Welcome back, everybody! Sorry again; the truth is, some chapters may take longer to publish than others, so just try to hang in there. Don't worry though, because they'll always end up coming, and you'll still get to read them when they do. ;)

Without further ado, here's the next chapter…although I have to warn you, it contains some "Amulet" spoilers.

Chapter 4

Tweak stayed seated in the room she'd been led into. She wasn't sure what to do. Taking the elf's advice and going to a library seemed like a smart option, but she had trouble doing so. Could she trust this elf after what happened in the back alley? She didn't want to have to do it after how rough he'd been, but then again, it wasn't like she had much of a choice. The elf, not to mention Rico and Enzo, knew a lot of things that she didn't. Stonekeepers, arachnopods, something about an Elf King possibly attacking Nautilus—no wonder she'd been referred to as hopelessly unprepared. How was she going to find Miskit when she knew so little about Alledia?

Groaning, Tweak decided to take the elf's advice and go to a library. She headed for the front door, but then stopped as she realized she didn't know the way to a library. She considered going back into the alley and asking the elf for directions, but she doubted he'd be too helpful. He'd said he was on the run from his father, who, based on what he'd said about him, had to be the wicked Elf King she'd heard about. The elves probably had their own kingdom somewhere in Alledia, and if the elf had said his own kind "didn't run libraries here," then Nautilus couldn't be where the elves' kingdom was. If the elf with the amulet was on the run, he probably wasn't the best person to ask for directions here.

Exiting the building through its front door, Tweak went outside and caught up to a human woman pushing a cart of books. "Excuse me," she asked the woman, "but do you know the way to a library?"

The woman stared at her in confusion. "The library here doesn't open until 9:30."

Inside her head, Tweak did a face palm. Out loud, she said, "Uh, I'm not exactly…from around here."

"Ah," the woman smiled, "Visiting from Kanalis, eh?"

Tweak could only nod and assume Kanalis was another Alledian city, all the while beginning to feel more and more silly. Hopefully she would get to learn more about this place soon…

Suddenly the woman tensed up a little. "Wait, how long has it been since you were affected by the curse?"

"Curse?" Tweak asked her, suddenly starting to feel nervous.

"You know…the curse that's been going through Kanalis. It turns all the humans there into animals. Those pilot cat brothers were affected by it long before opening this town's bar."

"Rico and Enzo used to be humans?" exclaimed Tweak. Then she quickly quieted down, in case she'd once again said the wrong thing.

Relaxing again but once more looking confused, the woman asked, "Um…would you mind explaining where you are from, exactly?"

Not wanting to reveal too much of the truth after her encounter with the elf in the back alley, Tweak thought back to her encounter with Rico and everything he'd told her. "I'm from…Gondoa Mountain?" She gulped, hoping the only other place in Alledia she knew about had at least a few residents living there.

Thankfully, the woman nodded. "Ah. So you're a member of the small group that protects the arachnopods from hunters?"

"Uh…yes!"

The woman smiled. "Not to worry, madam. There's not usually much excitement up in the mountains, so I understand why you weren't aware of the curse. I assume you're in search of the library so you can catch up on all the stuff that's happening in the cities?"

This time Tweak was able to manage a confident smile. "Yeah."

"Well, you're in luck, because I happen to be the library's delivery girl. And to thank you for protecting the arachnopods and giving them the respect they should be receiving more of, I think I'll let you look at some books before opening time. You know…in case the Elf King's men want to check something out."

Tweak thanked her, and she led the way to the Nautilus library. They walked down a few blocks before arriving at the right place: a small grey brick building that looked a little worn down. There was a sign just above the door that read Nautilus Public Library, but some of the letters had rusted away, making it look like it said, Nauti Pub rary.

The woman noticed Tweak looking at the sign in confusion and sighed. "I know," she said, "I keep asking my boss to fix that sign so people won't think it's…a place that it isn't. He never listens of course. Keeps saying that once we replace it, the elf army will just mess it up again."

"I keep hearing about this creature called the Elf King," said Tweak, "Why is he so mean to everyone in Alledia?"

"Sorry madam," the woman replied, "but I've read every history book here and I still don't know the answer. I've got a feeling that's a question you should be asking a stonekeeper, if there are any left."

"And what's a stonekeeper?"

The woman smiled. "Now that's something these books can answer."

