A/N: I found my original cover for this story. I drew it before i ever even started writing this story, so that was a while ago and i've gotten much better at drawing since then. Also, my cover is up rather late seeing as there won't be too many more chapters. Also, parts got cut off on the upload, but Roberta was holding the wand that you buy in Altador.

Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets the Darkest Faerie.

Chapter 17

"Yesterday I would have said you were lying had you told me that story," Turk said as Tor and Roberta finished telling their latest adventure. Today they were sitting on top of the barn roof where their words would not be overheard. "But now I know better than to doubt you."

"So who exactly is this assassin?" Aryanna asked. "I've never even heard of him."

"Well isn't that the way an assassin would prefer it?" Roberta said. "But I have heard about him in books, remember Tor? They say that after his lover died he went insane and went into dark magic to try and bring her back to life. When he couldn't, he was driven further into insanity due to the dark magic taking over his mind. And that's how he became what he is today. He's incredibly powerful, having lived for around a hundred years to perfect his skills. The only reason that we were nearly able to beat him was because he underestimated us."

"So what happens next?" Turk asked. "This guy wants control over Neopia!"

Tor shook his head. "We can't keep fighting them off forever. In every battle there are deaths and injuries. We don't have many soldiers to spare at this point, but the pack is larger than all the neopets from here to Brightvale combined. Eventually we won't have anybody left to defend."

"King Skarl and King Hagan will have to make a decision soon," Roberta said. "But war is inescapable. And soon the storm will hit."

Aryanna looked between the two. "And where does that leave you both?"

"On the frontlines most likely," Tor answered. "Roberta and I know more about fighting the werelupes than anybody. And everybody knows that, just as everybody knows that the Assassin has a grudge against us. Roberta is right. A decision has to be made soon rather than just prolonging the attacks. We can't keep it up for long."

Aryanna took a deep breath as she shuddered at the thought of Tor, one of her oldest friends, leading a battle against the werelupes. "Are you scared?"

Tor nodded slowly. "I am. Of many things." He lay back against the roof, crossing his arms behind his head. It was a sunny day and the heat beat down on his face as he stared at the clouds. "I fear death. I fear the death of others. I fear the death of friends and family. I'm afraid that we will lose and the assassin will achieve his goal."

"Well that's not going to happen," Roberta said forcefully with a glare. "You were always the one who said that we were an unbeatable team. So what's changed since those days? We've only gotten stronger since then. We can't lose."

"I want to fight."

The words were sudden and caused Tor to sit straight up. He tore his eyes from Roberta's to look at Turk whose face was set in determination. Aryanna looked as shocked as Tor felt. Tor shook his head. "I can't let you fight. You've had no experience?"

"So? Is there really any choice, Tor? I want to fight!"

Tor just stared at his friend, trying to find some way to convince him that he didn't need to fight. He couldn't come up with anything. If things kept going the way they were then they would have to start recruiting others to fight. After thinking for several silent minutes, Tor stood up. "Follow me," he muttered, climbing down the ladder. The others looked at one another before following Tor down the ladder. He led them to the North Field where they stopped in front of an old storage shack. Tor pulled back a piece of wood and grabbed a key that unlocked the door. "If you want to fight, there's no way that I can stop you. But I will help you."

He lit a candle that illuminated the small room. Turk gasped at the sight of Tor's past swords and armor. After the defeat of the Darkest Faerie Tor had come back to the farm for a few days and had redone the shed as a place for his armor. He stepped farther inside to allow everyone else in. "All of these were mine during the journey." He lifted one of the swords off the shelf and took it from its sheath. The sword was finely made, the best in the shop in Market Town. The blade was made of gold, the hilt of silver with jewels embedded in it. "I bought this in Market Town. I want you to take it, along with the armor I bought there," Tor gestured to his Market Town armor. "It's made to adjust to whoever wears it, no matter the type of neopet."

"I remember this!" Roberta said. She was standing in front of his gilded armor. "We got this from the treasure vault!"

