Maraquan Madness: Part Four

When they got there, Gashin, the guard immediately began snooping around. Turning over all sorts of rocks and brushing away strands of seaweed, his eyes scrunched up. Asiris searched as well, although he looked even more doubtful than before. A few of the villagers searched with them, but most hung back, waiting to see if the Krawk really was guilty. Druinnan kept a calm look on his face.

     "Aha!" Gashin shouted suddenly, making many of the villagers jump in the water, and turn around. "Here, I have found the food!"

     And he had. 6 boxes, stacked neatly beside each other. Gashin gestured towards them triumphantly, and many of the villagers gasped. Asiris paused, staring at the packages of food. Then, he floated over slowly and gazed at the boxes, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

     Gashin waited impatiently while Asiris opened the lid of each of the boxes to check that all of the food was there. Then, he turned around and proclaimed loudly, "Druinnan the Maraquan Krawk, you are hereby banned from ever entering the village again. You are to collect your belongings and leave immediately, never to return."

     A hushed silence fell over the crowd, as they looked at Druinnan anxiously. The Krawk paused. So, they had found out his plan. Well, it was just a matter of leaving a little while earlier than he had planned, and without food. Still, he wished he could have just sidled out, instead of making such a striking exit?

     Druinnan shrugged nonchalantly and turned around. "Goodbye, village," he muttered under his breath. "You'll all be long gone by the time I come back to collect your treasures."

     Suddenly, out of nowhere, shouts and cries rose up from the village. Just as Asiris made to swim back, another guard darted up to him.

     "Asiris!" the guard yelled, gasping for breath and panting. "We-we're being a-attacked!"

     "Who's attacking us?" asked Asiris sharply.

     The guard took a deep breath and moaned, "The Sea Slug!"

     Instantly, panic arose and engulfed all the villagers. They began swimming around in circles frantically, screaming and shouting. A few tried to go back to the village, but most stayed where they were, frightened to go back, but unwilling to leave because of family and friends still in the village.

     Caught in the middle of the chaos, Druinnan could hardly find a way out. He grunted with annoyance as he pushed a red Koi away from him, only to come face to face with Asiris.

     Druinnan only caught a fleeting look of the Draik's face. Asiris looked uncharacteristically helpless, confused. And what was that strange feeling that Druinnan suddenly felt in his heart? Was it pity? No, he had felt pity before, and this wasn't it? was Druinnan suddenly feeling like someone else needed his help more than he himself did?

     Unexpectedly, Druinnan found himself shouting, "QUIET!" Most of the villagers stopped and turned to look at him.

     Druinnan paused, not knowing what he should say. Luckily, Asiris seemed to be his old organized self again and was saying, "we need to do this in an orderly fashion. I will be returning to the village at once, to defend it. I want all the guards with me. Now? it won't be enough. We'll need some volunteers as well. This will be extremely dangerous and risky; no one will think any less of you if you choose not to come. Silently, would you please raise your fin if you wish to fight for Maraqua?"

     No one raised their hand, all looking nervously at each other as if they didn't want to be first. Asiris didn't seem surprised.

     Suddenly, a young blue flotsam stuck his fin high up into the air, a proud, determined look on his face. That was all it took. One by one, every other villager raised their fin unwaveringly into the air.

     Asiris smiled. "Thank you," he whispered.

     At once the guards led the villagers back so that they could get weapons. Druinnan stopped Asiris.

     "I know I'm banned from the village," he said gruffly, "but could I just stay for one more day? I think I will need a spear."

     Asiris's smile grew. "Most definitely," he said, "we need all the help we can get." They swam together back to the village.

     When Asiris and Druinnan arrived, a guard immediately shoved a thin, sharp spear into Druinnan's fins before hurtling back into the mass of pets surrounding the Sea Slug. The Krawk looked up at Asiris; then, wordlessly, they darted off in opposite directions to corner the Sea Slug.

     The gigantic beast thrashed against a building madly, roaring and twisting. It's huge tail thrashed against the floor, knocking 5 pets down at once. Druinnan saw a Maraquan Meerca get crushed under it.

Sea Slug

As he swam forward, slowly decreasing the amount of space between him and his prey, the urge to destroy washed over him. Like a being who was blinded by fury, the Sea Slug let out another tremendous roar that made the waters around him shake. His speed increased as he flew down into the village and announced his arrival by crashing through a few buildings.

     Cries of terror rang out about him as the Sea Slug threw his weight against another building and knocked it onto the ground. As he poured his anger into the ruination of many buildings, he swung his tail into a group of Neopets, watching in satisfaction as they all fell to the ground, stunned by the impact. His eyes swiveled around quickly before they fell upon a purple Uni that reminded him of someone he once saw. He awkwardly stepped forward, crashing into another group of Neopets, yet never noticing the little Maraquan Meerca that unfortunately lay under his massive paw...

Asiris

Gashin immediately started to rip the place apart, searching through everything. Asiris laid back for a minute but eventually went to search. A few other townspeople searched the house but most stayed back, looking at the scene unfold.

     “Aha!” Gashin shouted loudly. "Here, I have found the food!"

     The townspeople gasped and jumped around.

     And he had found it. Six full boxes stacked neatly beside each other. Gashin gestured towards the boxes triumphantly.

     Asiris paused, staring at the packages of food. Then, he floated over slowly and gazed at the boxes. He couldn’t believe it.

     The leader of the town was shocked. He turned around to face Druinnan and took a deep breath. "Druinnan the Maraquan Krawk, you are hereby banned from ever entering the village again. You are to collect your belongings and leave immediately, never to return." There was a silence that filled the house. It was a rare incident for someone to be banned from the village.

     "Goodbye, village," Asiris heard Druinnan mutter "You'll all be long gone by the time I come back to collect your treasures."

     All of a sudden shouts rang out through the village. A guard came in, panting. "Asiris!" the guard yelled. "We-we’re being a-attacked!"

     Asiris’ eyes went wide. "Who's attacking us?" Asiris asked?

     “The Sea Slug!” The guard exclaimed and ran out.

     Asiris started out past the chaos in the small house. People were panicking and pushing into people. Most stayed there, afraid to leave but some went out to help.

     The Maraquan Draik saw Druinnan pushing through to the front of the crowd. He wanted to yell out to him, but held back.

     Then, he heard a yell. “QUIET!” Druinnan had said it. Asiris looked his way as he stood there nervously. Asiris took a last minute impulse and started to speak.

     “We need to do this in an orderly fashion,” Asiris started. “I will be returning to the village at once, to defend it. I want all the guards with me now.” A few men dressed in armor ran up to Asiris and stood by his side. ‘It won't be enough. We'll need some volunteers as well. This will be extremely dangerous and risky; no one will think any less of you if you choose not to come. Silently, would you please raise your fin if you wish to fight for Maraqua?" Asiris looked around, his beady eyes searching the crowd. For a few seconds, there was no movement. He could hear the Sea Slug roaring around near the village. Then, a small Blue Flotsam shot his hand up, a large grin on his face. All the villagers followed by putting their hands up, one after the other.

     Asiris smiled. "Thank you," he whispered to Druinnan, who also had his hand up.

     As Asiris saw the guards leading the villagers off to go get weapons, Druinnan stopped him is his path. "I know I'm banned from the village," Druinnan said gruffly, "but could I just stay for one more day? I think I will need a spear."

     Asiris smiled. "Most definitely," he said. "We need all the help we can get." They then both set off for the village.

To be continued…