She used her keys to unlock the door, and they stepped inside. "I suggest you start off with a book discussing the history of Alledia," said the woman. As she pushed her book cart away, she took off the vest she was wearing, and Tweak noticed she'd been wearing a name tag underneath it. It read, Rasia Redlogger.

After thanking Rasia for giving her special access into the library, Tweak headed for the bookshelves (which there weren't much of, she noticed) and searched for a book about Alledia. She eventually found one on a middle shelf and pulled it out, taking it to a table so she could read it. Along the way there, she came across a book about elf history and a book about stonekeepers. She grabbed those as well.

Tweak sat down at the table and lay all three books out in front of her. She opened Alledia: How The Tough Days Began first and discovered a map of some of the planet. The areas she knew about (Nautilus, Kanalis, and Gondoa Mountain) were all featured on the map, all in the Windsor Region. There were a lot of other cities too, along with two more regions and a large water area toward the right. Hopefully Miskit was in the same region as she was…

Turning a few pages, Tweak read an introduction to Alledia. It was a planet filled with many species, most of which didn't live on Earth. Their way of living seemed a little primitive, but there were quite a few vehicles with advanced technologies within them, kind of like the Octopod. Among the species that only lived in Alledia was the arachnopod type, which Tweak found out was the kind of animal that sharp-toothed octopus-like creature she'd seen earlier was. Humans and elves were the most popular species in Alledia, although some humans were affected by a ancient curse and turned into different animals (that explained why Rasia thought she'd been cursed at first). Alledia had been a land of peace and harmony that was ruled by the Guardian Council, a group of stonekeepers, until the elf kingdom inexplicably turned against them and attacked their city, Cielis, apparently destroying it and them.

Setting aside the Alledia book without closing it, Tweak opened All About Stonekeepers and started reading it. She then discovered what stonekeepers really were: individuals who each wielded a magical amulet, which they could use for communication, fights against opponents, and even unique ways of travelling. Some stonekeepers were very responsible and strong, but others could lose control of their amulets and turn into big harmful beasts. These beasts were very strong and harmful, and they represented their strengths or personalities one way or another. All of these amulets were created by the Mother Stone, a magical crystal filled with energy. Only a shard of it was not made into an amulet, and that shard was last seen buried somewhere underneath Cielis.

Closing both books, Tweak opened the last one: a book simply called Elves (which reminded her of a similarly titled Christmas movie back on Earth). She didn't find much information about why exactly the Elf King declared war on Alledia, but the idea of the war had clearly been his idea. Until the war started, all the elves had been very peaceful, the book said. There were even rumours going around that the Elf King was under some kind of resurrection spell, since he had been (and still was) alive for a lot longer than most elves on the planet.

She found some pictures of elves too: Riva Ash, the mayor of a city called Lucien, the Elf King, who had on a mask that covered all of his head except his ears, and the king's two sons, Luger and Trellis. Tweak wasn't surprised when she recognized Trellis as the elf she'd met in the back alley; she'd had a feeling he was the Elf King's son based on what he'd told her. One thing didn't make sense though: if Trellis was a stonekeeper himself and he wanted to help her survive here, why had he ordered her to not put on any amulets? Was he only pretending to be concerned about her and secretly working with his father? Or was he just worried that if she did become a stonekeeper, she would lose control and become a beast?

Well, at least I know more about what Miskit's up against, Tweak told herself. Maybe she didn't know why the Elf King was tormenting Alledia, but at least she didn't have to worry about sounding so clueless around the Alledians anymore. Now all she had to do was find her crush and help him out—but did that mean she had to become a stonekeeper herself? Probably, if Miskit had thought it would be a good idea to secretly have Emily become one, despite her likely having no idea Alledia even existed when she'd found her amulet. And boy had he made the right choice; the arachnopod incident had proved it!

Tweak hesitated a little. Like the second book said, being a stonekeeper took a lot of responsibility. If she became one, she'd have to learn how to use magical powers she had no experience with. But then again, Emily had to learn these things too, and look how quickly she'd gotten the hang of it. Although it wasn't like Emily had mastered the staying in control part…at least not as far as she knew…

Reading the stonekeeper book again, Tweak tried to figure out whether becoming an amulet wielder herself was the best idea. The terrific job Emily had done so far inspired her to say yes to the idea, but she reconsidered it every time she looked back at the losing control part. She couldn't risk becoming a giant harmful beast; who knew what she'd do to Alledia or what exactly she'd turn into if that happened? Finally, after spending a few minutes imagining what harm she might cause if she were to lose control of an amulet, Tweak decided not to seek one out; at least not yet. She would just have to help Miskit some other way, without gaining any magical powers in the process. If it didn't work, she would become a stonekeeper as a backup plan.

