battle.

     “I think we should find a place to eat and rest, first.” Maximilien’s stomach growled, “I haven’t eaten in so long.”

     “I think we could all do with that.” Tor laughed.

     Suddenly, an old Lupe Knight approached the group. He was an elderly Lupe who Tor had met with before meeting with Pepper and Maximilien, but the Lupe revealed himself to be King Altador himself. He carried Tor on his back and laid him down in an infirmary, where his best healers would work on him. Before heading off to eat, Maximilien used his Bag of Healing Dust on Tor, which helped him to heal much faster.

     “Thank you, friend.” Tor smiled and laid back.

     Food was brought to Tor and the rest of the group, and they sat back in the infirmary and had a hearty meal. Tor felt like he could walk again after several hours, and he knew he’d be able to fight against the Darkest Faerie. They got up, but before they left, King Altador handed Tor a special sword.

     “Take this sword.” King Altador handed Tor a long sword, “This will help you defeat the Darkest Faerie. Use the flat of the blade, not the sharp edge. It’s enchanted and can weaken and stun her.”

     “Thank you.” Tor smiled at King Altador, who opened a portal to Faerieland for them.

     “Remember…the only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for the good to do nothing.” King Altador gave a strong nod just before they all entered into the portal for the final battle against the Darkest Faerie.

     They arrived at Faerieland, and they found the entire area torn to pieces. It was still in the sky, as it was in Neopia’s past they fought the Darkest Faerie.

     They looked around and found that the Faeries were imprisoned, and it was like they were stuck within glass orbs which floated around the city. Maximilien and Pepper were protected by the energy surrounding them which sent them to that area, and they realized that both good and bad were influencing their travels to different times and places in Neopia.

     “Don’ suppose th’Darkest Faerie may have simply gone home?” Maximilien asked sheepishly.

     “Not quite, Dog.” The Darkest Faerie grinned and descended in front of the group. She was holding not only Fyora’s Rod, but Fyora’s Crown as well. The group gasped when they realized she had overthrown Queen Fyora, and Tor stepped forward boldly with the longsword given to him by King Altador.

     “This ends now!” Tor growled and lunged at the Darkest Faerie.

     She simply gestured with both arms and allowed Tor to hit her, as she thought she was invincible. Though, she was quite surprised when the blade stunned her.

     “Now, get the rod!” Roberta cried out as Maximilien lunged forward and grabbed the wand from the Darkest Faerie. He tossed it to Roberta, who used it to enhance her abilities. She sent a wall of light flame at the Darkest Faerie, which further stunned her.

     “The Orb!” Roberta cried out, “Use the Orb!”

     Pepper flew forward with Jerdana’s Orb and dropped it around the Darkest Faerie’s neck. The Darkest Faerie cried out in a fading voice, and she slowly started to turn to stone. Light escaped from her and returned to the ones she and her minions had stolen from the people and the land of Neopia. The Darkest Faerie shifted from different colors as she faded into the dull gray of stone, and she was vanquished. They had fully defeated her, and Neopia was returned to normal once more.

     “We will have a feast in your honor.” Fyora, who was freed from her glass prison, smiled.

     Fyora took her rod and her crown and held and wore them, and they had a sumptuous feast of all kinds of Faerie Foods. Pepper had special containers in her backpack which enabled her to store food rations for them, and she made sure to take enough for herself and Maximilien in case they weren’t able to find any food for a while.

     “For freeing Neopia of the curse of the Darkest Faerie, and rescuing its inhabitants, I declare Tor and his friends, heroes. They will be given medals of honor, and they will be forever remembered in the annals of Neopia’s history, and they will be known as Friends of Neopia.

     The group cheered, and Tor and Roberta returned to Meridell. Before Pepper and Maximilien could follow, though, Fyora stopped them.

     “I am going to tell everyone the Darkest Faerie statue is in my personal garden…” She explained, “She will not be in my garden, she will be at the bottom of the ocean. I will entrust her care to you both, and when you reach the center of the ocean, drop the statue.”

     “We understand.” Maximilien nodded.

     The pair traveled to Altador, where the ship containing the Darkest Faerie statue was held. They met with King Altador in his full glory and no longer masquerading around as an old knight.

     “You’ve done a good deed.” Altador smiled, “I cannot tell you why you came here, or what you’re meant to accomplish. Though, I fully believe as long as you have the spirit of adventure in you, you’ll help whoever you come across.”

     “Thank you.” Maximilien smiled at the Lupe, and he realized that the Bag of Healing Dust he found was placed there, as King Altador had a Bag of Healing Dust of his own at his side.

     They boarded the vessel and saw Altador restored to its full glory. The Darkest Faerie statue was on the ship, as well, and Maximilien’s raw strength would be used to drop it into the ocean. The ship traveled to the middle of the ocean, and Maximilien picked it up and dropped it in.

     It made a loud ‘kerplunk’ noise, and the minute it dropped into the ocean, everything started to shift and change. They were still in the ocean, and they realized the only thing that changed was the ship they were on. They turned around and saw many pirates with a flag of a Black Pawkeet, and they were no longer surrounded by King Altador’s sailors, but instead Pirates.

     “Arrr!” One of the Pirates walked over to Maximilien, “I can spot a pirate from a mile away. I know yer one of us!”

     Maximilien growled in a low, yet non-menacing tone.

     “I kin tell ye that ye’re not wrong!” Maximilien grinned, “Wha’d’ya mean fer us?”

     “Arrr!” The Pirate grinned in return, “Put on s’m’ Pirate clothes, ‘n’ we’ll make ye members’f our crew!”

     Pepper walked over beside Maximilien and followed him everywhere. He may have been at home around the pirates, but she certainly was not. They followed the Pirate to the Captain’s Quarters, where they met with Garin. He grinned at them and looked them over.

     “Ye’ll make fine Pirates.’ Garin nodded, “Take these clothes and change in the next room. Ye’ll need Pirate attire if yer gonna be Pirates.”

     Maximilien left his pants on, but wore a Pirate shirt and a bandana, while Pepper put on a whole Pirate outfit. She had gray pants and a tattered shirt with a vest, and she re-equipped everything over it. She felt more and more Pirate like, and they both returned to Garin, who smiled at them.

     “You’ll make fine Pirates.’ Garin nodded.

     They all returned to the bridge, and Pepper spied a Pirate with a large bag of coins. She silently started to reach for it, and Maximilien chided her.

     “Pepper!” He said beneath his breath.

     “Sorry…” Pepper frowned, “I got so caught up in being a Pirate, I lost control.”

     “As long as you know it’s wrong to steal.” Maximilien nodded.

     The pair sailed the high seas, and they would soon be in for the adventure of their lives.

     To be continued…