...It's been a long and tiresome journey through the Desert. Your water canteen has been empty for the past five hours, and the merciless Desert sun's finally getting to your head. (Tough luck, treasure hunter!) But look... what's over there? Looks like a small lake full of cool and refreshing water... isn't that nice? And you're all hot and thirsty... Why don't you go for a little swim?...

...Your kness collide with the cold, damp, hard floor and you're suddenly brought back to your senses. Where am I? you wonder as you look around. You seem to be in a passageway of some kind. It's long and narrow, and you have no idea how you got there, having been too busy hallucinating. Lost and bewildered, you decide to just follow the passage and see where it takes you...

Ho there! you suddenly hear a voice from behind you. You spin around, and almost shriek out. Out of surprise, of course. Not out of fright. You're not afraid of ghosts. You are NOT afraid of ghosts. Ha, how silly... because there's one staring straight back at you right now.

State your business here, it says calmly but coldly. Perhaps it's not a good idea to tell it that you're just your average treasure hunter looking for any useless and unwanted heaps of gold.

Uh, er, um, you say. I'm just a... visitor! Yeah, that's it. I was only--

A visitor. The ghost's glowing eyes bore into you like two sharp drills. So you're here on a tour, huh? And you want me to be your guide, huh?

Hurriedly, you agree. Something about the ghost's tone makes you think twice before saying 'no'.

All right then, the ghost grumbles after a while.Follow me. The rules are simple: don't fall behind, don't touch anything, don't wander off on your own. It drifts past you and into the depths of the tunnel. Coming? it suggests as you stare at its back overwhelmed with fri... surprise, and you find yourself following...

...Suddenly, you spot a dusty metal door in the wall. The ghost's dim light reflects faintly on its smooth surface. Beside it, a board is carved right out of the rock itself. It has some symbols engraved on it. You approach it curiously. The ghost doesn't seem to notice.





You get it. The symbols are like a coded lock for the door. You just have to punch in a combination and the door will open! But... the ghost told you not to touch anything, remember? Aw, who cares.



Now, that was useless! you think angrily. You can hear snickering from behind you. The ghost watches you, smirking.

Heh-heh-heh, so you thought you could fall behind and try to sneak into one of the locked rooms, did you? Well, better youngsters than you have tried. And you know what happened to them? No? That's right,'cause they were never found! (the ghost pauses for a more dramatic effect, then continues) But since you're just a visitor, treasure should be of no concern to you. What lays beyond is no treasure, though. It's a place where a youngster that calls herself Laiyo stores all the 'updates and stuff'. Whatever that is. If you really want to see it that badly, here's the code: Tep... Kha... Fer... Lat... Tep... (the ghost sighs as you seem to have no idea what it's talking about.) Just punch in the eye symbol, the fish, the paw, the cup and then the eye again, it says.



The ghost waits a while for you to check out the room. Satisfied? it asks you as you clamber in back through the doorway. All right, come on. We're on a tight schedule here, and I have so much to show you.



..."Oh deary me, in all the excitment I forgot to introduce myself! the ghost remembers as you walk on. I'm the Tomb Templar. I can't recall my real name though... it's been five hundred years since I last used it, and my memory was never that good anyway. So just call me Templar, will you.

And I am guest, you introduce yourself. You seem to be on speaking terms with the ghost now, so you decide to ask him all about these mysterious tombs.

The ghost grins. Curious about meh former homeland, are you, guest? Well, listen... And he begins his story...


...Akhten-Ka was once a beautiful place, he says. A city so rich and powerful that it was known all around the world. Merchants and tourists came there from everywhere around Neopia to trade or simply marvel at the city's stunning majesty. There was so much to admire!

...When it came to wars, Akhten-Ka was a dangerous enemy to have. There wasn't a war its armies hadn't won. Any foes, no matter who or how strong they were, ended up running home with their tail between their legs, whimpering like a bunch of beaten pups. Many have wondered what made Akhten-Ka unbeatable, and its armies - invincible. It was a secret carefully hidden for centuries. Even among citizens, few knew that the source of all that strength was an ancient guardian magic, raw and pure, as old as the Time itself. It used to be wild like the fire, and just as dangerous and unpredictable, too. But the founders of Akhten-Ka, powerful mages known in history as the Legendary Four, had learned to tame and conceal it. With time, Akhten-Ka itself had been built around it, and the Power became its guardian. As long as it was used to protect, not to destroy, it would not turn on the people. And since only the wise and pure of heart were deemed worthy of becoming Akhten-Ka's rulers, there was nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong.

The Dwellers of the Underworld had always been looking for new sources of magic to devour. Those foul, disgustingly greedy creatures, it was never enough for them. They ripped, burned and demolished to satisfy their infinite thirst, and after endless decades of searching, they finally discovered Akhten-Ka.

