Alternate Destiny: Sloth's Reign

Author's Notes: Hello, my lovely readers! Oh, yes... It looks like Calais has a plan for Maxine, and this doesn't seem to begood news for our Rebel leader/hero... Who will live to see the light of day?

By the way, I've looked up the word 'Calais' and the word seems to be an actual name of a place or city in France! Weird or what? Fact is stranger than fiction...!


"Calais, are you totally sure about this?" yelled Maxine at his rival as the wind blew around the empty streets. The blond haired boy nodded, but still his purely green eyes glittered like gems…

He did not reply to the other teen's question, but only remained creepily silent. Too silent, reckoned Max as Calais turned his back on him… Gritting his teeth, Maxine demanded why he was acting this way- what was his rival up to…?

And then Calais suddenly lashed out at the shocked teenage boy, crashing his victim into a hard brick wall... Uuuhhh! Pain migrated down his wrecked body as Max realised what happened.

Redness began streaming down Max's navy blue hair as Calais chuckled and a sadistic smile came onto his face. Why, of all people…?

Before he blacked out completely, Maxine thought he heard Calais say, "That'll teach you…!"


"So your name is?" asked the secretary, typing in the data. Maxine shuffled his feet uneasily.

Being a newly integrated Owner, he didn't really have any Neopets that he really agreed with and he had only just come here to check things out… But he would have to try, who knows- he might even find the perfect Neopet!

"My name is Maxine Milan Paquilt." He replied, attempting a shy smile. The secretary avoided his eyes as usual. "Follow me," she answered briskly.

"We have a selection of 'baby' Neopets about to be shown on display. You may choose whatever Neopet meets your fancy, understood?" Maxine nodded, sounded easy enough.

"But you must adhere to the conditions that are set to you. Failure to do this will result in 'Frozen' accounts (Neopets being inaccessible) and 'Abandonment'."

Rows of eggs were laid out in neat rows and presented to the new Owners as they looked at each stat/colour and species.

Each egg contained a void- where the baby Neopets were in a mode of accelerated growth to their true form.

Maxine stared at each egg, but eventually, he declined her offer, saying that he couldn't decide. The secretary's mouth gaped open… Rexford- how Max longed for the brown furry Neopet he adopted!


"Love is blind." Max opened his blurry eyes a little bit; Calais was smirking, hands folded to each side, shadows enclosing both of them.

"What? How?" muttered Max as he saw the faint gleam in Calais's eyes- like splinters of emerald.

It also occurred to him that he couldn't move his hands! He was stained with traces of his own blood…

"Your unfledged love for Sabrina has made you blind to my plans!" Eyes traced the contours of Max's battered body.

"Ah, yes… From the first day I wanted to prove myself to be an ambitious leader. I want to be skilful, capable of leading the Rebels."

Alas, that was never to be. You were too talented, too manipulative of others. You had everyone else doting on your every word, whereas I was the 'scapegoat'."

"My envy and spite of you caused me to act the way you saw just now!" revealed Calais, his corrupted eyes were gleaming jade green.

"Envy had made you the monster, Calais!" retorted Max as he saw chains dangling down from his weakened arms. "Now, let me go!" Sweat poured down tersely.

"Never…!" snarled Calais, his eyes radiating absolute hatred, "I will not! By the way, you ever know what happened to your precious girlfriend?"

"To put it simply, I deceived you. She is right now in the Arena, battling it out with the Fire Wielder!"

"I'll doubt that she'll ever win against Gardenia… Wielders exercise their own elemental abilities by their discoveries and are generally stronger than the Owners." laughed the blond boy.

"The Arena Master will trash her and the Neopets to pieces, just as I will do to you…!" Calais gazed into Maxine's eyes, before turning his back.

"SABRINA!" gasped Maxine, if it wasn't for the chains that held him back he would have liked to rip Calais apart for his treachery that was downright savage.

How could he, the leader, have been tricked by the traitor that was there before him? Was there no mercy in Artesia?

For even his own follower had turned away from him. The building started trembling with an unseen force…


Just as the words passed his mind, Max saw a glint of something shiny right next to his feet…

A key- it was bronze? A discarded letter that is familiar to my eyes? Ah, this must be the same cell that Sabrina was in before she escaped!

Grabbing the key with his hands, he made sure that Calais's back was still turned- before rotating the small hole.

The chains came undone as Calais yelled out, "Hey, don't leave me in here!"

Maxine ran for the exit and soon unleashed the other captured Owners from their bonds. Debris started falling down heavily, more densely as the seconds passed by.

Long lingering screams echoed down the corridor as Calais fell to his own downfall…


The enemies were too terrified for words as Maxine and the other unknown Owners ran past them, safely outside the collapsed jail.

The Owners gasped in wonder at the darkened scenery. They hadn't been outside for an era, butbeingoutsidetruly seemed like paradise to them…

Phoebe, Calais's red Peophin, was waiting outside, knowing nothing of her deceased Owner's plans.

"Max, are you alright?" Phoebe asked Max, concerned. But closer inspection revealed that he was severely wounded.

Staggering, Max closed his eyes before asking Phoebe whether he could mount her to appear at the Arena…

"I need to- confront Sabrina- once more … I don't think- I can last much- longer…" revealed the teenager.