Happy Halloween 2008!
Chapter 22: Halloween with Maggie
I woke up the next morning, groaning. After rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and shaking the just-got-out-of-bed feeling off, I sat up and looked around. I and Osrie1 have slept in the Lumbridge Hotel overnight. Our bags lay sprawled over the floor. As I got out of bed and picked up my bag, I realised Osrie1 wasn't here. I decided he'd probably gone off to breakfast without me. I yawned, stretched, and went out the door. I could faintly hear cheering.
A few minutes later, I was standing in the middle of the castle courtyard. It was very crowded and noisy. Osrie1 wasn't in sight in the mob of cheering people. Then, the cheers grew to a very high Crescendo, and I saw a cart being pulled by two bony Oxen. The cart was draped with purple silk, and there was a green mist in the air. Then, a face popped out the side of the cart.
The face was of a witch. She wore a high pointed purple hat, but she didn't have the ugly features of a witch. Her skin was tanned and smooth, and she had the most marvellous smile. There was a pumpkin speared on the top of the cart. She hissed, and bats materialised around the cart, followed with a dark light. The bats flew off.
"Happy Halloween!!" the witch yelled, and the crowd whooped, chanting, "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie…."
She smiled and waved, but when she spotted me among the crowd, her mouth fell open.
She stopped the cart, and jumped out. She fought her way through he crowd towards me, using magic to hold the eager fans back.
"Come with me," she whispered urgently in my ear. The crowd booed me, complaining that they found no reason why the famous Maggie would select a noob to come on a ride with her. I clambered into the cart, bewildered.
There were two squashy sofas in the cart. There was another witch sitting down on one with a purple cat on her lap. The cat eyed me suspiciously. There was a cauldron in the middle of the sofas with green, strange-smelling liquid inside.
"Hello there, this is Wendy, my dressing girl," Maggie said happily, gesturing for me to sit down.
"Why did you select me to come in with you instead of some other person?" I asked cautiously.
"It is because I sense an unknown power around you. You appear to have the Trace of Magic on you. A Trace I have never seen before. Say child, have you ever heard of Halloween?" Maggie asked. I nodded. I had a faint memory of Halloween, which involved scary stuff, and knocking on people's doors, saying trick or treat.
"What about it? Is it Halloween?" I asked. Maggie nodded, cackling happily.
"Tonight, trick or treating begins for a few days, and the decorations will be put up soon. You see, I want to go trick or treating, but my oxen have fallen ill. They can't handle much more carrying the cart, so as soon as I find a place to settle down, I need to take care of them. Maybe you could do me a favour?" Maggie suggested. I nodded, eager to hear more.
"I came down to Asgarnia to sample the Halloween candy. If I give you the trick power, and a costume, will you go trick or treating for me?" she asked. I nodded.
"Right, take some spare wizard's robes. They are very suitable for trick or treating," Maggie said. She handed me some folded wizard robes, along with a wizard's hat. There were all black. Then, she handed me six pumpkin-shaped pots.
"All will be explained in time. Now, child, take a look into the cauldron," she cackled. Even though this woman was a witch I felt like I could trust her. I looked into the swirling green liquid. An overwhelming feeling went over my entire body, and bats came from nowhere and circled me. A black light engulfed me, and the bats flew out of the cart and out of sight. The cart stopped abruptly. I stepped outside the cart.
We were in a clearing near Farmer Fred's house. We were right next to the mud path that lead up to Draynor Village. I turned to Maggie.
"To make the trick power come again, think of using it. It's very simple once you get used to it," Maggie smiled. I filled my head with bats and the thought of Halloween, and suddenly I was engulfed again with bats and black light. I tried the black wizard's robes on. They felt pretty comfortable. I turned to Maggie for a more in-depth explanation on trick or treating.
"Well, all you have to do is go around Lumbridge and Draynor and possibly other cities, wearing those robes. Knock on every door, and say 'Trick or treat!' when they open the door. They will give you some candy, or they might ask for a trick. Use that bat power I just gave you to send them jumping out of their socks. If they are impressed enough, you will get a handful of candy. All I want is a pot full of candy, and I will reward you greatly." Maggie gave me a grin. "But don't go trick or treating until tonight. That is the fun of it. It'll be dark, and people will be celebrating. That will scare them more. Now, good luck! If you need me, I will be right in here, in my cart. Now, take some breakfast." She produced a meat sandwich from her robes. My mouth watered, and with quick thanks, I guzzled down my breakfast. I hadn't had meat sandwich since I was on Tutorial Island, and it seemed tastier on the mainland.
