Expedition Day 1: Entry 2
After I had rescued Filbo and had my first Bugsnak (which was called a Green Lollive) I soon found some more in the form of some Caramel Popticks underneath the waterfall where I was at, a crawling carrot called a Rootle, and a burrowing burrito called an Inchwrap. I was still full after eating the Lollive, but I did manage to feed some of the snax to Filbo so he would get revitalized after his starvation from before. He eventually led me to an area that he called Garden Grove, where we immediately found another Grumpus, this one being colored dark blue, wearing a large cowboy hat, and tending to a field that had seen some better days.
"Hehey, Wambus! I've been meaning to find you!" Filbo smirked at him widely.
"Peh, course ya'll were," the Grumpy Grumpus said with a frown as I noted that he wasn't even paying any attention to me.
"So... uh... how's the farm?" Filbo asked politely.
"What the hell d'ya think? Them Bugsnax'll be the end of me!" Wambus groaned.
"Well, uh, hey, you wanna meet my new friend? They're hoping to try and find Liz and Egg... and wanted to know if you wanted to come back to town?" Filbo smirked awkwardly as I then waved hi, but Wambus didn't wave back. He just glared angrily at Filbo.
"I'm not going back to town," he said.
"B-But-"
"I SAID I AIN'T GOIN' BACK! Now git!" Wambus shouted in some kind of miserable rage before he then pulled... a ketchup packet off of a bush(?) and threw it at Filbo's face, coating it in the sickly sweet sauce. And once that happened, I heard another voice.
"KETCHUP?! KETCHUP, KETCHUP, MUST EAT THE KETCHUP!" I heard a VERY enthusiastic voice sing out... it belonging to... a very thick and meaty burger creature? And before I could think of how I could understand every Bugsnak I'd come across since landing on my noggin, the Bunger slammed right into Filbo and sent him flying off the cliff and into a tree down below us, cracking it at the base!
"NO! DARNED BUNGER! GIT OUTTA HERE!" Wambus shouted, me trying to contemplate what just happened, and only then did Wambus notice me.
"You, stranger, I need a bit of help rounding up this bugger of a Bunger. Here, take this Sauce Slinger I made and some ketchup fruit and use it to lure the Bunger into that makeshift fence over yonder," he said, me nodding and then taking the slingshot and firing the ketchup fruits in a line towards the inside of the fence, which the Bunger didn't notice at first, until I got its attention.
"Oh, Bunger~! Ketchup!" I sung to him, the Bunger looking towards the trail and his eyes literally turning into hearts at the trail of ketchup.
"KETCHUP! KETCHUP, I LOVE KETCHUP! COME HERE, MY LOVELY KETCHU-" he said in joy, not realizing the trap until Wambus slammed the gate shut on him and Bunger then started to grumble a bit as he went around in circles. "Can't believe how stupid I am... falling for such an easy trap," it grumbled as Wambus then looked at me in confusion.
"Is it just me, or do you have jelly coming out of your head?" Wambus asked, me then feeling my head instinctively and seeing that, indeed, I did have jelly on my head. Still. And it was coming from the same place I hit my head on.
"Um... how about I say this since you pointed it out... ever since I fell on my head after that earthquake, the jelly hasn't stopped coming from my head... and for some bizarre reason, I couldn't understand the Bugsnax... but now? I can hear every single word they say," I said, Wambus looking at me in confusion.
"I find that rather hard to swallow," he frowned at me.
"Peh, that's what I'd say to the stupid Lollive I managed to eat... it's still thrashing about in my stomach and I could only barely get it down my throat with help from a water bottle," I frowned, Wambus being surprised by that.
"Huh... very odd. It's almost like you're immune to these Bugsnax... now enough gasbaggin', let's check on Filbo," he frowned, leading me down the hill to where Filbo was, seeing he looked knocked for a loop, but was otherwise unhurt.
"Ooggh... owie..." he groaned as he tried to get up and fell down again.
"Easy, Filbo. You hit your head pretty hard. One step at a time," I said, him groaning as I put my hand on his strawberry hand and he smirked at me.
"Thanks... I'm fine... don't get too mad at Wambus, please?... He's been kinda in the dumps since his wife left him... maybe you could help him out?" Filbo smiled at me as I noted that Wambus was looking towards the left of us and I saw that he was looking at the tons of Bugsnax around the place. Among them were a corn on the cob jumping through the trees, a couple Bungers, an ant-looking creature that had a shish kebab look to it, a soda can floating through the stream, and a ketchup cup with french fry legs? The very same creature in the video? Cool! I immediately snapped a picture of all the Bugsnax in the place and Wambus only then noted that.
"Oh, you're that reporter that Lizbert sent the video to, huh? Didn't recognize that until I saw yer camera there," Wambus admitted to me.
"Yep, and I mainly want to find Lizbert, but that means I need help, since she and Eggabelle have apparently gone missing. So... what do I need to do to get you back to the settlement with Filbo and me?" I asked with a smile.
"Hmm... I have an idea. I want a bit of sweet revenge on those damn Bugsnax that make a mockery of my sauce crops. You think you can help me out?" he asked, me smiling and nodding.
