An Unexpected History-Beets’ History-Part I-29/09/2022
Oct 5, 2022 16:16:57 GMT
Derthaad, Andy D, and 1 more like this
Post by Beets The Beetle (Feenix) on Oct 5, 2022 16:16:57 GMT
An Unexpected History
(Beets’ History-Part I)
Ran by the talented willemf
Beets Backstory Hook-Part II-9/11/22
…How do I begin?
I guess I should start from finally hearing from him…From..Bogar?
I can barely recall the conversation, if you could call it one. After so many days of asking again and again and again. Silence. So many endless nights staying up till the crack of dawn, perched atop the roof of the Three Headed Dragon. Nothing. By the end of the week of my sleepless waiting. I was, beet…Beat.
“Beets…Beets..” Mgh… “Beets wake up..” My eyelids felt so heavy I could barely lift them. “Listen Beets..It’s time..” F-five more minutes…
“Beets! Wake up and listen. It’s time to go to the mountains..It’s time you met someone. Time to give you some answers…Time to learn-What you are!”
My eyes flitted open at once, just quickly enough to catch the featureless shadowy form of Bogar. As it began to melt back into the darkness of the night.
“Wait! D-do I need to go right now?! C-can I take anybody with me?!!”
Bogar ‘actually’ responded, his words fading off into the night just like his form.
“The road to your answers may be dangerous. I would suggest gathering some others to..‘work' with. You adventurers seem to be good at that.”
And then, he was gone. Leaving me awake and wondering. Till morning.
I felt so low. This was not the way I had wanted it go.
Since Bogar’s visit I had felt a chill that I just couldn’t shift.
Even wrapping myself up in the folds of Marto’s cloak only bought me some small comfort.
Finally, as the bells of Daring Heights tolled 9am, I found myself gathering my party.
———
I started Lolli of course. I’d never seen her move so fast, as she dashed to grab her things and was in and out of Fitz’ Fashion in a hop-skip and a “I’m going out for the day-bye!”
Next, was the old wizard Archie-Truth be told, I only asked him if he knew where Kavel was. But with the big-guy ‘apparently’ hittin’the books of The Academy-or at least some form of mental or physical work out, Archie offered up his ‘services.’ Well. He hadn’t judged me for what happened back in the Anglebark Forest, so I guess that counted for a lot. You’re in old-timer.
Strong Boii Ivan hurtled past us as we made our way through town, ‘Urgent Boii-Buisness’ apparently. Shame, I really could’ve used some his thick-headed energy for this.
Even if I’m still not sure he likes me all that much.
Our final member of the party, was Derthaad.
Only a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of bringing a member of The Watch along on a journey to discover potentially dark and horrible secrets about me,
a number one way to get me kicked out of town.
But after that rooftop talk with Dert, things had been different. He’d been reading up for me in The Academy Library whenever he had had a spare moment,
but had so far found nothing on any ‘creatures quite like Bogar.’
I’d even started grown accustom to him flying by ‘The Three Head Dragon' once a week to drop of an early morning pastry on his blue dragon steed Ulhar.
He really should consider working for the Rooftop Beetle’s should this whole Town-Watch skint not work out.
With the Party assembled, everyone ‘decided’ to stop ‘expectedly’ at Paradise Frost on the way out of town…But. I..I just didn’t feel hungry.
Truth was, worry was eating me up from the inside. So much so, that even the offer of free sweet pastries from everyone in the party couldn’t quell it.
I thought about Marto as I adjusted his cloak on my shoulders, as we made our northern gate of the town. I still hadn’t taken it off.
He’d probably of wanted to come too on this ‘journey’ of personal discovery. It was about half-a-day’s flight to New Hillburrow, But…I just couldn’t risk potentially losing my chance to ‘finally’ get some answers.
Besides.
He looked so happy when I’d flown up for a quick visit on his birthday. I wanted to hold on to that memory of his happy smile, as he watched that beautiful butterfly fly up into the sunset for as long as possible.
What I could soon learn could change…Everything.
It was a long day’s flight. Made even longer by the fact I was still..beat..from lack of sleep from the night before.
But also cause, I was either restraining myself to try and match pace with my friends as they chatted happily on about spells and components.
Or else, I was fighting the urge to turn around and fly far far away from the ever growing Sunset Spine Mountains as fast my wings could take me.
I was…Scared.
Gotta admit though, as we turned off the road into a well used camping spot, I was kinda looking forward to a true proper night under the soothing gaze of stars and moon.
It was rare opportunity to sleep without being surrounded by the distant snores and noises of town or fort dwelling folk.
To just rest in the peace and quiet of natu-
-RRAWWWWWRRRR!!!!-
———
What the bug was that?! That cry, it sent shivers all the way from the tips of my horn to the end of the toes.