Now that she had a plan figured out, Tweak closed all the books and put them back where she'd found them, one by one. As she was about to put away Alledia: How The Tough Days Began last, she hesitated and decided to do one last thing first. Leaving the shelf area, she went to find Rasia, who was busy sorting through the books she'd delivered to the library. "Uh, excuse me," she said, "but can I use the photocopier?"

"Sure," replied Rasia, pointing to a big black machine near the back door, "it's right over there. Help yourself."

"Thanks," said Tweak. She brought the book to the photocopier and placed it inside of it. Then she pressed a few buttons and photocopied the first page of the book: the map of Alledia. She would need it later on, in case she found out where Miskit was and needed directions.

With the help of Sandy the sea turtle and Marina the sea cucumber, the Octonauts spent the entire day searching for Tweak. Shellington and Tunip searched the reef, Sandy, Dashi, and Professor Inkling looked in the open spaces near the reef, Peso and Marina checked the area behind the Octopod, and Kwazii and Captain Barnacles went to the Norlen beach. They hadn't left for their next ocean exploration yet, so there was a chance she could have just gone to the beach.

"If that's where she is, I can only imagine why," Kwazii said as he and the captain deactivated their bubble helmets and looked around the beach, "She might have gone to help Miskit deal with those amulet-wielding beasts!"

"Or maybe she just went to visit Miskit before he left for his mission," Barnacles put in, not really believing there were any horrible beasts out there.

"Captain, for once she believed everything I was saying! Normally Peso's the one who pays that much attention to me adventure stories, and that's because most of them scare him!"

Barnacles sighed. "Whatever you say, Kwazii."

They stopped for a moment to examine the beach, and while they didn't find Tweak, they did find a damp trail of footprints in the sand that led into the forest. Following the footprints, the two were led straight to the house where they'd met Miskit. Unfortunately the door was locked, so they had to climb up the wall and in through the window to get inside.

"Tweak?" Barnacles called, once he and Kwazii made it into the second floor's library. There was no response, so they searched the rest of the second floor before heading downstairs and looking there. When they didn't find her there either, Kwazii opened the basement door and led the way down. It was very dark, so Barnacles turned on his octo-compass and used its lit screen as a flashlight.

"Tweak? Miskit?"

No answer. Careful not to bump into the old storage, antiques, and furniture around them, Kwazii and Barnacles wandered around the room, searching for their friend, yet not seeing her anywhere. Soon they made it to the other side of the basement, where an old door stood. Kwazii opened it, but gasped in awe once he saw what lay on the other side. "Captain…it's the passage to Alledia!"

"Kwazii, I don't think…a cave? And a giant stairwell. I wonder what those are doing in the basement."

Kwazii gave him an annoyed glance. "Some of me stories are true, you know."

"Some," affirmed the captain, and Kwazii groaned.

The duo headed down the stairs, finding a very strange sight on the wall in front when they got to the bottom. There appeared to be a passageway there, but while its border was still intact, the way inside it was closed off by some bricks. Since the wall around the passageway's border didn't have the same pattern as the bricks blocking the next room, the two Octonauts instantly realized something was off—particularly Kwazii. "The entrance to Alledia should be right h…wait a minute, someone's closed it up!"

Barnacles just remained quiet, observing the wall in confusion.

"Look!" Kwazii exclaimed, noticing a toolbox filled with tools lying on the floor, next to the passageway, "Don't those belong to Tweak?"

Barnacles examined the toolbox and the tools. "They are Tweak's," he worriedly said, "Oh no…she must be trapped behind those bricks."

"Stand back, captain. Time to do this…the pirate way!" And before Barnacles could object, Kwazii backed up a bit and then took off running for the brick wall. With a yell, he leapt forward and slammed into the wall face-first. However, the wall didn't budge, and the only thing Kwazii succeeded in doing was knocking himself out.

As the pirate cat moaned, lost consciousness, and fell on his back, Barnacles used his octo-compass to contact Peso, Shellington, Dashi, and Inkling. "Octonauts, I think we've figured out where Tweak is. Meet us in the Norlen house's basement, and bring the Gup X."