With a bounce in my step and a stomach full of food, I jogged merrily down the mud path to Draynor, still wearing my dark wizard robes.
I spent that day exploring Draynor. I didn't go in any of the houses, or knock on any of the doors. I would explore a bit more in depth later. I visited the market. There were a few stalls, with level 27 guards in steel and guard suits, watching the market. There were master farmers, men and women, and even a few pigs. Two stalls had seeds on them, one stall had jugs and bottles of strange-smelling liquid, and one stall had….toys! I jumped with glee, and ran towards the stall to get a closer look.
There toy horses piled up on one end of the stall, four different colours. There were a few kites strapped down with steel bands so they wouldn't fly off. There were sticks and plates there, and my eyes widened in surprise as I saw the last end.
There was a simple wooden crate standing there. I peeked inside and saw strange clothes. There were lots of neatly folded capes with pictures of bunny rabbits on them. There were several rings with small Easter eggs on them. There were sinister hoods, sharp-looking scythes, pumpkin masks, snow globes, scary skeleton outfits, comical chicken outfits, and lots more. A man with a strange hat saw me looking in the box. He leaped over.
"Howdy, the name's Diango, and I'm the owner of this stall. Can I help you?" he asked. I nodded.
"How much do there outfits cost?" I asked.
"Them? The event rewards? They're free!" Diango said gleefully.
"Alright then, I will have one of all these outfits," I said. Diango chuckled.
"You need to complete a seasonal event before you can get these. Like now, if you go trick or treating, you earn a new suit, and I allow you to pick some older ones. There are four events- Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and New Year's Day. The New Year's Day event is very short, and happens at the same time as the Christmas one. The rewards are usually New Year's candy, fireworks, and the only piece of clothing there has been to date is the seasonal hat." Diango plunged his hand to the bottom of the box, and withdrew a dragon mask. Its teeth were bared, and it looked quite menacing. "Fireworks are considerably new. They were invented by Aggie the witch just in this village, using a mix of chemicals, wood, rope, and dragon fire. I can show you one," he said. From a crate under the stall, he took out a large rocket. It had a small piece of string sticking out, and a large piece of wood.
"So I need to go trick or treating before I can pick an outfit?" I asked timidly. Diango nodded.
"If you lose your outfits, I can also give replacements," he said. I nodded, and thanked him.
"Also, I give a present to every new player. Do you want to have a free kite, a toy horsey, a clockwork soldier or doll, or a spinning plate?" Diango asked kindly. I looked in awe at all these expensive toys. I didn't know which one to pick. In the end, I settled to have a white toy horsey. As I walked to the nearby bank, I stroked the smooth, warm wood. I felt so happy that I had been given a free toy horse instead of having to pay for one.
As I put my toy in the bank, I looked at the sky. It was getting late, and the clock in the bank told me it was evening. People were putting on different clothes-wizard clothes, dragon masks, Halloween event clothes, priest gowns, and one person had gotten his hands on a ghost mask. I went outside, and saw the house right in front of me. I shuddered, and knocked.
The door opened. It was a man in blue robes, wearing a very nice blue party hat. He had a long, white, bushy beard, but he didn't look very happy at the sight of me.
"Trick or treat!" I said nervously.
"Ha, I'd like to see a trick from the likes of you!" the man said. I filled my head with the thought of bats and darkness. I willed myself to trick. Then, the space around me swirled with black light, and bats went flying from nowhere. People stopped to gasp at me. The man roared with fright, and jumped back.
"Where on earth did you learn to do that?" he commented. "Here, take this treat. You've earned it!" He went back in his house, and came back holding a hollow pumpkin full of candy. He took a handful out and gave it to me. I put it in my shaped pot.
"I am the Wise Old Man or Draynor, by the way. If you want a chat, don't hesitate to come and ask!" he said, before closing the door. I looked at my sweets more thoroughly.
There were several popcorn balls there. I took one small one out, and popped it in my mouth. It reminded me of honey, and it was deliciously crunchy. I decided I liked popcorn balls. There were two smallish wrapped candies. They smelt wonderful. And, there was one small chocolate bar. I snapped off a corner, and ate it. It melted in my mouth, and it tasted glorious. There was one lolly, which I decided to save for later. I continued down the street to the market.
I went to the merchant who sold strange drinks. I was about to say trick or treat to him, when a figure charged past me. It was Madrey1. He was wearing a black party hat, skeleton top, long, dark robes, and a scythe.
