Expedition Day 3: Entry 2
After discovering that Chandlo's long lost older sister was turned into a Hunnabee, I had finally decided that this expedition was not going to have a positive spin on it. I needed to tell everyone that Bugsnax were dangerous, able to transform a Grumpus into a completely different creature! And the fact that some of the Bugsnaked Grumpuses could remember who they were and how they died? It was disgusting. Who knew how many Grumpuses had been transformed before our arrival? And who knew if any humans accidentally came and got turned into Bugsnax as well?!
"From now on, I'm not eating anymore Bugsnax. From now on, just the sauce fruits," I said with seriousness, that making Scorch speak.
"Hmph, you choose wisely. That's all I'm going to say," he said in an annoyed fashion as we then got back to Chandlo at the cabin and he smiled at how he saw I had three Hunnabees on me. But I then simply held the VIP Hunnabee close and smiling at him.
"Hey, Chandlo? Just wanted to introduce you to a very important person... to you," I said, him then looking at me in confusion.
"A very important person?... But it's a Bugsnak, right?" he asked. And it was then that Solana spoke.
"I missed you so much... Chandwo," she said. And Chandlo's mouth dropped to the ground when he heard his sister's voice emerge from the Hunanbee.
"I-Is that... i-it can't be..." Chandlo gulped as I simply sighed.
"This. This is the secret that I needed to tell you and Snorpy. Bugsnax aren't just tasty food-shaped bugs. They exploit weaknesses in any sentient life that arrives on this island, then they weaken you, making you want them. And then, once they lull you into a false sense of security, they force themselves down your throat, changing you into them!... And that's exactly the fate that befell not only Solana Funkbun here, but it also happened to Bronnica Lottablog and every other Grumpus that came here in the past that isn't a bone," I said, the Chad-lo looking more and more spooked with every word that came out of my mouth.
"Oh mah gawd... is that true?... An' if it is, then where's Bronnica?" he asked, me simply pointing to the little Strabby next to me, him then gulping at that.
"Your Strabby... is Triffy's grammy?" he asked.
"Yes, she is. Evewy Bugsnak that is on this iswand has been a Gwumpus at some point, save for the four Legendawy Bugsnax. And once evewy few thousand years, we have a queen of all Bugsnax awise... and the queen is-" she was about to say before Scorch stopped her.
"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! Hush your mouth, honey girl! If you reveal the queen's identity, you'll be mush! And then you'll never be able to see the mainland again!" Scorch said, that making her gulp.
"Oops... s-sowwy... I didn't know that..." she said, me then looking at Chandlo.
"What's up with your Scorpepper friend?" he asked.
"Well, there's some kind of ruling with Bugsnak code. If they tell anything about their plan in plain speak, which is... wait... you just told the plan right in front of us, yet you're not mush... what's the deal with that, Solana?" I asked, that making us have a bit of a silence, wondering what just happened... and it was then that I heard something... something spooky.
"You're safe... any Snak you befriend... is safe..." the voice said, me recognizing it as the extremely distorted combination voice that I'd heard last night from the outhouse! And it was coming... from above the log cabin! I then looked in that direction... and immediately wished I didn't. Why? Because the thing that I saw... it was straight out of my nightmares! A monstrous Bugsnak... made of multiple different Bugsnax! And it was in the shape of some bizarre, malformed Grumpus!
"W-WHAT THE FUCK?!" I shouted in absolute fear... the creature then jumped off the log cabin to the hot spring on the other side of the cliff. I then rushed there, needing to know more... and when I did so, I gasped at how there was no sign that the Bugsnak monster was there at all!
"I saw that too... what was that?" Chandlo asked in shock.
"That... was the queen's retainer," Applesauce said, me then gasping at that.
"I could... understand it... it sounded like a completely distorted combination of voices speaking at the same time..." I gulped.
"What'd they say?" Chandlo asked.
"It said... that the Snax I befriend were safe... Safe from what, though?" I asked.
"Only one way t-to find out..." K-Bob said, me looking at him in confusion. "I'm s-starting to remember things about who I was... I'm going to tell you what the queen is... and if I turn to mush, consider it my last words before the sweet release of death," he said, me gulping, but nodding. It was scary to think that he'd be willing to possibly commit suicide if he was remembering who he was. "The Bugsnak Queen is... your explorer friend... Lizbert Megafig," he said... and when he did, I gasped and then was taken WAY aback!
"W-W-What?..." I asked from what he said. Scorch spoke afterwards.
"Lizbert... she doesn't want to be found... her will was too great when we tried to turn her into Bugsnax... she made us into her... she can only keep the Bugsnax at bay until the 7 day time limit is up... she does not want to escape... if she leaves her ruling area, the Undersnax, then the Bugsnax will go berserk and the island would do everything in its power to kill you, should the Bugsnax fail..." Scorch said, me gulping again.
"What are they saying? What is going on?" asked the voice of Snorpy, him listening in from a window on the cabin.