After thanking Rasia Redlogger for everything she'd done for her, Tweak left the library with her photocopied map of Alledia. There were still only a few Alledians outside at that moment, which disappointed her. She'd been hoping to ask passersby if they'd seen Miskit, so she'd have a better chance of finding him, but with fewer people out here, her chances of getting anywhere were very small. On the bright side, some people were out here, and that was better than no one being out here at all.

Tweak spent the next ten minutes walking around the streets of Nautilus, asking all the humans, animals, and unidentifiable human-like species if they'd seen a pink rabbit robot. Since she now knew Emily was with him based on what Trellis had said, she also asked if they'd seen a human stonekeeper girl with red hair. Whenever she asked this question, however, the civilian she asked would burst out laughing and say something like, "Where have you been all this time," or "The Guardian Council perished years ago!" Then she would tell them that the girl in question wasn't part of the Guardian Council, only for the civilians to laugh again and hurry away from her. Finally, when everyone else went back indoors for the night, Tweak sat down on the steps of an old post office, sighing. How was she ever going to complete her mission if things kept going like this?

"You there! What were you up to back in the library?"

Startled, Tweak turned to find four muscular creatures approaching her. She could instantly tell by their physical features that they were elves, but somehow, even though they didn't have scars on their faces, she found them to be a lot more creepy-looking than Trellis. Maybe it had something to do with the menacing glares on their faces, which were much scarier and fierce than the tough and furtive expression Trellis had worn during his encounter and conversation with her earlier. She also noticed that, unlike Trellis, these elves were wearing medieval clothing. Wait a second…could they have been sent here by the Elf King?

Backing up against the locked front door behind her, Tweak asked, "How…how did you know I was there?"

"We saw you come out," grunted one of the elves, "even though the library doesn't open for another seven hours. Only fugitives could have been let in so early."

"And we would have intercepted you sooner," added another elf, "if someone hadn't insisted on stopping every forty seconds to get snacks." He elbowed the third elf in the hip, and in defence, he said, "Do not blame me! I told you, someone planted an enchanted bean in my coffee!"

"Do not overfill your stomach. She isn't the only fugitive we need to apprehend."

The first elf turned his attention back to Tweak, this time taking out his sword and pointing it at her. "What reason has compelled the delivery girl to grant you special library access?"

Tweak was terrified. She could feel her ears tying themselves together as she blurted out, "I-it just happened! She thought I was part of a team that protects arachnopods, and she wanted to thank me for it! That's it, I promise!" She then braced herself, hoping she wouldn't get touched—or worse—by the sword.

After exchanging glances with the other elves, the one pointing the sword at her used his other hand to pull out a piece of parchment paper. "Alright," he said, "it seems that you are being honest. However, in case you were not, we will take proper precautions and label you a fugitive. Speaking of fugitives, we are looking for two more of them. If you have seen them, do not lie or—"

"Seriously, lieutenant?" interrupted the fourth elf, "This is not the time or the place."

The third elf, who had started eating a pear while the first one was talking to Tweak, replied, "Someone planted an enchanted bean in my coffee! Stop making me remind you of it!"

Tweak took the few seconds the third elf was unintentionally giving her to examine the paper being held in front of her. To her surprise, it was a wanted poster, with pictures of Trellis and his brother Luger on it. They really were on the run from their father, which meant Trellis had been telling the truth. He really had been concerned about her safety; the least she could do was return the favour. So, with all her might, she tried to sound as scared, innocent, and truthful as possible when she told the elves, "I haven't seen them, and I don't know where they are!"

The elves exchanged glances again, obviously uncertain, but eventually the first elf put away the paper and the sword. "Lieutenant," said the first elf, "since you are experiencing food cravings, run back and inform the king that we have a third fugitive on the list. The rest of you, come with me to continue the search for the first two fugitives."

"Yes sir," said the other elves, and each of them obeyed him. They all left, leaving Tweak standing by the post office by herself, trembling a bit. As she took deep breaths to try and calm herself, she sank back into a sitting position. Great. Now the elves who were working for the Elf King would be watching her whenever they had the chance. If they found out about the research she'd been doing in the library—mainly why she'd been doing the research—who knew what they'd do to her? She couldn't let the elves find and endanger Miskit, Emily, Navin, and goodness knew who else by using her to lead them to them. She had to find a way out of this situation, fast. But how? It wasn't like she could just suddenly adopt a second identity or something.