But worst of all, was the silence that came after. Not the peaceful quiet I’d be hoping for, but just complete, utter, silence.
My friends tried to speak to me through mouthing, miming, magic’ing and finally writing, but my mind was a’whir.
Was this Bogar’s doing? My friends had encouraged me to try to ask him on regularly after we’d left town if we were heading in the right direction.
But his silence was as constant as it had been the last few days. Was this all just some nasty trick to isolate me from the few friends I had made.
To put the blame on me s-should ‘something’-or ‘someone’-happen to them?
As the other continued to ‘signal’ my mind at ease, Archie proudly showed around his ‘conjured’ tower to ‘camp’ in. It was..impressive..
But, being shut indoors and completely deaf and unable to hear or hear wasn’t the combination I was feeling right now.
Lolli seemed to sense my discomfort, as with some animated mouth movements and gestures to Archie, she encouraged him to make the addition of a sky hatch in the roof of mine and her ‘bedroom’ for the night.
Dear sweet Lolli. She really did try me comfort me as I camped down on the floor beside her bed. Bringing up large mugs of hot chocolate crammed full of marshmallows, taking my hand in her paw, supposedly talking endlessly about ‘her fashion work or picnics’ or something else sweet and simple-least from what I could tell with the twitching of her whiskers. But, even with all that, and the open sky light providing my beloved moon-view, it took me a very a long time to till I finally drifted off to sleep.
In the morning…I could hear again!-THANK BU-
-RRAWWWWWRRRR!!!!
BOGAR! I’M GONNA BUGGIN’PUMMEL YOU!!!
Thankfully, the deafness didn’t last as long as last time. Though, it was still flittin’long enough for me to have shouted out enough bad names I could think of for our dear ‘illusive’ guide, that even Lolli’s ears were turning a dark shade of pink through her violet fur.
I only noticed as the gang asked ‘what way now’ bout lunchtime, that we'd come to the end of the path. We were now stood a good flit into some grassy wild plains, surrounded by a thick-and definitely not buggin’ominous- shimmering haze.
Lolli tried to sense anything nearby with a wave of her lolly, but got nothing, Dert meanwhile said he sensed a..sphinx? Too right it stinks!-It stunk! Stunk like a great big flittin’trap!
Old Archie though, produced a sweet little owl called Barnaby from a sleeve and sent it scouting off into the mists. We all waited, fearfully listening for the sudden ‘crunch' and puff of feathers that spelled the end for dear sweet Barny…But..then he came back, and with a hoot and twist of his neck, told Archie up ahead was ‘pretty sandy.’
Whelp, it was my buggin’quest, and if anyone was about to be swallowed up by big magical sand-monster, I suppose it was gonna be me. So with a gentle flutter, I breeched into the ‘magic-fog’.
———
Flit it was…Well…Incredible.
Two huge blazing suns burned down upon an endless landscape of sand. Dunes shifting and swirling in the oven hot winds, the movement creating endless patterns which seemed to flutter and flow around a central crimson mountain of rock which rose from beneath them like a giant. Carved the rocks’s centre was a huge temple, it’s isolated appearance making it feel even buggin’bigger and grander than those of D’Avalon or Kundar in the vase sandy expanse. It reached out towards me from the stone temptingly, drawing me into it’s depths…
A buggin’perfect place…For a trap.
The others were equally awed, especially as we made our way into the temple, Archie and Dert making notes of the strange symbols and patterns that decorated it’s walls, whilst Lolli continually gasped in amazement at the endless pictures and patterns of the temple's worshippers…Or flittin’sacrifices I suddenly thought-I was even more suspicious now of Bogar encouraging me to bring ‘friends’ along.
We came to a big old door covered in strange patterned scribbles-Sphinx language according to two gentleman…Gentle dragon…The two wizard guys…Sphinxes had more to them than just ‘suspicious smells’ it seemed.
"The desert sun bakes the sands
Place before me the product of their union.”
“Do they mean they want a cake?” I offered in response to their translation of the door script. Of all the buggin’times not to actually flittin’do my every pre-adventure stock up at Paradise Frost.
Dert though, suggested it was glass-I mean sure, who ever lives here must get pretty flitt’thirsty-“Oooh-a magnifying glass!” I exclaimed as he laid onto before the door. “I ‘see’ what you did there Capn’Dirt!” I winked at him, as the door as if by magic, rumbled open.” I wonder if you have to solve a lot of ‘riddles’ on the town watch?
———
The next room was..a Buggin’Nightmare! Bottomless pit? No problem. Creepy Mummy guy fight? No flittin’worry…This was…A puzzle, and a buggin’magic themed one at that!
Apparently it ‘seemed’, we had to match the flittin’items- gloopy bottles, suspicious dust…Poetry? To name but a few. All arranged out on a shelf with the correct symbols on some plinths marked with symbols.
Which according to the others, each stood for a different school of ‘magic’.
