Mind Games: Cursed
i "What do you mean you lost it?" Demanded the armor clad Krawk. His eyes flashed in anger and the Pteri he was addressing flinched.
"W – well s – sir it's j – just gone." She stammered, wringing her wings. "N – nobody c – can find it a – anywhere."
"You fool!" The Krawk roared, his voice echoing across the room. The Pteri flinched and cowered away from him. "Do you know, what will happen if her followers get a hold of that map! We shall have to fight this war all over again!"
Just then a Gelert, also in armor, came bursting into the room. "My Lord" He panted, dipping a quick bow. "The seers have just glimpsed the Imprisonment Cave. A pair of Neopians just walked right through all the Spell Guards we put up."
The Krawk froze in horror. "And?" He asked, holding his breath.
"The – they freed her." The Gelert replied, fear sparking his eyes.
The Krawk, put his face in his paws. "We must end this now" he said through his claws. "No imprisonment, no spells." He looked up at the two other pets. His eyes blazed with such a fierce hatred that they recoiled from him. "This time we shall destroy her." /i
"You know Morgan, this oatmeal tastes terrible." Commented Neopet12345 to his owner. "It's all soggy, I think it's inedible."
"If it's inedible Neo, then what are you going to do with it?" Inquired Neo's sister, and the newest member of the family. Kemiah, known as Keia, gazed at her brother with her large baby Draik eyes.
"Well" Neo said, appearing to think hard. "I think it's really only good for one thing." He flicked his paws and his oatmeal rose out of his bowl in a soggy, dripping mass, and with another flick of the skunk Kyrii's paws, hurled itself into Kemiah's face.
The baby Draik squealed and wiping chunks from her eyes threw her own oatmeal, bowl and all at Neo. Who managed to stop the bowl, but got his own face full of oatmeal.
"Guys, guys!" Morgan cried. "Stop it!" But she promptly received a glob of oatmeal in the face for her efforts. This quickly turned into an all out oatmeal war. By the time it was done, the entire kitchen was covered in pale splotches, as were the participants.
"Ugh, just look at this mess." Morgan said, examining the chaos. She turned to Neo who was peering around the edge of the counter from where he'd taken cover during the war. "And you get to clean up since you started it."
Neo made a face at his owner and made a whirling motion with his paws. All the splotches of oatmeal peeled of the walls, and the bodies of the participants. Coming together in one lumpy ball. He looked at Morgan, wondering what to do with it.
Morgan's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare throw that at me Neo, just throw it out."
"Aw, Morgan you're no fun." Neo deposited the oatmeal into the garbage under the sink.
Morgan reclaimed her seat at the table and Kemiah clambered into her lap. "So you two, what shall we do today?" The girl inquired of her pets. Neo, hopped back onto his chair. The skunk Kyrii had been adopted by Morgan from the Pound. He had repeatedly driven his previous owners crazy with his telepathic abilities. Neither Morgan, or Neo knew exactly where or how he'd acquired his talent, and as far as they were concerned it didn't matter.
"Hmm, let's go to Mystery Island." Neo said excitedly. "You know the whole tropical getaway thing?"
Morgan smiled. "That sounds like a good idea. But we may have to overnight there, it's a long ways from here."
"That's fine with me" Neo said happily, already anticipating the Island luxuries.
"Erm" Kemiah said uncertainly. She looked extremely worried about something. "I dunno if I'd be comfortable in a strange bed." She whimpered, giving Morgan a pleading look.
"Aw, don't worry Keia, you'll be fine. And besides we'll be right there with you. Anyway, if we want to get there at a decent hour, we'd better go now."
The noon time sun beat down upon the white washed decks of the ferry. But the breeze made it not unpleasant to be on deck. A sailor noticed the baby Draik who stood on the railing, her little claws dug into the wood to hold her in place. She was gazing at the speck of green in the distance that was Mystery Island. The little thing looked like she had a lot on her mind, and was very apprehensive about something.
"What's the matter little one? Scared of the Isle?" Asked the big Tuskaninny with a chuckle. Kemiah jumped, she'd been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't heard his approach. "Don't be scared of Mystery Island, sure some of the natives are a little hostile but most of where the shops and homes are is fairly safe."
"Oh I know that," Kemiah replied, having regained her composure. "It's not the Isle that I fear, it's the past I left behind within it." The sailor nodded knowingly as Kemiah turned her gaze again to the ever closing distance between her and Mystery Island. "It's a past that I'd hoped I'd never have to deal with again."
"Aw well, you know the old saying. No matter how far, or fast you run, the past will always catch up." The Tuskaninny said sagely. "Whatever you face youngster, I'm sure you'll face bravely." He bustled away to continue his various tasks. But left Kemiah in a saddened silence.
