Crimson Chaos

      I was lying in bed, bored. You'd think two adventures would be enough for a girl. Between dodging Captain Bloodhook back in the Pirate Caves to recover the Mermaid's Tear and rescuing Bori in the Ice Caves and all. Yet I was hungry for more. I had a thirst for something new, something more bold than before.

      I walked over to my bedroom window, opening it. It was hot in here. The chilly winter breeze would surely do the trick. It had stopped raining a while ago, the dark blue sky attempted to burst out among the clouds. Stars shone in the beautiful night sky. "If only I could explore beyond the horizon." I said to myself.

      But then my face lit up like a light bulb. I had an idea...

      ...

      I had decided to venture out into the Kreludor Caves. I heard Kreludor has even more rare artifacts than both the Pirate and Ice Caves combined. Surely whenever there's new things to be discovered, I hear my name being called.

      I had to make my way through obstacles, which believe me, is NOT fun. Arrows being shot everywhere, dynamite exploding, villains creeping up behind your back when you least expect it. Chaos roams everywhere. But in the end, it's all worth it. I wasn't called "Hannah the Brave" for nothing.

      After making my way through these dark, purple walls, I stumbled upon a spacious part of these caves. Within the distance upon a platform lied a treasure chest. This didn't look like any ordinary chest. It had a special sparkle within the darkness, as if begging to be touched. I crossed my fingers in hopes that there was something out of this world in it (see what I did there?).

      I made my way through the cavern, taking precautions. There could be spikes or something lying in the vicinity that I was oblivious about.

      And sadly I was not mistaken, there was an array of spikes in the ground. I used my jet pack to fly over them, because if I chose to jump then obviously it would be the end of me. Once I landed back on the surface, I maintained my precautions. Next I accidentally stepped on a purple trigger that blended in the rough surface. It set off a set of arrows, which thankfully I dodged.

      I successfully made it and examined the glowing chest. There was an abnormally shiny, silvery lock on it. "Good thing I came prepared." I stated out loud and picked the lock with a hairpin. The chest opened, containing the most beautiful sight that I have ever seen in all of Neopia. It was an amulet with a blood red stone, wrapped within a golden circular border with points branching off it. It contained a gray chain with some gold dots. I was mesmerized by this discovery. "The Amulet of Thilg". I then placed a replica of the chest quickly onto the platform to avoid the third most common booby trap in almost every cave. I pocketed the real artifact.

      My head was forced out of the clouds once I heard the sound of a metallic arrow soaring through the air, hitting the wall.

      "Well, well, if it isn't Hannah the Brave?" The figure sarcastically greeted me. I turned around. It was Captain Bloodhook once again, the very one who stole my grandfather's property back at the Pirate Caves.

      "What are you doing here?" I demanded

      "You know what I am here for." He hissed. "I want the amulet."

      "Oh, this amulet here, you say?" I smirked and pointed at the replica. "All yours."

      "What? Just like that?" Bloodhook questioned. "Not even gonna put up a fight?"

      "Nope." I remained nonchalant. "It's just a stupid artifact, anyway. There's way better things in the world than just some amulet."

      Bloodhook remained puzzled, but took my word for it. "You're weak. You will be sorry you ever-" He paused mid-sentence to find the chest empty. "What?!" He growled but before he could properly respond, I had already zoomed out of there. "GET HER."

      As he sent his posse after me, the Kreludor caves began to decompose. Violet, crumbled stones broke apart into the atmosphere. As I rushed out of there, I acknowledged that time was of the essence. As I jumped over obstacles and avoiding all traps that were set off at once, I found myself forced to halt as I could no longer move my legs within my space suit.

      I looked down, assuming the worst. It was quicksand. Why there would be quicksand in space caves is beyond me.

      I thought I was doomed. "This is the end, isn't it?" I asked myself.

      NO.

      I quickly formed an idea to get myself out of this predicament. A boulder lied only a few feet away from the quicksand. As I kept sinking, I took my nylon rope out of the pouch of my space suit and threw it over the boulder. It successfully hooked onto it. With relief, I climbed out of the quicksand as the caves continued to fall apart.

      I finally made it out of the caves. I got onto my rocket ship and started it up. I ascended into the depths of space, leaving Bloodhook and his companions behind to perish.

      ...

      I made it back to Krawk island within a matter of 6 hours, carrying the priceless artifact. What was I going to do with it? Sell it? Keep it? Who knows?

      I went into my room, changed back into my usual clothing, and glanced at myself in the mirror. I took the Amulet of Thilg out of the chest. It glowed in all of its fascinating glory.

      Curiosity came over me. What would it look like on me? The wiry chain was long enough to fit me, after all. I placed it on my neck. My astonishment returned. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. I wonder why someone would give this up in the first place?

