Chapter One
The soft dawn light rose slowly over the hills east of the village of Prisima. The rays of sun crept silently over the rooftops. Down in the village inn, two teens waited excitedly for the sun to reach their window. If the village was awake, they would run screaming at the sight of the twins in the window. One was a girl and one was a boy but they were practically identical. They had paper white skin and had blue eyes and lighter blue where the whites of their eyes were supposed to be. Around their mouths and eyes was a thick line of cyan and glowing blue tattoos spread up their right arms. Very light gray hair sat underneath their large, decorative, hats that bore floppy animal ears and a thick stuffed tail with a tuft of crème colored fur on the end.
Even with their odd features, no one could deny the look of pure joy on their faces. As soon as the dawn light rose over the rooftop across the street, they sprinted of out of their hidden attic bedroom to a bedroom directly below. They burst into the dark room.
"Mama! Mama! Wake up!" the twins shouted in unison, "Come on! It's morning on our fourteenth birthday!"
Mama laughed and sat up. "Nila and Alin, calm down. How about you get dressed and come to the family kitchen? Meet me there in five minutes and get ready for a birthday surprise!" Alin, the male twin, pumped his fist and whooped. Nila, the female twin, clapped and did a little dance, and they both rushed upstairs. Mama, or Mrs. Phyllis Sloth, was a rather portly Eniripsa, and looked nothing like her son and daughter. She had brown, but graying, hair and wore a stained apron over her traditional Eniripsa dress, and had small dainty wings like the rest of her race. Her magic paintbrush-like healing wand fit nicely in her apron pocket.
Up in the attic, Nila grabbed her favorite brown tunic and matching shorts from her dresser. She snatched her belt and cross-body sash and rushed to the shared bathroom and slammed and locked the door. Alin frowned, frustrated that he didn't get the bathroom first, and pounded on the hard wooden door.
"Nila, it's my turn! Come on!"
"Nope! I get it first, 'cause you hogged it for hours yesterday!"
"I ate something bad! How is that my fault?"
…
"You wake him up!"
"No, you do it! He's your son!"
"He's your brother!"
Yugo the Eliatrope hid under the covers of his bed, listening to his adoptive father, Alibert, and his twin dragon brother, Adamai, argue, pretending he was asleep. He knew why they were bickering. It was his birthday, and every year since they had defeated Qibly in the final battle, they surprised him in the morning. It was Adamai's birthday too, but he was a selfless, kind brother who would rather scare his brother to death on his birthday than be surprised himself. It was always a little frightening to wake Yugo up, being a heavy sleeper and having reflexes that automatically shot Wakfu portal blasts when he was suddenly awakened.
Not today, Yugo thought. He was determined to scare Adamai and Alibert, not then other way around. After all, it was a day for… plot twists. Yugo decided to take the preemptive path, and slowly slid out of bed and on to the wood floorboards. He crept on his bare feet and leaned over the stairwell that led to his bedroom. At the bottom, the two family members stood, whisper shouting at each other. Alibert held a plate holding two cupcakes, each baring the number fourteen in blue icing. Yugo stifled a laugh as his sneak attack plan developed in his head. He grabbed his huge, blue, eared hat of his bedpost and pulled it over his little dragon wings made of translucent blue Wakfu, and dirty-blonde hair. The thick tail end of his hat and its tuft of fur hung behind his back. He tugged his orange and blue outfit over his body and fastened his buttons. Then Yugo summoned a blue Wakfu portal and jumped through it.
Down in the stairwell, Adamai held up his claws in submission, "Fine, I'll wake him up but-" he was cut off but the distinct sound of a portal and a shout as Yugo fell from a portal that was suspended in the air above Adamai. They nearly collided, but Yugo twirled in such a way that caused him to land on his feet a little ways away. The portals disappeared.
Adamai stood stunned, staring at Yugo. Alibert burst into hardy laughter, bringing tears to his eyes. "Wow! That was some amazing tricks there, buddy!" He laughed harder.