"But what if the thing I face is not my past, but myself?" The Draik murmured. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Oh what will Morgan think?" She whimpered aloud, clutching her face. "Will she still want me? And Neo will just tell her 'I told you so'. I know that he's never wanted me around, he'll be happy for this excuse to get rid of me." Her words were lost amid her sobbing. Morgan and Neo found her then.
"Keia!" Morgan exclaimed, "what's the matter?"
Kemiah cast about for something to say. She held up one tiny paw. "I – I got a splinter" she sniffed. Neo rolled his eyes and snorted in disgust before stalking away.
"Okay let's go below and get it looked at." Cradling the baby Draik, Morgan headed toward her cabin, without any inkling of the real reason for Kemiah's tears.
"So where shall we go first?" Morgan asked brightly, as they stood on the dock taking in the bright cheerfulness that was Mystery Island.
"We should go see the Island Mystic!" Neo replied, his eyes lighting up. "Fortune telling Morgan! It'll be great!" Morgan agreed and the three of them set off to the Mystic's hut near the Cooking Pot.
"Hello?" Morgan called into the hut as she pushed the strings of rattling beads that served as a door aside. "Uh, Island Mystic are you here?"
"I'm always here," replied the Mystic as he came out of the shadows. Morgan jumped and whirled around, nearly tripping backwards over a stool.
"No" Neo said, raising his eyebrows at the Kyrii. "You were gone that one time during that plot to release the Moltenore and -"
The Mystic flushed. "I have tried to forget about that incident, thank you very much. Now I assume you came here for a fortune? Of course you did everyone comes here for a fortu-" He stopped dead as his eyes rested on Kemiah. She squeaked and hid behind Morgan's legs
"No, don't hide from me Draik, my fortune applies to you." He knelt and looked into the baby Draiks face, and saw the dread in her eyes. "You will find that your true colors will show." Kemiah flinched, Morgan frowned, and Neo gave the Mystic an angered look.
"Hmph" Neo, muttered. "Come on guys let's find something else to do."
The Island Mystic's words haunted Kemiah all through the day, and into the evening. Now, lying in her bed, the Draik couldn't sleep. Her true colors would show, what on Neopia was that supposed to mean? She shuddered, she didn't want to know what it meant. Kemiah's ears pricked as she heard Neo moan. Normally, he slept like a rock, but his sleep was troubled. Cold terror tickled down Kemiah's spine, her brother was probably dreaming of future events. She dreaded what he might see.
The clang of armor, the heavy ragged breaths of the warriors was all that was heard. A Krawk led them, as they crept along the deserted shore. They held torches, and weapons, as though ready for the battle that would end the world. Grim bitterness in their eyes would have made anyone lose heart.
"I'll do it" The Krawk muttered. He lit the head of one of his arrows from a torch, laid the bolt to the string, and let fly. The arrow whizzed through the air and struck the roof of a building. The matted straw that served as a roof quickly caught fire. Jagged edged flames ran hungrily across the roof. Cinders blew upward flaring against the starry sky.
"Fire!" Neo screamed lurching bolt upright in his bed, which was a sweaty tangle of sheets around him. Morgan sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes. But Kemiah was wide awake and staring at him in terror.
"What?" Morgan asked fuzzily, trying to get her eyes to focus on the Kyrii.
"Fire!" Neo cried again leaping from his bed. "Morgan, the building's on fire! We have to get out of here!"
Morgan squinted at him, then her eyes widened. "Are you sure Neo?"
"Look" Kemiah squeaked, pointing a paw at the window. Flames were running across the peak of the hotel roof a ways down from their room. "What more do you want Morgan?"
Cursing, Morgan seized her pets and bolted out the door. Warning everyone she saw about the fire. Soon the hallways were filled with people dashing for the exits. Smoke began to filter into the through the windows, making various people cough. Morgan burst through the front door and they were outside. Where the three of them stayed, watching the steadily burning fire consume the hotel.
But Kemiah wasn't watching the fire. She was gazing around in fear, when she finally saw the object of her worst nightmare, she screamed and fastened herself to Morgan's leg. "What the! Keia what's the matter with you?"
"Morgan" Neo said quietly. Morgan turned to see a party of armor clad Neopets file out of the trees. The other escapees from the hotel watched as well. The green Krawk that seemed to be the leader, drew his sword and yelled at the other tourists.
"If you yet value your lives you will leave this area immediately." They didn't need telling twice and scampered off without a second thought. The Krawk turned to Morgan. "You, girl will give that Draik to us. Cooperate and we shall forgive you for releasing the creature in the first place."
Neo stepped in front of his owner, his eyes narrowed to slits. "What do you want with my sister?" He hissed.