"I remember that too," Tor said with a grin. "And I remember as a squire talking to Inga and she told me of a rumor that there was gilded armor in the treasure vault. If she knew I had it she might have a heart attack. She always wanted to get her hands on it." He looked at Turk. "I want to teach you a little about fighting," he said and grabbed the sword he had gotten while on his way to the treasure vault after he had been off some spirits that had attacked. It felt strange in his hand after using King Altador's sword for so long, a little heavier than he was used too, with less balance. It would work though.

They went out into the cornfield. "One of the first things I learned was to time my attacks. Start counting when you swing your sword. Once you hit two, swing again. Watch me." Tor swung his sword, slicing through empty air as he counted out loud. He would have liked to have a training dummy, but it wasn't necessary. He did it twice and watched Turk mimic his moves. He wasn't terrible, always having been able to pick things up easily, a skill that many had commented Tor had. His stance was correct, maybe slightly off.

The two went on for over an hour in the hot sun. Tor taught his friend some moves that he had come up with during his fighting that had been very useful. It was good for the both of them. It eased Tor's mind to know that his friend wouldn't be sent out with no experience. By the time they decided to stop Aryanna and Roberta had left them. They stopped at the pump to get a drink and cool themselves down and then walked into the house. Aryanna and Roberta were sitting at the table laughing.

"What's so funny?" Turk asked curiously as Tor got out four glasses and filled them with some of his mother's lemonade.

"Oh nothing," Roberta said airily, suppressing another chuckle. Tor found her tone somewhat menacing in a strange way. And as he expected, when the lupe turned around to set the glasses on the table there was a wicked glimmer in her eye. He looked accusingly at Aryanna. "What did you teller her?"

Aryanna raised her hands. "I didn't tell her anything!"

Tor looked helplessly at Turk and Roberta burst out laughing again. "What is so funny!?" he asked loudly, feeling a little agitated and nervous. "Tell me!"

It took several minutes of coaxing before Aryanna finally raised her hand in surrender and managed to gasp out between laughs, "Alright! Alright! I told her about the time you asked my older sister to marry you."

Roberta couldn't hold back her laughter as Tor's jaw dropped open in horror. Now even Turk was laughing. "I was three!" Tor shouted. "And we agreed never to speak of that again!"

"Tor I had no idea that you like older women!" Roberta said.

"Shut up!"

….

Tor walked into the barn where his father was currently working, the sound of metal hitting metal pounding in his ears. But when his father saw him in the doorway he put down his tools. "Tor, what brings you to me now? I thought you were going down to Tessa's to help out."

Tor walked farther into the barn and sat on a crate. "That was this morning. I've finished there." Tor frowned. His father had been acting strange these past few days. He wasn't forgetful, Tor decided, but he seemed very distracted. "What's going on, Dad? You've been distracted since I came home."

Hubert sighed and sat down on a wooden barrel. He rubbed his face tiredly and looked at his son with a serious expression. "I've been thinking, son."

"About what?" Tor prompted.

"The upcoming storm upon the Kingdoms, the Assassin, and what is to become of this family. I've come close to losing both of my children, and it is something I don't think I can take again. But you will have to fight, you are an adult now and I can't stop you from fighting. And this Assassin is after you. Your mother is in denial about it, but there is a chance of you… dying in this battle."

"Dad, I still can't lie to you, I never could, so I can't say that there isn't a chance of death in my future. But I have beaten the Assassin before. He might have caught me off guard at the party, but that won't happen again. Roberta and I, you see, are an unbeatable team as we say. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I promised that I would bring Lucy home safely. And I kept that promise, didn't I?"

Hubert sighed, nodding his head slowly. "You did. But luck doesn't hold forever."

"Who said anything about luck?" Tor asked. "I was able to keep that promise because of past experiences. There was nothing lucky about it. Believe me, Dad. Roberta and I can get through anything."

"It certainly seems that way."

Tor left the barn a little later, feeling slightly better now that he had eased his father's mind a little. He saw Roberta sitting on the whinnies' pen reading a book. In her other hand she had her wand and was waving it idly. He walked over to her, reading the cover of the book as he went. Magic of the Mind, Volume IV. He hopped onto the fence next to her and asked, "What's that about?" nodding to her book.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You must be very bored."