"T-T-They're saying... Lizbert... is the Bugsnak queen... and that she doesn't want found..." I gulped, that making the duo of brains and brawn look shocked.
"No way! Lizbert, the queen of Bugsnax?! How could that be possible?!" Chandlo asked in shock.
"Moreover, how do we rescue her if she's the one in charge of the Bugsnax?" Snorpy asked, me looking at him and Chandlo with seriousness.
"This must not be told to any other Grumpus on the island. Keep this absolutely secret, because I know it'd make everyone lose hope in saving Lizbert... but I made a promise. We're saving her, no buts about it! And if that means we have to wait until the final day to rescue her, then that's what we'll do!" I said, that making Scorch sigh.
"You really are stubborn as a Buffalocust... I can only tell you this much. Lizbert will not be able to emerge from the Undersnax until you can slay the other four Legendary Bugsnax, AKA, the other Queens and King. And even then, once she does so, the island will try everything in its power to kill everyone. Earthquakes, volcano eruptions, even the weather will get nasty. You need to make absolutely sure you can get all of us off the island without us getting killed," he said, me nodding at his words. And I then interpreted to Chandlo and Snorpy and they looked at each other and then at me.
"This... is very bad... not only did my sister turn into a Bugsnak, but now learning that Lizbert is preventing the Bugsnax from transforming us into them? That's terrifying... I may be swole, but I doubt I'd be as tough as Liz. It must be really painful for her to be halting off an invasion that big," he said, me nodding at that.
"Lizbert Megafig... has been turned into a Bugsnak Queen?... I never expected that these creatures would be so cruel!... But the fact that your Bugsnak friends are able to share this, I must ask them something else. What do you know of the Grumpinatti?" he asked, me wondering why he'd ask something so different to what the important issue was... but then, Solana spoke.
"The Gwumpinatti... when Bwonnica went missing wast, some higher-ups fwom that society came to the iswand, finding her old journals, talking of what the Bugsnax do to you... she didn't forget evewything wight away wike most of the others... and when they learned that, they told Wizbert about the iswand in pwivate... and so, that's why we're all here..." she said, me then gulping at that.
"I KNEW IT! I knew the Grumpinatti were involved in this somehow!" Snorpy said with seriousness.
"And that's your weakness," Solana said, that making the smarty-pants gasp. "Bugsnax expwoit ANY weakness. Obsession with Gwumpinatti, wanting to get stwonger to pwotect Snorpy, wanting to start a farm, stwike it wich, make a song, make a famiwy... they'll expwoit ANYTHING. And onwy by knowing your weaknesses and conquewing them can you stop the food twansformation."
"That's even scarier... Everyone in the expedition group has a weakness and the Bugsnax exploit it... we need to get back to town and warn-" Snorpy was about to say before I stopped him.
"No, we're not," I said, him looking shocked at my words. "Think, Snorpy. If we told everyone in town the true motives of the Bugsnax, they'd get even worse with their reliance on them, since they still think Bugsnax are good, save for Triffany and Wiggle. We need to help them overcome their own weaknesses before we get preparations complete to rescue Lizbert. So that means that we need to keep this absolutely secret... so you know what that means, right?" I said as I simply held my hands out palms-up, that making Chandlo smirk and nod.
"You got it, Brodoga. I'll swear off Snax and help you out for sure!" he smiled as he then held his two hands palms up on mine... and Snorpy left the house and did the same with his hands... though I should mention that both of them had Snakified limbs with Chandlo's Cinnasnail hand and Snorpy's Bopsicle hand. And once we did so, I was surprised that Solana placed her honey wings in it, too!
"I think I'm willing to go back to town, then... but before that, I want you to get one final invention in this place, Felicia," Snorpy said, me looking at him in confusion.
"Another invention?" I smirked.
"Yep, and it's one that can really help with catching certain Bugsnax. I call it the Trip Shot. You can find it in the watchtower up the cliff behind us. Just go get it and you can use it to daze Bugsnax that so much as touch it," Snorpy explained, me nodding as I then simply opened my arms and he and Chandlo then went over and gave me a bro hug, which we were always giving each other back in the day.
"Thanks, I'll go get it then," I smirked as I proceeded to go up the hill to where said tower was with my Bugsnak posse... and when I got to the tower? I was surprised to hear a voice on my ear.
"Nice to see you still underestimate my sneakiness, Felicia," Snorpy said... on some kind of radio transmission! I then felt on my ear and smirked at what he'd done. He'd snuck a tracking device on my ear! And I didn't even feel it go in or latch on! "And before you ask, I can speak to you, but you cannot speak to me," Snorpy said, me smirking at that again.
"He's certainly brainy and sneaky," I smirked at that as I simply used the Lunchpad at the base of the tower and saw the item I needed, that being a much bigger-looking Bugsnak-catching trap. But when I picked it up, I was surprised at not only how light it was, but that it could also shrink itself and regrow with a simple button push for convenience sake! And once I'd gotten it, I then tried to leave the tower... only for an alarm to go off and for the walls to enclose around me!