No worries Bogar, just let me just check my extensive knowledge of magic…
Well that was flittin’quick!
I examined the items over hoping for some inspiration to hit me, and ended up with my nostrils and throat on fire.
As I accidentally breathed in some of the suspicious grey dust, which smelt far too buggin’familar to that mummy guy we’d smighted as the fantastical feline five on my first quest for D’Avalon!-I
really buggin’hope it doesn’t awaken another, even more buggin’evil being sealed up somewhere inside me!
———
It took so flittin’long for the magic puzzle be solved that I think I almost bruised my head, as I banged my horn repeated against the door. Just hoping that, by some sheer-buggin’luck, it would just conveniently, topple open.
We could almost hear the puzzle-maker’s exasperated cry of ‘BUGGIN’FINALLY!’ As the last pair of items were swapped into place, making the door open with a relieved clunk.
As I hurtled on blindly into the next room, I suddenly realised two things, One-that was really buggin’stupid, and two, I’d finally had my suspicions met-it was a trap.
I just managed hold my wings and drop to the floor as a huge’flittin axe swished ‘mere-inches’ from shearing my horn short. Ahead of me I noticed, while rubbing my poor buggin’aching bug rump, was a hallway. A hallway full, of randomly assorted swinging blades of death. Beyond all of them was the exit door, a tall wooden lever stood tauntingly in front of it. And a hallway which, we were then all suddenly and ‘apparently’ sealed into, as the door behind us swung shut with a loud, and ominously mocking ‘bang!'
Dert decided to step up to the plate first, with a surge of speed and sparks. Yet he only managed to zap halfway before the room decided it needed a stretch, and so doubled its length-along with the number of murderous blades. Next, Archie tried to utilise a wall of magical force, same dealeo. Even my faithful boomerang, only made it so flitting far, before the corridor mockingly stretched again.
That, was buggin’it! Hurtling and screaming, I buzzed down the corridor, axes nicking me left and right. Yet the lever grew no closer and finally, I had to flittin’abandon my flight.
As I winched whilst chugging down a pick-me-up potion from Derthadd, our clever dragonborn finally discovered the trick to solving this puzzle room, and buggin’dirty one at that. By slipping ‘curiously’ back through the previous doorway we’d come in, finding himself in a room with a familiarly mocking lever!-I mean what the bug?!
We all followed him, and together, we pulled the lever and with a buggin’trippy stretch sensation, found ourselves in a whole new world…Well, room.
———
It looked kinda like a library. Slash-storage room-slash-private collection. Countless rolled papers and parchments lined the walls, along with hundreds of glass jars. some almost as flittin’big as me. Each filled with strange swirling, sparking, pulsing patterns. All of them stacked upon enormous towering shelves that taking up most of the room
And, waiting for us at the end of all this? Oh, just the usual. Your everyday huge buggin’creature-made up of combination eagle, crossed with lion King Verin-if he decided to try dressing up as a chicken…
And um, oh! It was about the size of buggin’ dragon!
The creature looked at us…We looked at…And then roared at us!-We’d found our roarer-Only this time, not deafening me, but instead freezing me to the spot, with fright.
I watched stiffly as Derthadd rumbled to it-in what I assume must be-‘Please don’t kill us!’-in Dragonese.
Thank’fllittingly the creature responded likewise, before then speaking common. Introducing itself as, Zitharis the Sphinx.
Just as somewhere inside my then panicking-mind I had settled on the name, ‘Lionbirgon’ for it.
Typical.
With sniff from him, I was free..and it seemed…That he knew me..
“Your scent reminds me as another, but as she is gone it can only be you!”
Wait…Questions suddenly buggin'erupted from my brain and mouth.
“You knew my Momma?”
“Yes. She was a friend at one time…Time is irrelevant to one such as me.”
“Right..But how did you know her?
“I summoned her here. Around me you’ll find the largest collection of portals and magical objects in the know universe-None which any persons may use,” Zitharis rumbled towards a surprisingly flittin’curious Archie who suddenly backed away from the shelves.
Well, I may not understand magic, and sometimes even loath it. But there was nothing to complain about the ‘magically’ procured spread the Lionbir-..Sphinx summoned before us. Tangy fruits and veg, savoury and sweet flatten breads of all sorts. Strange..haunches of meat-some of which still had fuzzy pleats left attached to them.
It really was a buggin'feast! Yet I was too nervous, too flittin’curious to eat.
I asked if he knew Zanahthir, Quirilia’s mother,-seeing as their names were pretty flittin’similar. Maybe they were distant dragon cousins twice removed?
He said it was ‘merely’ a coincidence though..Before then baying me from any further attempts of ‘unworthwhile’ small talk and told me to focus on filling my mouth and belly with food. Whilst he talked, to the others.
My time to question him would come.