"I am."

"So go find something to do. Work or something."

"I've been working since before sunrise!" Tor said indignantly. "You, on the other hand, have not working since we got here."

"What? I've helped your mother every day since we got here!"

"Sure you have."

"You delivered the water for the juppies to me two hours ago!"

Before the argument could go any farther a rustle in the bushes behind them interrupted. They both stared, months of paranoia and ability to sense danger coming back to them. Roberta had her hand on her wand and Tor's hand on his belt, inches from his sword. The next second figures burst from the trees. At first glance Tor knew that they were the creatures of Shadowglen. Roberta had taken two down the instant they burst forth. Tor slashed with his sword screaming, "EVERYBODY INTO THE HOUSE!" as loud as he could to ensure that no matter where on the farm they were, they would hear him.

He cut down two more plants with spindly limbs and large razor sharp teeth. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Roberta that let him know that she'd been hit with some of the burning acid that plants emitted. "I'm alright!" she called out when Tor looked over his shoulder to see if she'd been wounded badly. He nodded and sliced the large head of one of the enemies right off. It rolled a few feet before growing tiny legs and began crawling in another direction. Tor kicked it with his boot and it flew straight into the head of another, taking it off with the tremendous force behind it.

Soon the scattered plants lay in the grass, unmoving. Tor and Roberta looked around them and nodded in satisfaction, panting slightly. Tor looked at Roberta. "I don't believe this attack is a mere coincidence," He said quietly.

"I don't either. Get your armor, Tor, and we'll see what's happening in the swamp."

"Right," Tor agreed. They walked into the house where his family was huddled by the window so that they were able to watch the fight. Tor was pleased to see that they had all listened to his order. He didn't want anybody hurt.

"Are you two alright?" Patricia gasped, moving into action to check them over.

"We're fine, don't worry," Roberta said, but Tor noticed the burn on her skin. It wasn't bad, but it probably burned. He went under the cupboard and broke a piece off of some baggus fruit that was still fresh. He went back to Roberta and grabbed her arm, and broke the piece in half. He allowed the juices to flow over the burn. It glowed green briefly before the burn faded completely. "Thanks, Tor."

"No problem." He looked at his parents and said, "We're going into Shadowglen Woods. I don't think this was just a coincidence."

Hubert nodded though his wife looked ready to protest. He put a hand on Patricia's shoulder. "We understand. Do what you need to do, but be careful."

Tor went to his room to get his armor while Roberta went with him to get her battle robes. She left to go change and Tor turned to his armor. He put it on with practiced ease and went back down the stairs after grabbing his back pack. It was something he carried with him at all times, carrying many crucial items that could potentially save his life in many situations. He nodded to Roberta who had arrived just after him and they left with a short good-bye, a Meerca Speed potion in hand. They sped along the path until they began to near the farms. Tor pricked his ears forward, hearing screams. The farms were under attack. He put on a small burst of speed, Roberta doing the same.

As soon as the farms came into view they split up. Tor went to where Turk was fighting bravely with his sword beside Farmer Tessa who wielded a shovel. He jumped into battle and helped them clear the area of the plants. Both already were covered in acid burns by the end.

"Thanks for coming," Turk gasped as the three of them began running to help Old Man Boggs who was about to be overwhelmed.

"Don't worry about it," Tor answered grimly. "Roberta and I were on our way through when we heard the attack. They came to my farm too. I didn't hear anything at Aryanna's though."

"Let's hope she's alright," Turk muttered, turning into the fray. Tor did the same, tearing off a plant who had managed to grab onto Boggs' back. He tore it apart and threw it at another. Soon Roberta joined them blasting a path to Tor's side.

"I cleared them out by Addison's. He's alright now. A few burns. I told him to go and get some baggus fruit from his cellar."

"Good," Tor said through gritted teeth as he killed another enemy. "Now, let's get rid of these guys."