"Trick or treat!" he bellowed to the merchant. The merchant mumbled something about a trick. Madrey1 grinned, and slashed the merchant's arm with his scythe. "Will that do?" madrey1 yelled. The merchant, who looked close to tears, took out a huge jug full of candy. He grabbed a fistful, and shoved it into madrey1's hands. I rushed forward, and took out my healing tonic. I dripped a few drops onto his slash wound, and he sat up.
"Thank you," he said. "Here, take this." He put several fistfuls of candy into my pot. "And, for thanks for helping me, you can have this. Don't drink too much though!" He handed me a bottle of the smelly liquid. "My finest wine," he announced proudly. "My name is Fortunato, and I am one of the most respected wine merchants in RuneScape!" I shook his hand, and sat back down on his gilded chair. I put the bottle in my bag. I went forward to the seed stall. The woman there smiled kindly, and gave me a small handful of candy from a basket at her feet. I went on to Diango.
"Hello again," he said cheerfully to me as I approached. "I'd like to see you trick me," he added, knowing what I was about to say. I grinned, and focused my mind on the trick. The black light engulfed me, and bats circled me before flying off. Diango jaw dropped. Wordlessly, he motioned towards the hollow pumpkin filled with sweets behind him. I took a handful, and put it in the pot. I looked in.
The pot was now half full. There were several popcorn balls, wrapped candies, chocolate bars, chocolate drops, purple wrapped sweets, and there was a strange packet at the bottom. I took it, and opened it. Several white pieces fell into my hand. I ate one. A strange sensation filled my mouth. It was very chewy, and quite minty. Diango spotted me trying the strange sweet.
"That came in a strange shipment from a bloke called Ilookgood99. He wouldn't tell me where it came from," Diango said, shaking his head. I nodded, and went down the street, past the bank.
I went to the other side of the village. I knocked on several doors, and different men and women answered. Some of them wanted me to trick them, which I did marvellously. I filled up my pot and another one with the sweets they gave me. There wasn't another sign of the minty sweet. I arrived at a house, and I knocked the door. A witch answered it.
This witch looked nothing like Maggie. She had warts all over her nose and cheeks, and her skin had an unpleasant green tinge to it. Her hair was greasy and unkempt, and her nose looked like it had been broken several times.
"Trick or treat!" I said.
"Trick," she answered back immediately in an unpleasant, oily voice. I filled my head with bats, and of course, I tried to spook her with my new power. She barely blank, looking at me expectantly.
"That's an old witch power that was invented by the famous Maggie. That's not a trick," she said irritably. "Here, take a firework and a chocolate bar and get out of my sight." She gave me another rocket and a large hunk of chocolate. She slammed the door in my face. I put the firework in my bag and the chocolate in my pot.
I went around the rest of Draynor, trick or treating. There was one nervous-looking man called Morgan who tried to stab me with a stake before realising I was harmless. He handed me a dozen lollies, looking embarrassed.
Sooner or later I passed the crossroad where I battle the highwayman, and I continued down the path to Farmer Fred's house. I knocked on his door, looking suspiciously at the chickens, hoping they didn't try to attack me. Since the chicken attacked Farmer Fred and injured him, I had developed a fear of chickens. Farmer Fred opened the door, looking shocked at the sight of me.
"Trick or treat!" I said. He withdrew a handful of popcorn balls from a wooden crate behind him. He stuffed it into my hands.
"Thanks," I said to Fred, who nodded. As I left the farm, I heard Farmer Fred mutter nervously.
I continued past the sheep pen and into Lumbridge. The town had changed completely. Pumpkins glowed eerily at me, while paper and wooden skeletons and ghosts hung above me. I knocked at a house. A head popped through the window.
"Hello, I am Story Rover," he said. "Can I interest you in some candy?" he said. I nodded. He took my half-full pot, and went inside. His head popped out again after five minutes. The pot was full with candy, and on the top was a newspaper. And on top of the newspaper were….several mint sweets!
"That's a free newspaper courtesy of me, and those sweets have showed up form nowhere, being delivered by Ilookgood99. There is a story on the front page about them," Story Rover said. I thanked him, and rushed off to the next house.
I tricked the rest of Lumbridge. I chuckled at the fear of the church, I doubled up with laughter as I tricked the Duke, and I filled up the rest of my pots with well-earned candy. I stepped out the castle, still laughing at the face of the cook as he saw my bats fly out the window. I walked up to Maggie's cart, which was still parked near Fred's house. There was an odd, green glow coming from inside. I stepped up to the cart, and knocked on the door. The door flew open. I stepped inside.
