Mark of Darkness-Beets the Beetle -12/10/2022
Oct 19, 2022 14:06:09 GMT
Velania Kalugina, Derthaad, and 1 more like this
Post by Beets The Beetle (Feenix) on Oct 19, 2022 14:06:09 GMT
Beets fluttered down onto the welcoming roof tiles of the Three Headed Dragon. She still paid the price of a room each week to Mavunda for allowing her to roost up here, and it had almost become a running joke between them that the Dragon had a ‘penthouse’ apartment only they knew about it.
She still didn’t know why she preferred the press of the hard clay tiles beneath her, or waking up damp from the occasional morning mist compared to a cosy warm bed. But, being immersed outside under the watchful gaze of her beloved moon above.
It just felt-Right!
She laid across the rooftop just as the moon came out out from behind a swaft of cloud, as if to welcome her back, and reflected upon the events of the week up till now.
I absolutely buggin'blazed it around Daring Heights with my delivery runs this week for the Rooftop Beetle Squad. Diana reckoned I must’ve set some kinda record, while Jeremy, Axel and Gary were more interested in trying to get out of me what sweet treats I had gorged myself from Paradise Frost to give me so much energy.
The secret unfortunately, was far more bitter.
That argument with Marto had kept constantly swirling around in my head since I’d left New Hillborrow. Whilst on route my wings beat furiously, trying to escape it as I fought keep my mind on the job. But whenever I thought I had escaped it, or allowed myself time to breath, my thoughts suddenly swam again with Marto’s words.
“Do you ever think before you act, Beets?…Ever consider the consequences of your choices?…Who are you trying to impress?…What are you trying to prove?”…You continue to make excuses that result in foolish and reckless choices…I don’t have the emotional space to keep picking you up anymore.”
What did he ‘don’t have emotional space?! H-How could he claim be my friend? T-to.. ‘love’..and ‘support me’-if he didn’t want to deal with me on an emotional level?-And then to just shut me out like that…
At one point I thought I just shouldn’t have anything more to do with him. Let him deal with other folk-other fey- that are clearly far more problem free and better than having to keep ‘picking up’ poor tiresome little Beets.
Yet…After another restless night last night, I somehow found myself on the road to New Hillborrow, and it was then that I flew into Derthaad.
Eating. thinking on it now, has many benefits.
For one its so buggin’satisfying quelling your hunger with something tasty! For another, gives you loads of flittin’energy! But, with today’s dining company: stoic Zola, caring Kavel, mischievous Kelne and the ever curious cap’n Derthaad-all to who, I had just seemingly happened to flitter up behind on their way along the humble country road. Eating provided me the benefit-Of not being able to answer their awkward questions.
I chomped down on our double order of halfling breakfast muffins at the Cat and Badger Inn-which really were good despite just acting as a distraction-and half listened as my table mates discussed their reason for coming out here. Derthaad apparently come across some ‘strange’..Unseeny?…Beany?…Something-fey a few months back made and got left with a branded mark from them.
It was at that time I couldn’t help but feel my hand instinctively reach up to touch the slightly faded pink mark on my cheek. Right where Marto had…-N-no! Don’t think about him! Eat!
-CHOMP!-
Dert had then apparently gone with Kavel on his Feywild quest for the love of that flexi-pixie Natalie a couple weeks ago in the Damphi..Damphfinit…That chasm place! And it just so happened when they saw his new mark from that Fey-They didn’t it-or like them! Gee, a bunch fey not liking one fey for being different? Now there’s a story I know all too well!
Apparently some talking bird offered him the chance to remove it, and just as I was tucking into another pumpkin muffin another apparently magically talking bird appeared and asked us to take a walk into the Feythorn Forest on the edge of town. I guess we were basket’ing these muffins to go!
As we wandered through town I’d kept my eyes low. What would happen if we were to wander into Marto. Would I of rushed to hug him? Or been more inclined to lob a muffin at at his head. I didn’t find out. Despite the many cheerful smiling halflings we passed by wishing us a good mornings’n’have a nice days, none of the halflings we encountered were Marto.
-chomp!-
Once in the woods, a woman with tan brown skin and ruby hair appeared. Drusilia she said. There was something about her, something that unnerved me. Maybe it was the fact she asked if Derthaad if he was prepared to do anything to lose this ‘Mark’, including loosing his whole’buggin arm! Maybe it was just indigestion from too many muffins.
But I didn’t flittin’trust her.
The fancy black ‘mark’ on Derthaad’s hand looked like a butterfly. Just like the one I’d given Marto for his-STOP BUGGIN THINKING ABOUT HIM!!
-CHOMP!!-
She said she would remove it if we got her something in the Feywild, and she that she would tell us what she wanted when we got there.
Not flittin’supicious at all!