"Watch my back. I got it."

Tor knew what Roberta was doing. He covered her, keeping a wide circle around them free of plants. Within moments she had equipped an air mote to her wand and was charging to up. Just before she released the burst of magic Tor shouted, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" He then dropped to the ground on his stomach and he felt the burst of energy from Roberta's wand and then the raging winds that threatened to tear him to shreds. He pressed himself firmly into the ground until he felt the winds subside. Then he stood up, not a plant in sight.

"Alright everyone, they're gone."

Slowly the others got to their feet staring at Roberta in awe. Tor was slightly shocked himself, but he kept himself calm when he turned to the acara. "That was new. You've been working on that then?"

"What do you think I was reading about before?" Roberta joked easily now that the battle was over. She was always very calm after a fight, something Tor himself felt too. "Motes work very well when you open your mind to them."

"Huh," Tor grunted thoughtfully. That might be something to teach the squires. "Well nice job with that."

"Thanks."

Addison joined them seconds later, his arms full of baggus fruit with Turk's brother Arnie and their parents, Geoffrey and Sheila. Tor and Roberta, unwounded stood to the side. "We're heading into Shadowglen woods," Tor announced. "Turk, go up to Aryanna's farm and make sure that everything is alright up there. Everyone keep watch for any more of them."

"Thanks for the help, Tor, Roberta," Boggs said gruffly as Roberta dripped some of the baggus juice onto one of his burn to show him how to do it himself.

"It was nothing," she said and walked over to stand next to Tor. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go."

She handed him another dose of the Meerca speed potion and took one for herself. They clicked the vials together and drank before going full speed for Shadowglen.

…

The woods seemed darker than ever as the two picked their way through as silently as they could, bypassing the plants that wandered around with hostile eyes. Everything seemed pretty much normal to Tor, nothing out of place. But he hadn't seen anything yet.

Tor passed through a screen of vines that hid a side tunnel. He and Roberta walked through it, pressing closely to the sides. They had to keep their weapons sheathed or the faint glimmer of air motes would give them away in a moment. Tor peeked out from behind the tunnel wall and scanned the area. There was a plant pacing back and forth to the right, taking about eight seconds between each turn. Tor looked at Roberta and flicked his head to an old log. She nodded and Tor counted down on his fingers before they ran, sliding down behind the log Tor had pointed out.

"Nothing seems different," Roberta breathed by his ear.

"I know. But there's one more place to check on the far west side of the glen."

"The place we fought the juppie monster?"

"That's the place. Come on, up that ledge right there and duck behind it."

"Right."

Tor counted down from three and in a flash they had jumped up onto the ledge and rolled across to the other side and climbed up to a second one. "Climb the vines quickly," he muttered. Roberta grabbed onto a thick vine above her head and jumped up, climbing easily. It was a task that had been performed many times by both of them. It was about a fifteen foot climb before Tor was able to haul himself up onto the ledge with Roberta who seemed completely frozen on her hands and knees.

There, standing just two feet in front of them was a tall figure in dark robes. A rapier with a golden hilt embedded with rubies hung loosely from his belt. Tor looked up in horror at the Assassin's face. He was showing his teeth in a sinister smile.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here, hm?" he said with a small chuckle. "Spies, perhaps? That just won't do!" He began pacing, tapping his chin as Tor and Roberta slowly got to their feet. "Kill you? But that won't be much fun here. No I can save that for later."

Tor snarled at the gelert and drew his sword. It only made him laugh.

"Oh no, now is not the time for that. Why ruin my fun so soon? But there are other ways of… having fun." Before Tor could even blink a sharp wave of magic hit him, throwing him straight over the edge of the small cliff with Roberta. The gelert laughed the entire time and screamed, "Dinner Time!" Then he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Tor grabbed Roberta's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

She dusted herself off quickly and picked up her wand from the ground. "I'm fine. That's not the problem here though."

She was right. Waves of the monsters of Shadowglen were heading toward them from all sides. Tor and Roberta stood back to back. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, already charging up his mote.

"Ready."