Expedition Day 3: Entry 3

Once I'd gotten the truth about how a human turned into a shishkebug in K-Bob, I immediately resorted to grabbing some of the peanut butter sauce fruits to sate my appetite. They tasted just as good as the original stuff, which was always a plus. But I did have to wash off my hands in the nearby hot spring, just in case any of the residents in town had any peanut allergies.

"So... we're going to be pwotected, wight?" Solana asked as she flew around my vicinity, me nodding at her.

"Yes, you will," I said, her giggling at that as I saw that Scorch looked a bit antsy as we walked back to town. "Is something wrong with that statement, Scorch?" I asked, him looking at me and speaking.

"Since I now know I can tell the truth, I might as well say the rest. No Bugsnak has EVER escaped this island and gotten to the mainland. The main reason is that we're terrible swimmers and we do get very tired for long flights... Even the King and Queens couldn't escape if they tried... so if we do get out of this alive, I want to know that you can keep it that way," Scorch said, me nodding at him.

"The world needs to know the truth from the source. And what better source than the Bugsnax themselves? Especially since Solana can speak English and Bronnica is learning how to," I smiled.

"Yeah, I still feel so weird about all this. Now that I know about what really happened to me and that I used to be a Grumpus, I feel a bit odd in the body of a walking strawberry," Bronnica admitted, me looking at Scorch and him smirking.

"Impressive. Every third word spoken was English. Keep up the remembering game and you learn how to speak English easier," Scorch said, me looking at him with a smile.

"And what about you, Scorch? Are you remembering your old life?" I asked him, him frowning at me.

"I only know some parts... but of those things, I know I don't want to remember anything else... I used to be an assassin for hire. And that's all I need to know to never want to learn the rest," Scorch said, me frowning at that.

"Understandable... I can't imagine that learning that as your first memory would lead to good things later on," I sighed... we then saw the town come into view as I saw that it was nearly 4 in the evening. It was time to check on Cromdo before then going to do the interviews.

"So... can I stay here in town with Chandwo? I pwomise not to tell them unwess he does," Solana said, me smiling at her.

"Tell Chandlo not to tell anyone about your identity. Make up a false name," I said, her nodding at me.

"I'll just tell 'em I'm an Engwish-talking Bugsnak and weave it at that. And that I'm off-wimits because of the discovewy of a Bugsnak talking Engwish," she smirked.

"Good plan," I smiled as she then flew off into town along with me and the others and I saw that Chandlo looked to be lifting some weights to get tougher and that Snorpy was simply looking into the distance towards the mountain I'd just came from, but higher on said mountain.

"Snorp?" I asked, him looking at me with a frown and a nod. "What'cha looking at?" I asked as Solana flew over to Chandlo and simply sat her capsule on the ground so she could speak to him in quiet.

"I'm inspecting a very important device on the top of the Frosted Peak. This must not go on the record," he said as he huddled me closer to him. "I helped Lizbert discover how to operate this device on the mountain, and soon after, she vanished. This is a map to the location. The rest is up to you," Snorpy said as he handed me the map and showed that the entrance to the mountain was actually in the Sugarpine Woods and that you had to hike a long way to get there.

"Understood," I said, him winking at me before then looking in his telescope again... before gasping and falling on his rump. "W-What happened?" I asked in surprise.

"I-I saw... a giant Bugsnak! A Bugsnak of immense size! It must be one of the different queens or the king of the island," he said, me looking at the area that the telescope was set at, and I saw that it was simply moving about... and this Bugsnak was big enough to eclipse even the pine trees on the top of the mountain! And what did it look like? A giant triple-decker birthday cake with giant candle legs.

"I do believe that is the king. Daddy Cake Legs," I said with a frown... but then I looked a bit closer, and I saw another Grumpus at the top of the peak! And she looked to be at the top of the mountain and hiding out in a small tent with a fire pit next to her. And who was it?

"Oh my gosh... Eggabelle!" I gawked at her being in the telescope. And when I said that aloud, it made the others who heard it immediately rush over to me in surprise.

"Eggabro?! She's on the mountain?! What's she doin' all the way up there?" Chandlo asked in shock as I also saw Beffica and Gramble rush over to us as well.

"Is she with Lizbert? Come on, I gotta know!" Beffica said with excitement as I looked again and saw that, as the Bugsnax had told me, Lizbert wasn't there.

"No, Liz isn't up on the mountain with Eggabelle... but I feel I do know where she is at," I said, that making Gramble gawk.

"Really? Where do you think she's at?" Gramble asked as I said a half-truth again.

"My Bugsnak specimens, the Hunnabee specifically, have told me that Lizbert is being held captive in a secret area of the island called the Undersnax. And that she's held captive by the queen," I said, the others gulping at that.