"Sure enough! What's the first target to catch?" I asked.
"That'd be the Fryders. They're very skittish and like to hang out in the cave down below us. They come in at nighttime and ruin my crops, so now, I'm gonna ruin them! You lure 'em to your trap with some ketchup and catch both of 'em. Then, lemme eat 'em. I am gettin' kinda hungry, after all," Wambus said, me nodding at that.
"Okay... I still am a bit unsure about the fact that the Grumpuses gain Bugsnak limbs from eating these guys, but if it's for revenge, I'm glad to help," I smiled as I then went out to the area down below us and, first business, I went to the place where the Fryders hung out and laid down my trap. Once I did so, I then slung some sauce onto the ground right in front of it, the Fryders immediately going for it as I got out of sight.
"Ooh, ketchup! Time to get some lunch! Yum-" the one Fryder said... before I slammed the trap shut after they got underneath it. I then rushed in and got them into a single jar, before then sending the one of them into a second jar.
"Okay, little buggers, time to get made into lunch. Revenge of the farmer," I smirked at them as I then gave the bottles to Wambus and he then ate the Fryders one at a time... and his left foot and right hand turned into french fries.
"Ah, delish! Okay, now for phase two," he said as he then pointed at the ant Bugsnak. "Those buggers there are the Shishkebugs. They always ruin my harvest, an' they don't even like ketchup! They're also very skittish, so you'll need to find some way to get them in the traps without spookin' them," Wambus said as I then smirked and decided to do something different, to prove to him that I actually could talk to Bugsnax. I simply went towards the Shishkebug and he immediately rushed towards the bush with fear in its voice.
"Eeep! Strange creature! D-Don't come any closer!" the little guy said from in the bush as I smiled at him.
"Hey, it's okay, mister snak. I'm not a bad guy, I promise," I said, the Shishkebug speaking inside of the bush.
"L-Lies! I don't believe you!" the Shishkebug said in fear.
"I'm not lying mister bugsnak. I always try to tell the truth," I said, Wambus tilting his head as the Shishkebug only then emerged from the bush and looking at me in curiosity.
"Y-You can understand me?..." he asked in confusion.
"Yes, I can understand you. Would you like to come closer? I want to know if I can make use of you," I said, him looking at me in confusion.
"You mean... you want to eat me?" he asked, me shaking my head no. "No, I want to do something else. I'm going to put you into one of these-" I said as I pulled out one of the clear containers, it being a hamster ball with a few holes in it. "-and then I'll keep you on my person as proof of my success on this island. You'll become famous," I said, the Bugsnak looking at me in confusion... before then coming closer and closer.
"You... you're different than the others... you're... nice... I'd love to become famous... maybe become less shy..." he said. I then looked over at Wambus, who simply had his mouth agape in awe at how I'd persuaded the Shishkebug out of his bush and I then simply opened up the hamster ball. The Shishkebug then went inside of it and I then closed it around him and I smirked at him.
"Glad to have you on board, Shishkebug," I smirked at him as I then put the ball in my bag and then went back to Wambus, who was still in shock. I simply smiled at him. "Now do you believe that I can talk to Bugsnax?" I asked, him then closing his mouth and nodding.
"My god... that was probably the weirdest thing I've ever done seen. You could talk to it, and even coaxed it out of the bush it hid in... so when you were talking to it and put it in that ball, what does that mean?" he asked.
"It means that this particular Shishkebug is going to come back to the mainland with me as one of the Bugsnak specimens I want to show off as proof of my discoveries," I said, Wambus smirking.
"Well, so long as you can get me my main target, the darned Bungers, I'll respect yer choices and let ya'll keep that snak," Wambus said, me nodding at him.
"Thanks. So, any ideas on how to catch those Bungers? Because they look a bit too big for my trap... then again, they might be able to just tackle it away," I said, him then smirking.
"That's where the smarts come in. If you can find a way to stun those darned Bungers, you can then scoop 'em up with this net and put them in. And, shocker, but anything caught like that'll just follow you no matter where ya go, oddly enough. Here, take the net, stun the Bunger, and then feed it to me. That'll be enough of revenge," he smirked at me. I then looked down to the Bungers to the west and to the east and then got a bright idea to hit two bungers with one stone. What did I do? I slung a ketchup fruit at the one bunger to my closest area... and another packet at the bunger on the other side. I then placed the closed Snaktrap over the river and then smirked.
"Oh, Bunger~! Ketchup time!" I sung again, the Bungers then looking and sniffing before then looking across the river to each other and then gawking.
"Ketchup! KETCHUP KETCHUP KETCHUP KETCHUP KETC-" they shouted in excitement as they then slammed into each other atop the Snaktrap and, the moment they slammed into each other, both of them got knocked for a loop. I then went over and netted both of them at the same time and they then looked at me in surprise.
"Ooh! You caught us! Where to, miss? You gonna eat us?" the one Bunger asked, which made me confused.
"Just follow me and I'll make sure you're eaten," I said, leading them to Wambus and he then smirked at me.