Akhten-Ka's warriors were a force to fear, but they didn't stand a chance against Shadow Dwellers, who were driven by their mad desire and had consumed too much magic already in any case. Nothing could stop them, not even the Power's protection. The monsters just kept coming, wave after wave. They tore the city apart and slayed everyone in their path. They were coming for the coveted Magic... But at the last moment, the council of Four Mages had managed to trap the Power away in a Sacred Gem. They sacrificed their lives in order to seal it up. It was then given to the son of the Queen Astartha, a wise and powerful lupess, and the pup's escape was arranged as she, and the last survivors had stood to confront the monsters.

The Queen and her guards perished along with others, but the pup survived. He grew up and had children, and his children grew up and had kids of their own. Life moved on, and Akhten-Ka soon became nothing more than a story, a legend, a myth... But it never died for the descendants of the Queen's son. The Power lay dormant, sealed inside the Gem, and no one, or nothing could sense its presence there. Nobody knew how to unlock it, either. But it was passed down from generation to generation for five hundred years, in hopes that the worthy one will be born that will discover a way to free the Power and revive Akhten-Ka. But so far, everybody had failed...


..."There had been many... disturbances... lately sighs the Templar, coming back to the present world. People other than honourable descendants, in search for Akhten-Ka's treasures. Chasing long-lost legends seems to have come into fashion these days. Those fools just can't stay out of what's none of their business! (you feel a nervous tingling in the pit of your stomach, and a sweatdrop forms on the back of your head.) ...And they often make the mistake of coming here. But these are just tombs! the Templar exclaims. The city itself is waaay far away-- he pauses with the air of someone whose tongue hit the brakes just in time not to reveal an important secret. Anyway, he goes on. We still have hope. About the revival of the city, I mean. Apparently, the current descendant of the Royal Son, as young and inexperienced as he still is, is making an attempt to look for Akhten-Ka. Don't know how far he will get, but I must say I'm really tired of being stuck in this pitiful form for five darn hundred years!

Here the templar stops, and glances over at a record on one of the walls. So you'd better succeed, got that?! he addresses the record.

You glance over at the wall the Templar appeared to be talking to. There are words and pictures on it. They look like somebody's profiles, but they're all old and dusty. There are two new and clean ones, however, at the very end of the record gallery. You squint a bit as you read them...



Name: GrayXIV (Gray, Grey)
Species: Lupe
Gender: Male
Age: 17 (in human years)
Height: 61 cms.
Intelligence: Pretty bright
Training academy status: Cadet (Advanced)
Level: 44
Strength: 55
Defence: 39
Agility: 51
Endurance: 120
Hobbies: Sleeping, training, listening to the Akhten-Ka story over and over, pestering Laiyo, eating Beef-and-Potato stew, exploring the Desert
Family: Mother and Father (both deceased), Laiyo (guardian)
Special: Expert in Fire attacks, has the 'Living Eternally' mark


Description: Brownish-orange fur; yellow underbelly; blue ears, muzzle, tips of paws and tail; green eyes; a golden marking under each eye; the "Living Eternally" mark on left hind leg; wears a red headband with bangs sticking out and two earrings on the left ear (it's messed up on the picture); has the Sacred Gem around his neck as a pendant.
Personality: Witty and sarcastic, good sense of humour. Caring and noble in battle. Proud. Easily irritated.




Name: Laiyokii (Laiyo)
Species: Werewolf
Gender: Female
Age: 15 (she's younger than her ward o_O)
Height: 164 cms.
Intelligence: Bright
Training academy status: Graduate xP
Level: Very high
Strength: Pretty tough
Defence: No one can lay a punch!
Agility: SPEED OF LIGHT!!!!
Endurance: Not even she's sure o.O
Hobbies: Eating chocolate, Drawing, watching Naruto and Prisonbreak, reading books and manga, tying noobs to a tree just high enough so that the gruslens could barely reach their toes
Family: Gray (ward)


Description: Green-grey eyes; brown hair with just a hint of green; grey doggish ears with golden rings on each (rings both as markings AND as jewelry xP); tail the same color as ears. Clothing: khaki-pants (one legging ripped); earth-colored top with wolf-fur shoulders; spiked headband; giant spiked collar over a shoulder; heavy-duty boots; a necklace of yellow pendants around her neck.
Personality: Bright, funny, black sense of humour. Can be snappish at times. A bit of a klutz. Always gets the last word. Sometimes acts clueless (in certain situations actually is clueless). Extremely adventurous.