Going back home into the Feywild at the best of times, has never been an easy thing for me. That feeling of pressure on your all your senses. As if they are literally being forced open to take in every single detail at max impact. Every thought. Every feeling. Every sight. Every smell. All just constantly bombarding till your head feels fit to burst!-like a belly crammed with one too many breakfast muffins-ugh!
My mind felt foggy as she warped us into my fey homeland-the all of a sudden change in light aching my tired eyes. But once I realised where we were, I suddenly forgot all about the muffins.
Quirlia’s Grove. The vibrant yet peacefully swaying trees, the golden light shafting through their rich canopies to warm the soft lush beds of meadow grass below, bouncing off the deep stones of the ancient ruined tower at its center. It was all beautiful as I remember. Well…Almost…The jewel at its center was now missing.
I was half listening as Drusilia informed the others about her requirements from us. Go in the temple. Get some keys. Bring me the thing you find or…Something something..my wraith.
My biggest problem though, was Dert doing this just because someone else didn’t like the mark.
I quizzed him on it, out of flit-shot of the others. I knew far too well the pressures of ‘wanting to belong,’but that didn’t mean I was prepared to chop my buggin legs off! The..the boots-thing didn’t count.
Dert said, it wasn’t that he ‘didn’t like it”, but more that, he ‘needed to do it. I really didn’t really get it at the time. Wasn’t that just what Mar-… What ‘he’ and Zainthir had said to me about? About hiding my differences just to please others?
But, after talking with him earlier this evening outside the Cat and Badger Inn, I think I’m starting to understand what he meant. Sometimes you do need to take actions, even if that does mean changing something about yourself, if it’ll help more than just yourself. 'Having a purpose.’ That’s what Marto said right?
It was then though-back in the grove-that my line thinking was broken as Drusilia warned us that this temple was very ancient and sacred, and not to break anything that wasn’t already.
I suddenly felt everyone’s eyes turn to look in my direction-WHAT THE BUG?!
Drusilia did say something though which made brain itch with a question that I just had to ask. She had apparently been around for eons, and yet hadn’t been back to this part of the Fey wild for…A while. I asked her if she had seen..any-‘non specifically blue’ dragons around the last time she was here. She said though she hadn’t been back for thousands of years, she did remember a young wyrmling being here. Huh….What the bugs a wyrmling?
Okay so quick ancient fey temple summary as I’ve been in a flittin’through enough of them recently to last a buggin’life time.
Ahem:
-Fun buggin’entrance slide!
-These temple puzzles were so much buggin’easier than mine! I mean for flit’sake!
-I have a sudden craving for heart-meat now..Urgh!
-Magic weather stick controlled magic weather temple-well Seasonal-Temple to be precise! Not that the sudden changes in temperature bothered me with my toasty ring of warming-Still, a great buggin’loot choice picking that one Past-Beets!
-Note to self, don’t bother old people sleeping in tents during the winter-sheesh, talk about buggin’grouchy!
-Sleepy bears like rations-I mean who doesn’t like sweet bread and fruit berry pie from Paradise Frost?
-I’m no buggin’good with on improv standup, though that little girl Irshka did enjoy my one good joke! What do you call a thousand-year-old fey? A Millenielf!-Heh, think Pa told me that one..Then had to explain it!
-Treasure was buggin’everywhere! Where as in my temple it seemed…Knowledge was the greatest treasure of all…I guess I can’t argue there.
-Get Zola to do my gardening if I ever have a garden, bug can that girl clear the weeds!
-I need to learn Kavel’s leg-workout routine, buggin'heck can the big guy jump far now!
- Decapitated statues are actually keys-and no I didn’t decapitate any of them myself thank you very flitt’much!
Once we placed that last statue head into place we realised we’d created a big buggin'multi-head monster! I was were wondering if this was gonna be Drusilia’s master plan to kill us, when with a flash of light and the blast of a horn, we where back in Qir’s Grove, a fancy golden horn clutched in Derth’s hand-Though not for long.
Yep, as for successfully beating the temple, Drusilla agreed to uphold her part of the deal with Derthaad.
SHE BUGGIN’RIPPED HIS ARM OFF!
Okay…So she grew him a new one after. But still, buggin’heck! That was flittin’narly in a horrible, gruesome kinda way.
Good job I rammed that muffin in his mouth, or I else I think everyone in the Dawnlands would’ve heard Derthaad’s screaming.
He seemed pretty fine after all things considered though. I mean he wanted to find out what was up with me..and then Marto when we got back to New Hillburrow...
I-I didn’t say too much. I still don’t really know how I feel about it all even now to be honest.
What I do know is, Derth is a well meaning, and kind person.
And as for the Marto issue…I’ll deal with that later.
The young fairy sits for a few minutes longer staring at the blue bubbling potion her dragonborn friend had gifted her at the end of their chat glinting in the pearly moonlight of the rooftop as she holds it aloft. Eventually, she tucks it away before slowly turning over to curl up and fall into a deep exhausted-and muffin-induced-sleep, under the light of the autumn moon.