      "Alright, I better put this back." I said to myself, but for some reason the amulet would not come off. "Huh?". I tried harder to take it off but to no avail. This is beyond freaky. If I couldn't get this off myself, I would need help.

      I left my small home within Krawk Island, the amulet still trapped around my neck. With my luck, Kanrik passed by me and stopped to say hello. Confused, I tried to explain to him the situation.

      "What amulet is this again?" He froze in horror.

      "Amulet of Thilg. I found it in some caves on Kreludor and-"

      Kanrik read the inscription on the amulet. "'A blood red stone, set in twisted gold. It grasps your throat and forever it will hold'---HANNAH!" Kanrik yelled. "This amulet has a curse on it, didn't you know that?!"

      I shook my head in ignorance.

      "This amulet was cursed by the son of a former pharaoh of the Lost Desert!"

      "I had no prior knowledge of any curse. I didn't really do any research before I left! I did what I always do. Set off on an adventure not knowing where it will take me. It's always more fun that way."

      Kanrik was dismayed. "We have to get this thing off somehow before this 'curse' takes ahold of you. I know a guy. Come with me."

      "But it's so pretty-"

      "Hannah! Remember what happened the last time you were cursed?"

      I remembered quite clearly. I had almost lost my life at that time. "You're right. Let's go."

      So we set off to find help. "I should have left this with Bloodhook."

      "No, no. It really would have been in the wrong hands then." Kanrik replied simply as we continued walking. But suddenly I felt different...very different. I feel...

      "Stronger." I grinned evily. We continued down the path and headed into...

      The Golden Dubloon? But it was closing hours?

      As we went inside the mostly empty restaurant, Kanrik called out to an employee there that I did not recognize. He must have started working there after I left. "We need your help."

      Kanrik explained the situation.

      "Hannah the Brave? It's an honor to meet you-"

      "Yeah, yeah. Just get this over with." I hissed impulsively. What is happening to me?

      Appearing to not be taken aback, the guy examined the amulet. "This is a priceless object that was supposed to remain locked up. How it got onto Kreludor I have no idea. But we need to act fast. It's only a matter of time before-"

      My eyes glowed red and I growled. "All you ever do is talk. What did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

      He ignored this and proceeded. He got a pair of wire cutters to try to cut the chain off, but I grabbed his wrist and threw him across the room. The remaining people within the restaurant ran away in fear. I started to float, exuding ultimate strength. The blood red gem glowed.

      "Who's gonna stop me?" I sneered. Kanrik and his friend hid behind the counter as I hurled objects into the air.

      "What are we gonna do?"

      "We need a diversion." Kanrik's friend replied and continued to converse.

      I just resumed to causing ruckus, having no control over my real self anymore. "COME OUT AND FIGHT!" I berated them laughing.

      "Hey demon!" Kanrik's friend called out. "Get a load of this." He threw plates towards me. I dodged them and hurled a table. "Is that all you got?" I demanded in a raspy voice. "You're not strong enough to take me on."

      "No. You're not strong enough to take us on. Resorting to violence only makes you a weak individual."

      I glared at him in disbelief.

      "If you were a real-" He paused struggling to find the right word. "-being you would come over and actually fight instead of throwing objects and taunting. You're weak."

      I paused, dropping everything in my hands and standing on the ground. Remembering that's what Bloodhook had called me, I was enraged. My red eyes converted to a dark crimson now. "You want a real fight?" My voice darkened down several octaves. "You'll get a fight." I stormed in his direction. He was panicking now. But I abruptly stopped in puzzlement. "Where's the other one? The leader of the thieves?"

      Before he could answer, Kanrik came up behind me and cut off the chain of the amulet. "Former leader of the thieves." He corrected as I frantically felt my neck. The amulet was gone.

      But before I could react, I lost all my power and reverted back to my original self.

      "Ugh..." I was disoriented.

      "Hannah?" Kanrik asked cautious. I had no prior knowledge to what had happened. I looked down and saw my clothes torn, containing tears of different sizes. "What went on?" I asked

      "Let's just say you sort of lost it a bit." Kanrik stated, leaving me perplexed but accepting.

      ...

      I went out to the Lost Desert to return the Amulet of Thilg to where it belongs. I stumbled upon a pyramid, confirming that it was the place. "The Great Pyramid." I admired it. Another true beauty.

      I proceeded to go inside. Looking at my map, I tracked the sanctuary where the amulet was supposed to be. There was a huge door that required a code in order to be opened. Prepared, I solved the puzzle needed to open the door. With success, the sanctuary was revealed and I placed the amulet upon a yellowish platform, enclosing it within a glass case.

      The case locked. "Such a shame." I sighed. "You were a beauty. Cursed or not." I stated. I headed out of the sanctuary. As the door started to close, I gave the Amulet of Thilg a final glance. It shined blood red within the growing darkness.

      The End.