It was a painful-stressfully delicious-wait.
Archie asked about his collection, whilst I tore into the bread. Dert decided to wait, as I filled myself up on dates. Lolli asked if he has always lived in the Spines, whilst I debated chewing down some limes. Zitharis replied, he could ‘merely-splice’ space and time, to engage with seekers of answers such as mine-uh, me!
Finally, after he sensed I could cram-in no more food. Zitharis felt in a more
Beets answering mood.
———
It was so flittin’much to take in. My mind is still whirring, as I try to put it all in some order.
My mother ‘was’ an adventurer, one which with her..-Charm? Witty charisma?- attracted the attention of Zitharis, and his master. They brought her here to his desert temple and the two became friends of a sort, before she disappeared-about 20 years or so ago.
At some point, Momma was apparently exploring a tomb and in the midst of it, she got cursed.
The curse being, that if she dwelled too long in one place, she would attract a plague storm. Insects, locusts, all manner of ‘things’ that could and would, wipe out a whole civilisation.
Momma fought and sought to free herself from the curse, and eventually found the right person to do it. But by then…It was too late. It had become part of her.
The only way to rid herself of it was…To die. She…She ‘died’-I felt Lolli walk over to take my hand at this moment-and left three beings behind.
What was left of herself…Me…The remains of the curse…B-bogar…And…Something else…”It’s..complex.” He said-where I had I heard that before.
“You are not birthed by your mother Beets” Zitharis’ words echo in my head, “Least, not in the 'organic' manner.”
So..Was H-he was saying Momma.. W-wasn’t really my Momma? I gripped Lolli’s paw tighter. He continued that, me and bogar, we’re both halves of the same being..D-does that mean he’s my flittin’brother?! Zitharis though, stated that he was tasked by my momma to try and keep me protected from Bogar, for as long as possible. But due to lack of influence over ‘our world’, his control ‘slipped’ and Bogar seized an opportunity, to break-through.
My mind flitted back to that battle in a very similar themed temple. Where, after my victorious killing blow, I breathed in some of that creepy mummy guy’s purple smog and felt something ‘shatter’ inside me…Like bursting free of a glass barrier or prison…And felt something, suddenly, painfully, latching itself onto, me.
———
Dert took the chance to ask if there was any way of truly separating myself from Bogar. Zitharis state he did not know. But that he suspected, that the process may kill me. May kill us both...
Well. Thanks for trying Cap’n. I asked how long it has been since he saw my momma last. “About two decades…” No mere coincidence then to when I was ‘born.'
“I have seen many things in my time though Beets, for I am older than most. Older even than many of your gods. Many many years. All my gods, the civilisations that dwelt here. All are dead.”
“Don’t you get lonely?”, I enquired.
“There are visitors, travellers at times. I rest. I collate my library, Travel the plains. Dwell.”
It still sounded as rather ‘lonely’ existence to me. But, I could sense the end of my questioning was coming, and so I asked one final ‘key’ question that had slowly fluttered up, from my gut.
“What was my Mother’s name?”
Back home Gramps and and Pa had never said it, nether spoken it aloud. It was always your Momma. Your Ma. She. Even the villagers has never said it. Always ‘her mother. That bug girl’s mother.’
“Malsira Sunwater.” He answered.
It was...Lovely. Strong and..Warm. I felt the trickle of a tear down my cheek as I spoke it aloud myself, upon hearing it for the very first first time.
“Was she pretty?!-Did she look like-Me? My hopefulness flitted out, my tongue unable to contain it.
Zitharis replied that he did not such opinions on the concept of 'looks' but confirmed we shared similar ‘facial structure’, held similar builds minus the ‘insectal’ features.
"Less bug more beauty..." Was what I gathered from that. Lolli asked one more question as remains of our magical feast were.. ‘magic’d’ away.
“How can Beets learn to control Bogar? How can she stop him from…Taking her over?”
“With dedicated research. And talking with Bogar.” Came the reply. Both things I rather felt like tackling the Kavel research-way, with my fists.
———
As we made our move to leave, the old sphinx had a final parting piece of ‘wisdom’ to dievlg..deevo…
To give me.
He said, ‘If you wish to be taken more seriously by your peers, you may want to review your choice of language.”
My ears bugg-..burned..I-I’d always spoken this way, especially with Gramps. Was…Was it really that bad?
I barely noticed as, with bright a flash-we were back. Back in Daring Heights, just as the clock struck half past 9. Just as we’d left town the previous day.
The party asked how I felt. I-I didn’t bug-…I didn’t know.
I felt Dert and Lolli take my arm and shoulder, “Come on Beets, don’t let that old Sphnix tell you to do.” “Yeah Beets, you’ve gotta remember to be you!”
Even old Archie couldn’t resist giving me an approving smile and nod, his face suddenly remind me a lot of Gramps’.