"Ah, hogwash! One of those Charmallows must've triggered the tower's alarm system again. But never fear, for the Trip Shot can help you out. Fire it from your standpoint and at the target in the way of the Charmallow. Once it gets hit, the bugsnak will get dazed from my patented tech and the alarms will die down," Snorpy said as I then proceeded to aim and fire, waiting patiently as the flaming Bugsnak slowly flew without a care... until it hit the rope and fell to the ground from an insane vibration effect that dazed it!
"Wow! That was cool!" Bronnica smiled from her standpoint at the bottom of the tower as I then jumped down and proceeded to chill the Charmallow's flames with my icy head before then scooping it in the net, which made it wake up a bit more and then simply hover along with a giggle.
"You got me, where to now?" it asked with a very high-pitched voice, me simply smiling at it.
"You're going to be eaten by one of the residents of Snaxburg, but only after we can catch a couple Big Bopsicles," I said, that making Scorch speak.
"And let me guess. You want my help with them, huh?" he asked.
"Depends. Are they bone-chillingly cold?" I asked... before I saw something that looked like... a GIGANTIC Bugsnak! It was about the same size as I was, had very long legs made of popsicle sticks, and its entire body was a duo of popsicles! "Oh my grumpin' god! How the hell is Cromdo going to fit this beast in his gut?!" I asked in shock.
"He won't. Because you can sepawate the Big Bopsicle into two normal Bopsicles," Solana said as she flew over to me along with Chandlo and Snorpy simply walking.
"If we're going to be swearing off of Bugsnax, then I'm going to request one thing," Snorpy said, me smiling at him and nodding.
"Yes? What is this one thing?" I smiled.
"The tracker I've placed on you can also read your thoughts. And it's saying you've actually been in contact with a member of the Grumpinatii! I must know who it is!" he said, me gasping at that.
"It's true, then... Clumby Clumbernut, my boss... she's a Grumpinatii member! I always suspected it after hearing her secret phone calls, but now I know it's true," I said with seriousness. But me saying that at a louder volume got the attention of the Big Bopsicle, who proceeded to rush at us like it were furious. Scorch then lobbed a fiery pepper at its face and the Bopsicle was actually defrosted and looked to be panicking afterwards... until it actually snapped apart into two separate Bopsicles that were smaller in size, me then rushing in and scooping both of them up with my net.
"Okay, that's the final bit of payment I need to get Cromdo Face back to town... and by the way, Chandlo?" I said, him then looking at me with a smile. "I need the help of the Number 1 Chad in high school to go up against one of the four Bugsnak Heirarchies. A giant watermelon that's so huge, I doubt even you could lift it. But I need some teamwork in order to beat these bigger and badder Snax and you're gonna help!" I smirked, that making Chandlo gain a huge grin.
"I'm IN! I'll start training the moment we get to town, Brodoga! Come on, Snorp-dawg! Let's get goin'!" Chandlo smirked as he proceeded to run off and for Snorpy to chase after him with worry.
"E-Easy now, Chandlo! I'm still not as fast as you, okay?" Snorpy said as he ran off after his boyfriend, me simply chuckling at that as I noted that K-Bob still looked a bit... out of sorts.
"So... K-Bob? What have you remembered?" I asked, him then sighing.
"I remembered some... awful things... I was a man on the run... a human that was falsely accused of killing the princess of a foreign land... I was set to be executed in Spain back in the 1400s... but then... the ship washed ashore here... I escaped captivity from the sailors, but they searched for me night and day... I found out on my own from watching them that Bugsnax turned those that ate them into food... but I couldn't turn any parts of me into food... until I started to enjoy it," he said, me gasping at that... a human? One that was NEVER documented?! And he was now a Shishkebug...
"What else do you know?" I asked him.
"I remember... that I relied on the Bugsnax to escape the crew... they jumped into my mouth... and with each Snak that got digested, I found it easier and easier to eat them... eventually, I was able to have my limbs turn into food, but by that point, all the ship's crew were Snakkified. I got so addicted and bloated that I just laid down and gave in... my fear was the cause of my death, which is why I turned into a Shishkebug when I was transformed..." he said, me gulping at that.
"Damn... it's a good thing I'm swearing off of Snax, then... I didn't know they could actually be like an addiction!" I gulped as Bronnica spoke.
"That's what Bugsnax do. They find weakness and exploit it. If they find you enjoy the taste, they'll keep filling you up and making it easier each time," Scorch frowned.
"Regardless, I need to find out how to get everyone to stop eating Bugsnax... and stop relying on them. It's going to be VERY hard, but I need to make sure none of them get hurt," I said dutifully.
"This isn't even stubborn anymore. It's dedication," Applesauce frowned.