Jalhoa is a lupess whom Gray met recently on the outskirts of the Desert. (Apparently, she's new in the area. ^_^) She seems curious about Gray's past and is interested in the city of Akhten-Ka (in a good way. Not in the treasure-hunter sort of way), so she's decided to join Gray and Laiyo in their quest for the lost city!



Moonie is Laiyo's bestest friend in the entire world!!! xD She's hyper, witty and funny, and she's OBSESSED with coffee, ice-cream and "Ruroni Kenshin"! xD She's the most loyal and trustworthy person ever, and Laiyo can always count on her no matter what. ^^ In other words, MOONIE RAWKS! Bow down before her!! :K








...This is Gray's petpet, Zorro the Anubis. He's supposed to have some mystical powers and nonsense, but so far he hasn't proved himself anything more than a blue-haired furball with sharp teeth, enormous appetite and a homicidal attitude towards Fuzzles. He never helps out in any battles, unless they involve Fuzzles (the more, the better.) And he has wings, too. -_-




...The Templar turns his head to one side and eyes you mischievously. I thought you'd want to know about that, he says...


..."Desert Tiger" is a Desert Ship. Laiyo built it all by herself and she's using it to scout the Desert for the Ruins of Akhten-Ka (only she didn't get far yet because she got shot down by the Raiders.) A Desert Ship looks like an *ahem* ordinary ship, only it doesn't float on water, but, yes, on air. It is powered by solar batteries (well, mostly fuel, but batteries too xP) and it moves with the help of powerful flame jets, and things, and other complicated technology stuff you wouldn't understand. Um. Er. And the view's great from it, too! xD




...You shiver slightly as you pass this chamber, its empty arched doorway a black, gaping hole in the wall. A chilling breeze runs down your spine. From the deep darkness beyond the doorway you can hear distant snarling and snapping. Shadows with glowing eyes lurch to and fro in that darkness, but for some reason they can't get quite close enough to hurt you... yet.

The Templar notices your nervous glance at the doorway. Scared, guest? he grins. Well, it's quite reasonable that you are. This chamber, you see, is where nasty little thieves and tombpickers are thrown for attempting to steal things from these tombs. Naturally, it is crawling with Mutant Gruslens, which are hungry... most of the time. The rest of the time they are FEROCIOUSLY hungry!!!! (he notices the scared look on your face and adds hastily:) But do not worry, guest, you're safe as long as you don't touch anything you're not supposed to. So... I hope you kept your hands to yourself while I was blabbing away. My apologies if you're a truly honest youngster, but I'd rather be on the safe side and check. ^^ Don't want trouble with them, you know...



...(There's also a drawing of a red Shoyru beside the name.) You see that right next to the freakish chamber and are bright enough to draw conclusions by yourself. Apparently, that's the list of all miserable people (or pets) that are to be thrown into the chamber and aren't caught yet. There aren't a lot of names on the list (just one). But you still feel a chill in your bones. Apparently, somebody's very keen on evil nasties to get caught...




...Laiyo (a.k.a. Arc) here! xD (Yup, I'm also called Arc! ^^)

Well, if you're reading this, it means that either you skipped most of the page or you honestly made it all the way down to this part by reading! :D In any case, congratulations. ^^ Aah, I'm just overjoyed that I've finally completed the task I'd never thought I'd complete: finished this page!! (And I must say, I quite enjoyed making it. ^-^) Yup yup. ^^ I'm done! Maybe as the time goes by, I'll put up more stuff (yes, evenmore stuff than there already is! :P), but for the time being I've run out of any ideas or things to put up, so that means basically I'm done. So, I'm happy... And I've run out of things to say. ^-^;;




This little board I dedicate to all the nice and awesome people that helped me out in any way, shape of form!! xD (Petpage related stuff).

Wolf137 - Thank you so much for helping me out with the scroll box!!!! :D What would I do without ya. ^^

Mindsend - Thank you for all of the useful tips you've given me! You're awesome!!! xD

guest - Thanks for supporting me by coming here. ^^ That means a lot. x3





Hey lookie! xD I've won one of Bulma's awards, too! xDD
Gray: It's a free one, genius. It's just copy and paste. So, technically, you haven't "won" anything. -_-;;
Laiyo: Gee thanks. You just -LOVE- to spoil my fun, don't you.

By the way, I'm also giving out a petpage award!! :D It's called "The Arc And Moonie Award", and you can find it here (along with the adoptables and other goodies:P)

Speaking of adoptables, here's one I made for RyouYami_Bakura.




You can link to us, too! :D Meh, the button didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it to, but that's the best I could do... so far. x3 And I won't be changing it in the nearest future. -_o






...Putting up first links!! Wow! The pages are all SO amazing! Really awesome!! :P ...Wow.