“Y-yeah..Yeah you’re flittin’right guys!” I said, as I took to the air. “I-I buggin’know who I am.”
“I’m Beets…I’m Beets Sunwater!”
(Beets’ History-Part I)
Ran by the talented willemf
Beets Backstory Hook-Part II-9/11/22
…How do I begin?
I guess I should start from finally hearing from him…From..Bogar?
I can barely recall the conversation, if you could call it one. After so many days of asking again and again and again. Silence. So many endless nights staying up till the crack of dawn, perched atop the roof of the Three Headed Dragon. Nothing. By the end of the week of my sleepless waiting. I was, beet…Beat.
“Beets…Beets..” Mgh… “Beets wake up..” My eyelids felt so heavy I could barely lift them. “Listen Beets..It’s time..” F-five more minutes…
“Beets! Wake up and listen. It’s time to go to the mountains..It’s time you met someone. Time to give you some answers…Time to learn-What you are!”
My eyes flitted open at once, just quickly enough to catch the featureless shadowy form of Bogar. As it began to melt back into the darkness of the night.
“Wait! D-do I need to go right now?! C-can I take anybody with me?!!”
Bogar ‘actually’ responded, his words fading off into the night just like his form.
“The road to your answers may be dangerous. I would suggest gathering some others to..‘work' with. You adventurers seem to be good at that.”
And then, he was gone. Leaving me awake and wondering. Till morning.
Since Bogar’s visit I had felt a chill that I just couldn’t shift.
Even wrapping myself up in the folds of Marto’s cloak only bought me some small comfort.
Finally, as the bells of Daring Heights tolled 9am, I found myself gathering my party.
———
I started Lolli of course. I’d never seen her move so fast, as she dashed to grab her things and was in and out of Fitz’ Fashion in a hop-skip and a “I’m going out for the day-bye!”
Next, was the old wizard Archie-Truth be told, I only asked him if he knew where Kavel was. But with the big-guy ‘apparently’ hittin’the books of The Academy-or at least some form of mental or physical work out, Archie offered up his ‘services.’ Well. He hadn’t judged me for what happened back in the Anglebark Forest, so I guess that counted for a lot. You’re in old-timer.
Strong Boii Ivan hurtled past us as we made our way through town, ‘Urgent Boii-Buisness’ apparently. Shame, I really could’ve used some his thick-headed energy for this.
Even if I’m still not sure he likes me all that much.
Our final member of the party, was Derthaad.
Only a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of bringing a member of The Watch along on a journey to discover potentially dark and horrible secrets about me,
a number one way to get me kicked out of town.
But after that rooftop talk with Dert, things had been different. He’d been reading up for me in The Academy Library whenever he had had a spare moment,
but had so far found nothing on any ‘creatures quite like Bogar.’
I’d even started grown accustom to him flying by ‘The Three Head Dragon' once a week to drop of an early morning pastry on his blue dragon steed Ulhar.
He really should consider working for the Rooftop Beetle’s should this whole Town-Watch skint not work out.
With the Party assembled, everyone ‘decided’ to stop ‘expectedly’ at Paradise Frost on the way out of town…But. I..I just didn’t feel hungry.
Truth was, worry was eating me up from the inside. So much so, that even the offer of free sweet pastries from everyone in the party couldn’t quell it.
I thought about Marto as I adjusted his cloak on my shoulders, as we made our northern gate of the town. I still hadn’t taken it off.
He’d probably of wanted to come too on this ‘journey’ of personal discovery. It was about half-a-day’s flight to New Hillburrow, But…I just couldn’t risk potentially losing my chance to ‘finally’ get some answers.
Besides.
He looked so happy when I’d flown up for a quick visit on his birthday. I wanted to hold on to that memory of his happy smile, as he watched that beautiful butterfly fly up into the sunset for as long as possible.
What I could soon learn could change…Everything.
It was a long day’s flight. Made even longer by the fact I was still..beat..from lack of sleep from the night before.
But also cause, I was either restraining myself to try and match pace with my friends as they chatted happily on about spells and components.
Or else, I was fighting the urge to turn around and fly far far away from the ever growing Sunset Spine Mountains as fast my wings could take me.
I was…Scared.
Gotta admit though, as we turned off the road into a well used camping spot, I was kinda looking forward to a true proper night under the soothing gaze of stars and moon.
It was rare opportunity to sleep without being surrounded by the distant snores and noises of town or fort dwelling folk.
To just rest in the peace and quiet of natu-
-RRAWWWWWRRRR!!!!-
———
What the bug was that?! That cry, it sent shivers all the way from the tips of my horn to the end of the toes.
But worst of all, was the silence that came after. Not the peaceful quiet I’d be hoping for, but just complete, utter, silence.
My friends tried to speak to me through mouthing, miming, magic’ing and finally writing, but my mind was a’whir.