Adamai clenched his fists and ran straight at Yugo, screaming, "When I get my claws on you, you'll be sorry!" Yugo yelped, and sprinted away and into the public dining area, where his father worked as the chef and waiter of his business. Luckily, the restaurant was closed so the sibling fight didn't disrupt the regular customers. Adamai leaped onto a table and jumped on his brother's back and they tussled and yelled. Then a knock sounded at the door, and the boys froze. Alibert walked in, put the cupcakes on a table, pried the dragon off the Eliatrope, and answered the door.
"Well, if it isn't my old friend, Ruel Stroud!" Alibert shouted throwing his arms around the old Enutrof.
Ruel laughed, and strolled into the café, sitting on his stool at the counter. "Hello, Alibert!" He took an apple from a bowl. "I'm here for the birthday of the King and Dragon!" He waved his hands in the air in a flourish and took a bite of his apple.
"That apple will go on your tab, by the way." Alibert smiled.
"Are Evangelyne, Percedal, and Amalia coming, too?" Yugo asked excitedly. Adamai nodded and smiled equally excited.
"I believe so, and Balthazar said he'd contact you using the Eliacube so your people can say happy birthday."
"Sweet!"
"They'll be here in an hour or so." Alibert said, "But I have more cupcakes to bake."
…
"Happy birthday to me!" Nila sang, munching on her birthday apple pie slice. Alin was too busy to sing, as his birthday present was a large cupcake with chocolate icing and he was determined to eat it without a fork.
"I hate to ruin your birthday but you still need to help with the inn." Mama said, as she gathered her kitchen utensils for the inn kitchen.
"No problem, Mama!" Alin said with his mouth full, "We like working here anyway."
"Yeah! It's fun being the phantoms that haunt the place," Nila laughed. She brought her empty plate to the sink. "Come on, brother, it's time for work!"
Alin brushed the crumbs off his brown tunic and shorts. He adjusted his belt and cross-body sash, and put his plate in the sink as well. "I think that we should stay in the rafters of the dining room today."
"Not without these," Mama handed each twin a package. Inside, a dark gray hooded cape surprised them. Alin immediately put his over his shoulders and pulled the oversize hood over his head and Nila clapped.
"You can't see your face through the shadow your hood casts," Nila tried her cloak on and the same effect shadowed her face.
"Perfect!" Mama grinned, "Now you two are truly phantoms."
The siblings laughed and rushed out of the family kitchen and silently through the hallways that were filled with rooms for customers. The twins began to laugh eerily as being the haunts of the inn was their job. They were the main reason so many people came to their town. Teenagers always dared each other to try and spend the night in the scariest room in the scariest hallway. Of course there were family rooms for younger kids or the easily frightened.
As the phantoms passed, some of the guests woke up to eerie laughter and the swishing of the new capes. Soon they reached the dining room, just as doors began to open, they leaped into the rafters. The dining room was rather large with a sloping roof, so the wooden rafters spanned a rather large area, with plenty of running space. Also, the roof proved to be great at making loud echoes if you could throw your voice like Alin and Nila could. After finding a place to hide, the guests began to stream through the doors for breakfast. The crowd was a good mix of local thrill seekers and foreign families who came to experience the rich culture and great food of Prisima. And, of course, the Twin Phantoms Inn and Restaurant challenge.
Breakfast continued normally with the occasional new visitor. Nila leaped to a beam above the kitchen window where Mama was serving pancakes. Nila whistled quietly and Mama nodded without looking up, and smiled. Nila leaped back to her brother and they smiled at each other. The show was about to begin!
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Mama shouted. The chatter died down. "Today is an important day! Today is the anniversary of the birth and death of the phantoms!" The crowd listened silently, immensely intrigued by the phantoms history. "As you may know, they died rather tragically, but still happily haunt this inn. I now call to them." She waved her wand in the air and all the overhead lamps extinguished.
The people gasped, only the candles on the table providing light. Nila giggled an evilly amused giggle. "Hello, guests! How are you enjoying your stay in the building we died in?"