"Time to finish my lunch," he smirked as he then picked up the Bungers and, despite their size, ate them whole! And after doing so, his left arm and right leg turned into... curly fries... that was what Bunger's horns were, after all. He then let out a contented burp and smiled at me as I noted that Filbo was now fully recovered. "Thanks, stranger. I think that's enough revenge for one day. Let's go back to Snaxburg, then," Wambus smiled as he then pushed the tree with enough strength to turn it into a makeshift ramp to the cliff above us. "You and Filbo go on ahead. I'll... ketchup," he said, me then smirking at his absolutely terrible joke and holding a ketchup fruit with a smile.
"Must. Resist. Urge. To throw tomato," I smirked, Wambus smirking at that as I Filbo went up the ramp first as I then looked down to my Snaktrap and saw that the soda can was getting close to it. I then opened it with the button, the can went to it, and then it got caught! I then collected the trap and the Bugsnak within, seeing it was called a Sodie. And it was only then that I went up the ramp to see that Filbo was speaking to a purple-furred Grumpus with an orange nose. And my eyebrows furrowed the moment I saw her.
"Filbo, personality type: squeeb. Skills, none. Friends, none," she said with complete savageness.
"It only says that because you wrote it," Filbo frowned at her.
"It also says, you're a terrible leader," the purple-furred bitch frowned as I then spoke my mind.
"Well, if it isn't the winner of the biggest bitch award of the Class of 2015, Beffica Winklesnoot, AKA, my childhood bully! How ya doin' ya backstabbing bitch?" I smirked at her with my own sarcasm, which Beffica looked at me in shock.
"Y-You?... You're the reporter?!... Small world, isn't it?... ehehe..." Beffica said awkwardly as I noted that she was worried at me seeing her.
"Yes, yes it is. And now I'll say the same thing that I said to you during graduation. I want an apology for everything you did to me," I frowned at her, Beffica frowning.
"F-Fine... I'm sorry... I just... I... u-um... can you come in my cave for a second?... I want to talk to you in private... Filbo, stay here," Beffica said as she then went into the cave in question and I saw she'd made a home inside of the cave, complete with some pictures scribbled on the wall (one of them was a hot dog) as well as a cute little bed. "Don't say a word of what I'm going to say to you, okay, Felicia? I need to get it off my chest and I don't trust anyone else here," she said, me frowning at that.
"What is it?" I asked, wondering what her deal was. She then actually started to cry and, surprise of the century, she hugged me!
"I'm so miserable! I became a reporter like you, but I lost all my friends after I got into trouble! I came to this island to run away, but I made everyone else here hate me too!... Please, please tell me that you won't hate me!... I want at least one friend!... Please.." she said while crying, which made me realize that Beffica had been through quite a lot since I last saw her... before, she would cover me in honey and then blow feathers on me to be less of a 'Skinny no-fur'. But now? She was practically begging me to be her friend... I just returned the hug and smiled.
"I'll accept. But if we're going to be friends, I'll need to ask you a couple things," I said to her, Beffica sniffing at me as she looked me in the face. "First thing, no snooping around my stuff. I am here as a reporter and an adventurer, so the last thing I want is for any of my personal recordings and photos to be snooped at before my story is published," I said, her nodding at that. "And second, you are to treat me as a person first, minority never. Because I still remember all the names you called me just because of me being a human," I said, her nodding.
"Okay... I promise... thanks... bestie..." she said, me smirking at that. "A-Anything else?"
"Well, I'd heard from Filbo that Elizabert and Eggabelle, the ones in charge of the expedition, have vanished. So I need to find them, but I need help from everyone to do so as well as get interviews from them. You think you'd be willing to come back to town?" I asked, Beffica smiling at me.
"Okay, I'll do that... so long as you can get me some Bugsnax to eat every now and again... speaking of, I'm getting hungry for my favorite Bugsnak. Guess what it is and you can-" she was about to say before I smiled and pointed at the hot dog.
"It's a hot dog Bugsnak, ain't it?" I asked, her smacking her face with a small giggle after sniffing in a small booger. "I'll go find it... is it nearby?" I asked.
"Yeah, the snak can be found in Wambus's second farm nearby. It likes to circle his fence. It's very easy to catch, too," Beffica said as I nodded and then went out of the cave and noted that Filbo was simply standing by the fallen tree and looking in the sky. I then looked in the sky along with him... and I saw that there was something that was starting to fall down above us and ahead of us.
"Hey! That's my ship! It's still intact! I just hope it doesn't get hurt when it lands on the ground..." I gulped. Mainly because it was a rental that set me back 300 dollars.
"Well it looks like it got a bit damaged already, but it's going towards Snaxburg, so it'll be close at least," Filbo said as I then looked at him with a smile.
"Hey, Filbo? How about you go off to Snaxburg ahead of me? I'm going to find a Bugsnak for Beffica. She said that she'd come back to town if I got her favorite Bugsnak," I said, him nodding at that.
"I'll try to inspect your ship for damages, then. And, hey, maybe Lizbert came back during our absence, who knows?" Filbo smirked as he then went ahead down the path and I then went to get a hot dog Bugsnak.