Was this Bogar’s doing? My friends had encouraged me to try to ask him on regularly after we’d left town if we were heading in the right direction.
But his silence was as constant as it had been the last few days. Was this all just some nasty trick to isolate me from the few friends I had made.
To put the blame on me s-should ‘something’-or ‘someone’-happen to them?
As the other continued to ‘signal’ my mind at ease, Archie proudly showed around his ‘conjured’ tower to ‘camp’ in. It was..impressive..
But, being shut indoors and completely deaf and unable to hear or hear wasn’t the combination I was feeling right now.
Lolli seemed to sense my discomfort, as with some animated mouth movements and gestures to Archie, she encouraged him to make the addition of a sky hatch in the roof of mine and her ‘bedroom’ for the night.
Dear sweet Lolli. She really did try me comfort me as I camped down on the floor beside her bed. Bringing up large mugs of hot chocolate crammed full of marshmallows, taking my hand in her paw, supposedly talking endlessly about ‘her fashion work or picnics’ or something else sweet and simple-least from what I could tell with the twitching of her whiskers. But, even with all that, and the open sky light providing my beloved moon-view, it took me a very a long time to till I finally drifted off to sleep.
In the morning…I could hear again!-THANK BU-
-RRAWWWWWRRRR!!!!
BOGAR! I’M GONNA BUGGIN’PUMMEL YOU!!!
Thankfully, the deafness didn’t last as long as last time. Though, it was still flittin’long enough for me to have shouted out enough bad names I could think of for our dear ‘illusive’ guide, that even Lolli’s ears were turning a dark shade of pink through her violet fur.
I only noticed as the gang asked ‘what way now’ bout lunchtime, that we'd come to the end of the path. We were now stood a good flit into some grassy wild plains, surrounded by a thick-and definitely not buggin’ominous- shimmering haze.
Lolli tried to sense anything nearby with a wave of her lolly, but got nothing, Dert meanwhile said he sensed a..sphinx? Too right it stinks!-It stunk! Stunk like a great big flittin’trap!
Old Archie though, produced a sweet little owl called Barnaby from a sleeve and sent it scouting off into the mists. We all waited, fearfully listening for the sudden ‘crunch' and puff of feathers that spelled the end for dear sweet Barny…But..then he came back, and with a hoot and twist of his neck, told Archie up ahead was ‘pretty sandy.’
Whelp, it was my buggin’quest, and if anyone was about to be swallowed up by big magical sand-monster, I suppose it was gonna be me. So with a gentle flutter, I breeched into the ‘magic-fog’.
———
Flit it was…Well…Incredible.
Two huge blazing suns burned down upon an endless landscape of sand. Dunes shifting and swirling in the oven hot winds, the movement creating endless patterns which seemed to flutter and flow around a central crimson mountain of rock which rose from beneath them like a giant. Carved the rocks’s centre was a huge temple, it’s isolated appearance making it feel even buggin’bigger and grander than those of D’Avalon or Kundar in the vase sandy expanse. It reached out towards me from the stone temptingly, drawing me into it’s depths…
A buggin’perfect place…For a trap.
The others were equally awed, especially as we made our way into the temple, Archie and Dert making notes of the strange symbols and patterns that decorated it’s walls, whilst Lolli continually gasped in amazement at the endless pictures and patterns of the temple's worshippers…Or flittin’sacrifices I suddenly thought-I was even more suspicious now of Bogar encouraging me to bring ‘friends’ along.
We came to a big old door covered in strange patterned scribbles-Sphinx language according to two gentleman…Gentle dragon…The two wizard guys…Sphinxes had more to them than just ‘suspicious smells’ it seemed.
"The desert sun bakes the sands
Place before me the product of their union.”
“Do they mean they want a cake?” I offered in response to their translation of the door script. Of all the buggin’times not to actually flittin’do my every pre-adventure stock up at Paradise Frost.
Dert though, suggested it was glass-I mean sure, who ever lives here must get pretty flitt’thirsty-“Oooh-a magnifying glass!” I exclaimed as he laid onto before the door. “I ‘see’ what you did there Capn’Dirt!” I winked at him, as the door as if by magic, rumbled open.” I wonder if you have to solve a lot of ‘riddles’ on the town watch?
———
The next room was..a Buggin’Nightmare! Bottomless pit? No problem. Creepy Mummy guy fight? No flittin’worry…This was…A puzzle, and a buggin’magic themed one at that!
Apparently it ‘seemed’, we had to match the flittin’items- gloopy bottles, suspicious dust…Poetry? To name but a few. All arranged out on a shelf with the correct symbols on some plinths marked with symbols.
Which according to the others, each stood for a different school of ‘magic’.
No worries Bogar, just let me just check my extensive knowledge of magic…
Well that was flittin’quick!