Maggie and Wendy were sitting down. Maggie was stroking the purple cat, and Wendy was dropping different ingredients in the cauldron, which was giving off the glow. I looked outside. It was pitch-black, with a full moon giving off an eerie glow. The sky was dotted with stars.
Maggie jumped up at the sight of me. I waved at her.
"Hello, my child. Have you gotten back the candy?" Maggie asked, as the purple cat settled into her seat.
"I have," I said, smiling. I handed her a pot of candy. She took the pot, and smiled at me. She took a popcorn ball, and swallowed it.
"The candy down here tastes very delicious, don't you think?" Maggie asked. I nodded. She put the pot on the seat.
"Now for your reward," she said. "Here is the event reward-some warlock clothes! Of course, Diango the toy shop owner will give you something else." She gave me orange and black matching clothes, which included shirt, cape and trousers. I took off my dark wizard clothes, and put on the warlock kit. I folded the dark wizard robes, and handed them back to Maggie.
"No, my child, you can keep the robes," she insisted, refusing to take them back. "Now, it's time for the second reward. Look into the cauldron for a new scary power," Maggie cackled. I looked into the cauldron again. Another overwhelming power came over me, and suddenly a large, slimy, green hand came from the ground. I jumped back as it grabbed thin air, before disappearing again. I looked really flustered and curious, so Maggie said she'd explain about emotes later.
"Your third reward is this," she said. From under the seat she took out a long, thin broomstick. It looked worn out and plain and looked quite battered. She handed it to me and I held it, feeling quite foolish.
"That is more powerful then you take it for," she explained. "You can't see it, but it is very, very old. It was made out of the wood of a magic tree, and the end was made out of magic strings. If you take it to witches all around RuneScape, they can enchant it for you. There are twenty enchantments the broom can take before it can be fully used. Nineteen need to be performed by witches across RuneScape, and the last one needs to be enchanted by you yourself, when you have sufficient magic experience. Oh, that reminds me…" Maggie trailed off. She took the broom off me, and dipped the end in the cauldron. The cart filled with green smoke, and when it cleared, the broom was looking much cleaner, shinier, and had a small hint of magic around it. "There we are you only need nineteen enchantments!" she said happily.
"Now, here is your fourth and final reward. You must be hungry, help yourself to my magical goulash," she cackled. She handed the broom back to me, and then gave me a bowl from her cloak. I dipped the bowl in the cauldron, and then I had a bowlful of goulash in front of me. I gulped, and Maggie handed me a spoon. I swallowed a spoonful. Warm, delicious food filled my insides, and I felt my hunger evaporate instantly. I swallowed down the rest of the bowl, licking my lips.
"Help yourself, if you want more. And, don't forget, if you ever lose your warlock clothes or your broom, go to Diango and he will gladly give you more. But, if you lose your broom, you'll have to get it enchanted again. I live in a place called Yanille, so you'll have to travel there to get it enchanted by me again," she explained. "Also, I need to explain about emotes. Emotes are special movements you can't do normally. Like, I just taught you the trick and zombie hand emotes. You can get much more. Like, you can only learn how to mime if you help the Mime stadium. Understand?" Maggie asked, and I nodded. I had another bowlful of goulash, took another five bowls for the next few days, thanked Maggie, and left to Draynor.
I went up to Diango wearing my new warlock clothes.
"Well hello again, I see you've completed the event," Diango smiled. "I suppose you want to pick some other Halloween clothes?" he added. I nodded. "OK then, pick out which Halloween clothing you want." He took out a midnight-black evil-looking hood, a long, sharp scythe, a jack-o-lantern mask, a full skeleton set, and several terrifying Halloween monster masks. "You can pick two, and next Halloween you can pick another two," Diango added. After a while, I chose the scythe and the skeleton set. I bid Diango farewell, and went towards the bank.
I put my bronze sword in the bank, deciding to use the scythe as my weapon for now on. I put away my skeleton clothes, my candy, and the wine that Fortunato gave me. Then I spotted the firework that Aggie the witch gave me. I closed my bank account and stepped outside. I used my tinderbox on the rope, and it hissed, and caught fire. I placed it gently on the grass and stepped back, not knowing what was going to happen. When the fire got to the end of the small rope, there was a loud bang, a screech, a hiss and the firework shot straight up into the sky. The whole of Draynor and Lumbridge watched at the rocket flew really high in the sky, and burst into flames, sending colourful sparks flying everywhere, illuminating the night sky. As I watched I decided the next day I would go to the wizard's tower for real, and find out about my strange dream and do some chores.