Alin laughed menacingly, "I hope you answer correctly." The 'ghosts' laughed together as the people sat rigid, slightly afraid.
Mama put her hands on her hips and scowled. "That's no way to treat guests in your home!"
"Sorry, Phyllis." The twins said in an ashamed voice.
Then Alin spoke to the people. "Thanks for staying in our inn. Phyllis' food is to die for." He snickered. "Get it?"
"Yes, Alin, we get it," Nila said, "Stop trying to be funny, it's never going to happen." The guests laughed anyway.
"Now please turn the lights back on." Mama waved her wand again. Just as requested, the lights illuminated the room. "Thank you."
The twins leaped through the rafters, and left the room, ran through the halls without encountering anyone, and went for break into the family kitchen. Alin plopped down on a chair, and slid off his hood. He grabbed an apple from the bowl. "I think that was rather successful considering we don't use a script."
"I think your puns are horrid," Nila argued, "Mine are way better." She took a broom from the closet. "Come on. Mama said we still have to work."
"This is always the worst part," Alin pouted. He unfolded the laundry bag and put a duster on a cleaning cart.
"We always hear interesting news, though," said Nila. She always looked on the bright side, even when Alin couldn't. "Maybe someone famous will be coming to town on a quest and we will hear about it."
Alin raised an eyebrow, "Since when do quests lead adventurers to Prisima?"
…
"Hi ya, Yugo!" Percedal greeted the Eliatrope with a toothy grin. Rubilax the Shushu sword muttered something inaudible from his holster on Percedal's belt. "Ruby says happy birthday." Following the Iop was Evangelyne, the Cra, and Amalia, the Sadida Princess.
"Hello birthday boys. How is everything going?" Eva asked. Her blonde hair was a little longer since they last seen her, but she was probably too busy with being Amalia's lady-in-waiting to change it.
"Yeah, how's the ruler business going?" Amalia questioned jokingly. Ever since Yugo discovered he was the King of the Eliatropes, there was an on running joke between the princess and him.
"Great! Plus we're fourteen now!" Yugo said proudly. He had grown considerably. As tall as Amalia was when she was thirteen. Adamai had grown bigger to but was still short, since growing was different for dragons.
"Glad to see everyone!" said Alibert, "Balthazar opened a portal message thing in the kitchen for some odd reason." Adamai laughed. Maybe it was a dragon thing, but he was never very good at finding locations for messages either.
Ruel hung his shovel on an empty chair, "I believe that I wouldn't mind getting cake back there too."
Adamai's eyes widened. "There's cake?!"
"Of course there's cake, it's a birthday party," Percedal pulled Ruby out of his holster and waved him around heroicly. "I shall vanquish hunger with cake!" Ruby rolled his eye.
"Actually, its cupcakes, but yes, cake," Alibert led the group into the large kitchen, where a Wakfu portal hovered above the stove/grill that was covered in hot coals. An image was projected on the inside of the portal of Balthazar sitting on his floating pillow, surrounded by little children wearing eared hats. In between the dragon's outstretched claws was the Eliacube, turning and swirling with power.
"Yugo! Adamai! Happy birthday to you both!" cried Balthazar, as the Eliatrope children shouted their greetings. "You've both grown quite a bit!"
"Thanks Balthazar. Thanks everyone," Yugo directed his second thanks at the children and they all giggled in excitement.
Balthazar smiled when he saw the rest of the group. "Hello Brotherhood of the Tofu. Where is the Tofu?"
"Oh darn, I forgot Az!" Yugo used portals to leave the room. In less than twenty seconds, he came back through another portal with Az in tow. "Sorry guys. I left him sleeping upstairs."
Suddenly the Eliacube twirled faster, sputtering sparks of blue. Balthazar frowned as he stared deep into the relic's shiny surface. Then his eyes widened. "Yugo, the Eliacube has told me that you have a new journey to embark on with the Brotherhood."