I examined the items over hoping for some inspiration to hit me, and ended up with my nostrils and throat on fire.
As I accidentally breathed in some of the suspicious grey dust, which smelt far too buggin’familar to that mummy guy we’d smighted as the fantastical feline five on my first quest for D’Avalon!-I
really buggin’hope it doesn’t awaken another, even more buggin’evil being sealed up somewhere inside me!
———
It took so flittin’long for the magic puzzle be solved that I think I almost bruised my head, as I banged my horn repeated against the door. Just hoping that, by some sheer-buggin’luck, it would just conveniently, topple open.
We could almost hear the puzzle-maker’s exasperated cry of ‘BUGGIN’FINALLY!’ As the last pair of items were swapped into place, making the door open with a relieved clunk.
As I hurtled on blindly into the next room, I suddenly realised two things, One-that was really buggin’stupid, and two, I’d finally had my suspicions met-it was a trap.
I just managed hold my wings and drop to the floor as a huge’flittin axe swished ‘mere-inches’ from shearing my horn short. Ahead of me I noticed, while rubbing my poor buggin’aching bug rump, was a hallway. A hallway full, of randomly assorted swinging blades of death. Beyond all of them was the exit door, a tall wooden lever stood tauntingly in front of it. And a hallway which, we were then all suddenly and ‘apparently’ sealed into, as the door behind us swung shut with a loud, and ominously mocking ‘bang!'
Dert decided to step up to the plate first, with a surge of speed and sparks. Yet he only managed to zap halfway before the room decided it needed a stretch, and so doubled its length-along with the number of murderous blades. Next, Archie tried to utilise a wall of magical force, same dealeo. Even my faithful boomerang, only made it so flitting far, before the corridor mockingly stretched again.
That, was buggin’it! Hurtling and screaming, I buzzed down the corridor, axes nicking me left and right. Yet the lever grew no closer and finally, I had to flittin’abandon my flight.
As I winched whilst chugging down a pick-me-up potion from Derthadd, our clever dragonborn finally discovered the trick to solving this puzzle room, and buggin’dirty one at that. By slipping ‘curiously’ back through the previous doorway we’d come in, finding himself in a room with a familiarly mocking lever!-I mean what the bug?!
We all followed him, and together, we pulled the lever and with a buggin’trippy stretch sensation, found ourselves in a whole new world…Well, room.
———
It looked kinda like a library. Slash-storage room-slash-private collection. Countless rolled papers and parchments lined the walls, along with hundreds of glass jars. some almost as flittin’big as me. Each filled with strange swirling, sparking, pulsing patterns. All of them stacked upon enormous towering shelves that taking up most of the room
And, waiting for us at the end of all this? Oh, just the usual. Your everyday huge buggin’creature-made up of combination eagle, crossed with lion King Verin-if he decided to try dressing up as a chicken…
And um, oh! It was about the size of buggin’ dragon!
The creature looked at us…We looked at…And then roared at us!-We’d found our roarer-Only this time, not deafening me, but instead freezing me to the spot, with fright.
I watched stiffly as Derthadd rumbled to it-in what I assume must be-‘Please don’t kill us!’-in Dragonese.
Thank’fllittingly the creature responded likewise, before then speaking common. Introducing itself as, Zitharis the Sphinx.
Just as somewhere inside my then panicking-mind I had settled on the name, ‘Lionbirgon’ for it.
Typical.
With sniff from him, I was free..and it seemed…That he knew me..
“Your scent reminds me as another, but as she is gone it can only be you!”
Wait…Questions suddenly buggin'erupted from my brain and mouth.
“You knew my Momma?”
“Yes. She was a friend at one time…Time is irrelevant to one such as me.”
“Right..But how did you know her?
“I summoned her here. Around me you’ll find the largest collection of portals and magical objects in the know universe-None which any persons may use,” Zitharis rumbled towards a surprisingly flittin’curious Archie who suddenly backed away from the shelves.
Well, I may not understand magic, and sometimes even loath it. But there was nothing to complain about the ‘magically’ procured spread the Lionbir-..Sphinx summoned before us. Tangy fruits and veg, savoury and sweet flatten breads of all sorts. Strange..haunches of meat-some of which still had fuzzy pleats left attached to them.
It really was a buggin'feast! Yet I was too nervous, too flittin’curious to eat.
I asked if he knew Zanahthir, Quirilia’s mother,-seeing as their names were pretty flittin’similar. Maybe they were distant dragon cousins twice removed?
He said it was ‘merely’ a coincidence though..Before then baying me from any further attempts of ‘unworthwhile’ small talk and told me to focus on filling my mouth and belly with food. Whilst he talked, to the others.
My time to question him would come.
It was a painful-stressfully delicious-wait.