The Krawk bared his teeth at Neo. "We want to end her existence." He spat. "Stand aside."
"Never!" Neo roared. He threw both arms forward in a wild explosion of mental power. Weapons, armor, Neopets, scattered in all directions. The Krawk picked himself up and looked around for his sword, which was embedded in a tree a ways away.
He turned to an Acara who'd had her armor ripped from her chest and was searching about for it in vain. "Get this nuisance out of the way!" The Krawk growled at the Acara. She nodded and whipped out a Rod of the Ultranova from under her chain male. She muttered a few words and pointed the Rod at Neo.
The Kyrii was now very adept at stopping physical things, but he could do nothing about magic. The spell hit Neo full in the chest, catapulting him backward. His unconscious form collided with Morgan's legs. The girl sank to her knees, and cradled Neo in her arms. A trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth and he seemed in a bad way. Morgan hugged him to her chest, praying that he would be all right.
Kemiah was in shock. "He protected me." She whispered, "but I thought he hated me."
Morgan looked at her with tear filled eyes. "Is that what you think Keia? You're his sister, Neo would protect you until the end of the world. You mean that much to him, this family means that much to him that he'd do anything to protect it. Sacrifice anything to protect it, even his own life." Fresh tears streamed down Morgan's cheeks and she buried her face in Neo's fur.
Kemiah turned to the Krawk, he was sneering. White hot rage shot through the Draik. i Too long /i she thought, gritting her teeth. i Have I been caged in this tiny form, I can stand it no longer. /i "So Kemiah, are you ready to die now?" The Krawk asked, "or will we have to hurt the human too?"
Kemiah felt her rage consuming her entire body. She glared at him. "You hurt my brother, I will not let that pass." The Acara who'd done the deed, looked horrified that her spell had done so much damage.
The Krawk spat bitterly. "Anything associated with you is nothing worth mourning over."
"I will not allow you to destroy me again." Kemiah whispered. "Not when I am finally free of the creature I once was." She looked up, her baby Draik eyes housing such hatred and anger that it was alarming. "I will not deny that I was a monster, but I was a puppet also. In my imprisonment, you freed me from my strings. The creature you imprisoned in that cave is dead."
"Do you expect me to believe that?" The Krawk roared, his eyes bulging.
"But I bear the curse of our war, same as you." Kemiah continued. "This appearance, is nothing but a shell. I was made a monster by that war." Her bright cornflower blue eyes glazed over and became bloodshot. Her pupils contacted to slits, floating on an iris of dull yellow. Her salmon pink scales, darkened to a deep olive green. Cruel black claws shot out from her tiny paws as her body enlarged. Kemiah's wings grew shredded and exploded outward as grimy fangs extended from her jaws.
The pets she faced gasped and recoiled as she raised her head. The mutant Draik threw back her head and let out a ghastly howl that chilled the blood of her enemies. She then knelt, looking the Krawk in the eyes. He did not back away, but lowered his sword. "I'm sorry" He whispered, "I did not realize what she had done to you. You are right in that you are changed." He bowed his head and clapped a clawed paw over his heart. "Forgive me." Kemiah did nothing more than bob her head in acknowledgment and the Krawk moved his people away.
Kemiah turned and made her way back to Morgan, who was staring open mouthed at her. "S – so that's what you really look like?" The girl asked, still in a state of shock.
The Draik nodded. "I refuse to be ashamed of it. "
"How did you get like that?" Morgan asked, more curious now than shocked.
"I used to live here on Mystery Island, when the tribes still roamed." Kemiah replied, lying down on the sand. "My sister was one of the most powerful chiefs on the whole Island. She started a war with another clan by trying to seize their lands. She made me one of the foot soldiers, warriors were too valuable to put in the legions in front." Kemiah smiled wryly. "To be a soldier you can't expect to get out unscathed. It was battle that turned my appearance this way When the mages of the other tribe finally penetrated my sister's inner sanctum, she was killed in that battle and the war was ended. Although, they thought I was one of the major masterminds, and imprisoned me on Krawk Island, where you and Neo found me."
"Why did you mask your appearance?" Morgan inquired.
Kemiah looked away. "I thought you wouldn't want me if I was a mutant."
"Well that was dumb." Retorted a familiar voice. Neo rolled over in Morgan's arms so he could look into his sister's eyes. "I didn't trust you at first because I sensed from the beginning that you were hiding something. But now at least we know what it is." He sat up and gave his head a little shake, as if to clear it. "You should have trusted us enough to tell the truth from the beginning."
Kemiah hung her head in shame. "I know, but I was afraid that you'd reject me for being a mutant."
"Well now you know that we won't." Morgan got to her feet. "Come on gang, let's go home. I'm Mystery Islanded out." The others were only too glad to comply.