Wait…maybe I can, she thought. She would need some supplies first, but going undercover was something she felt like she could handle. With an extra identity, she would definitely be able to find Miskit and help him out without accidentally leading the elves to him and his friends. The thought of exactly what kind of second identity she could end up developing was intriguing too. She could let her imagination run as wild as she wanted, as long as none of her new identity's features gave her true identity away.

Tweak got up and searched the streets for a shopping mall, all the while glancing all around her to make sure the cruel elves weren't following her around this time. Luckily, they were too busy searching for Trellis and Luger to worry about her; at least for now. As she scanned the buildings of Nautilus for the one she was looking for, she kept her paws crossed that the two elf brothers wouldn't get caught. She could only imagine what they'd done to get on the Elf King's bad side, especially since he was their father.

Eventually, with the help of a city map she'd found on the wall of a diner, Tweak found a mall and went inside. It didn't have as many stores as she'd thought it would, but it sold clothes, hardware items, and food; exactly the kinds of things she needed. Glancing from one store to another, she planned out which one she would enter first, and which she'd enter last. Before going into any store, however, she gathered discarded coins, drink containers, and crumpled receipts from the floor. Without any money, she'd need something else to trade in for what she needed—something that ended up working really well. Apparently the destruction caused by the Elf King's army had left a lot of citizens with very little things, and she wasn't the only one who had come to the mall to trade rather than buy.

After gathering what she needed, Tweak entered the clothing store and traded a lemon-scented penny in for a dark blue backpack. She used this to carry everything else she planned on trading along with her map of Alledia, also hoping to do so with the food she'd be collecting later. After that, she traded a trio of more dusty coins in for a pair of tall boots the colour of fresh honey, and an orange dress that came with mittens and a hood of the same colour, with a honey-coloured chest area. The dress came with a bright yellow M printed on the chest, but Tweak didn't mind; the M would help her come up with a name for her second persona.

Once she was done in the clothing area, she went to the hardware store and traded a piece of tin foil, a piece of straw, old ripped parchment paper, and a stale muffin crumb for a new set of tools, an ocean blue tool belt, a small but effective voice amplifier with a voice-changing ability, and a welding mask. Then, noticing the welding mask's grey colour didn't exactly blend in well with the rest of her new attire, Tweak traded in a cracked juice container for a can of bright yellow spray paint. Once she was given the can of spray paint, she used it to turn the welding mask yellow. She wouldn't only be using it for face protection—she'd also need it for 24/7 identity protection. After that, she traded in the rest of the garbage she'd found for food, which she was able to get about five days' worth of.

Finally, Tweak headed inside a supply closet to change into the new outfit she'd acquired. The honey-coloured boots went first, then the tool belt and the dress. As she attached each of the tools to her new belt, she wistfully glanced at her old one, and the rest of her Octonaut attire. It stung to have to do it, but she knew she'd have to hide those somewhere—somewhere Miskit wouldn't be. In case the captain tried to track her location through her scarf-like collar or something, she'd have to throw him and the rest of the crew off the trail. Perhaps they'd realize the deception sooner than she hoped, but at least it would decrease the chances of them being captured by the elves.

Taking a deep breath, Tweak stuffed her collar, old boots, and old belt behind a few cleaning supplies and taped the voice amplifier to the welding mask's non-yellow side. She then pulled the dress's hood over the back of her head and her ears, before putting the mask on over her face. "Okay," she said aloud, almost startled by how deep her voice now sounded, "now to come up with a new name."

All of a sudden her gaze fell upon a torn piece of parchment paper that read, No musketeers allowed. Then she glanced at her new tools and at the yellow M on her dress, and all at once, a catchy name flowed into her mind, faster than she could say "buncha muncha crunchy carrots."

Tweak struck a dramatic pose, almost knocking over a mop as she did so. "Alright Elf kingdom," she said in her amplifier-triggered voice, "if you wanna mess with Miskit and his friends, you'll have to get past me first. My name is Mechaniteer, and inside I've got no fear!"

Whoa. Honestly, I really enjoyed writing the end of this chapter! Just thinking about it makes me excited for what could happen next. I hope you all liked it too, and I'll see you later. :)