Archie asked about his collection, whilst I tore into the bread. Dert decided to wait, as I filled myself up on dates. Lolli asked if he has always lived in the Spines, whilst I debated chewing down some limes. Zitharis replied, he could ‘merely-splice’ space and time, to engage with seekers of answers such as mine-uh, me!
Finally, after he sensed I could cram-in no more food. Zitharis felt in a more
Beets answering mood.
———
It was so flittin’much to take in. My mind is still whirring, as I try to put it all in some order.
My mother ‘was’ an adventurer, one which with her..-Charm? Witty charisma?- attracted the attention of Zitharis, and his master. They brought her here to his desert temple and the two became friends of a sort, before she disappeared-about 20 years or so ago.
At some point, Momma was apparently exploring a tomb and in the midst of it, she got cursed.
The curse being, that if she dwelled too long in one place, she would attract a plague storm. Insects, locusts, all manner of ‘things’ that could and would, wipe out a whole civilisation.
Momma fought and sought to free herself from the curse, and eventually found the right person to do it. But by then…It was too late. It had become part of her.
The only way to rid herself of it was…To die. She…She ‘died’-I felt Lolli walk over to take my hand at this moment-and left three beings behind.
What was left of herself…Me…The remains of the curse…B-bogar…And…Something else…”It’s..complex.” He said-where I had I heard that before.
“You are not birthed by your mother Beets” Zitharis’ words echo in my head, “Least, not in the 'organic' manner.”
So..Was H-he was saying Momma.. W-wasn’t really my Momma? I gripped Lolli’s paw tighter. He continued that, me and bogar, we’re both halves of the same being..D-does that mean he’s my flittin’brother?! Zitharis though, stated that he was tasked by my momma to try and keep me protected from Bogar, for as long as possible. But due to lack of influence over ‘our world’, his control ‘slipped’ and Bogar seized an opportunity, to break-through.
My mind flitted back to that battle in a very similar themed temple. Where, after my victorious killing blow, I breathed in some of that creepy mummy guy’s purple smog and felt something ‘shatter’ inside me…Like bursting free of a glass barrier or prison…And felt something, suddenly, painfully, latching itself onto, me.
———
Dert took the chance to ask if there was any way of truly separating myself from Bogar. Zitharis state he did not know. But that he suspected, that the process may kill me. May kill us both...
Well. Thanks for trying Cap’n. I asked how long it has been since he saw my momma last. “About two decades…” No mere coincidence then to when I was ‘born.'
“I have seen many things in my time though Beets, for I am older than most. Older even than many of your gods. Many many years. All my gods, the civilisations that dwelt here. All are dead.”
“Don’t you get lonely?”, I enquired.
“There are visitors, travellers at times. I rest. I collate my library, Travel the plains. Dwell.”
It still sounded as rather ‘lonely’ existence to me. But, I could sense the end of my questioning was coming, and so I asked one final ‘key’ question that had slowly fluttered up, from my gut.
“What was my Mother’s name?”
Back home Gramps and and Pa had never said it, nether spoken it aloud. It was always your Momma. Your Ma. She. Even the villagers has never said it. Always ‘her mother. That bug girl’s mother.’
“Malsira Sunwater.” He answered.
It was...Lovely. Strong and..Warm. I felt the trickle of a tear down my cheek as I spoke it aloud myself, upon hearing it for the very first first time.
“Was she pretty?!-Did she look like-Me? My hopefulness flitted out, my tongue unable to contain it.
Zitharis replied that he did not such opinions on the concept of 'looks' but confirmed we shared similar ‘facial structure’, held similar builds minus the ‘insectal’ features.
"Less bug more beauty..." Was what I gathered from that. Lolli asked one more question as remains of our magical feast were.. ‘magic’d’ away.
“How can Beets learn to control Bogar? How can she stop him from…Taking her over?”
“With dedicated research. And talking with Bogar.” Came the reply. Both things I rather felt like tackling the Kavel research-way, with my fists.
———
As we made our move to leave, the old sphinx had a final parting piece of ‘wisdom’ to dievlg..deevo…
To give me.
He said, ‘If you wish to be taken more seriously by your peers, you may want to review your choice of language.”
My ears bugg-..burned..I-I’d always spoken this way, especially with Gramps. Was…Was it really that bad?
I barely noticed as, with bright a flash-we were back. Back in Daring Heights, just as the clock struck half past 9. Just as we’d left town the previous day.
The party asked how I felt. I-I didn’t bug-…I didn’t know.
I felt Dert and Lolli take my arm and shoulder, “Come on Beets, don’t let that old Sphnix tell you to do.” “Yeah Beets, you’ve gotta remember to be you!”
Even old Archie couldn’t resist giving me an approving smile and nod, his face suddenly remind me a lot of Gramps’.
“Y-yeah..Yeah you’re flittin’right guys!” I said, as I took to the air. “I-I buggin’know who I am.”
“I’m Beets…I’m Beets Sunwater!”