"Y-You don't think she'll turn 'er into a Bugsnak like Bronnica, do ya?" Gramble asked while hammering his hands in nervousness.

"No, that's not what's happening," Solana said, spooking the other residents when she spoke English.

"WHOA! A talking Bugsnak?! Impossible!" Beffica gawked as she immediately snapped a picture of her.

"The queen's retainer told us something important. That we need to slay the 3 lesser queens and the king before we can gain access to the Undersnax and get Lizbert back. But it'll be very difficult to do so, because the moment she leaves, we'll need to try our hardest to get off the island. Because Lizbert has been in the queen's domain long enough to be integrated into the island itself. So when Lizbert leaves the Undersnax, it'll be almost as if the island will want to keep her here. So we'll need to get off the island as fast as we can," Bronnica said, the others being surprised at how she was managing to speak English. And that made Triffany come over along with Wambus.

"Gramma! You're speaking English again!" Triffany smirked widely.

"It seems that she's learning a bit, but every few words, she reverts back to saying Strabby talk," Wambus said.

"But, like, we get the gist, right? If we want to save Lizbert, we'll need to get her last and fast, or else the island itself will try to keep her here!... But wait... why would an island want to keep us here?" Beffica asked.

"Because this iswand is... kind of the ultimate Bugsnak," Solana said, that making Wiggle gawk.

"That sounds both intriguing, as well as terrifying! The very ground we walk on is a Bugsnak as well! But then, what does that mean with the queen of all Bugsnax?" Wiggle asked.

"Simple. The queen of Bugsnax is the heart of the island. And the island itself is the reproductive system for the Bugsnax. That's why we see the Bugsnax pop up out of the dirt, looking all gooey and stuff, as noted by Wambus. It creates the Bugsnax for the queen to rule... but staying in the queen's ruling space, the Undersnax for too long will also make you attached to this island. Roughly a day is all you'd need, and Lizbert has been there for over 3. So if Lizbert leaves her space in the Undersnax vacant, the island will know, and it will be angry. And when that happens... well, let's just say that the island has multiple fail-safes," I said.

"What kind of fail-safes?" Wambus asked.

"First, it'll send the uncaptured Bugsnax to come and attack us. Second, it'll cause the earthquakes to be even worse. And third, it'll make the skies above the iswand vewy windy and stormy. So we'll need to fwy wow when we weave the iswand, or it'll make us sitting ducks," Solana explained.

"So that is why we need to work as a whole unit to make sure all of us get off the island at the same time. As I stated before, I don't want to leave anyone behind... and speaking of, I need to go get a certain salesman back to town... and hope he'll not be stubborn enough to ignore the warnings," I said, Beffica frowning.

"Ugh, I'll remain civil with him, but it doesn't mean I have to like him," Beffica frowned, me nodding at her.

"And I think I'll also open a small booth in the town when he sets up shop. Give him some competition," I smiled.

"And what'll your booth be selling for the next few days?" Wiggle asked.

"It'll be a free service and it'll be simple. Therapy," I said, the others looking at me in confusion.

"You're kidding me, right?" Beffica asked.

"No, I'm serious. I've learned of one thing that will make it very hard for us to get off this island as a whole unit. When the Bugsnax attack us after getting Lizbert out of her prison, they'll exploit our weaknesses. Everyone I've seen on this island has some form of weakness," I said, that making the group look confused. "However, some of them have gotten over some of their most destructive weaknesses... such as Wiggle needing to get inspired and Beffica needing a true friend," I said, her looking at me with a smile.

"Y-Yeah... m-maybe I should get some therapy sessions as well... you promise it'll be confidential, right?" she asked, me nodding at her.

"One hundred percent. None of it will get into the newspaper," I said, telling the whole truth.

"Y-Yeah... maybe me as well?... C-Can it be for when you come back with Cromdo?... Maybe in my barn?" Gramble asked, me nodding at him.

"Chandawg? Can you build my booth outside of Lizbert's hut?" I asked, him nodding at me as I then looked at the others with seriousness.

"Now that that's all settled, it's time for me to get going to the Scorched Gorge. I have some special deliveries for my number 1 contestant on Door Slam," I smirked, leading the Bopsicles along with me and my Bugsnax to the gorge in question... and I saw that one of the different people followed after me. Someone I didn't expect to follow me.

"Wambus?" I asked, him looking at me with a nod.

"Uh... yeah... can I ask for some therapy too?... I kind of want to get some things off my chest... and I'd like it to be on the move, to keep my feet occupied," he said, me nodding at him.

"Go ahead, we'll speak on the way," I said as we then proceeded down the path.

"See... the reason I came here with Triffany was to finally get a chance to make a living on a farm. Because... well, I had a farm in the past... but full disclosure... I'm not that good at it..." he said, me smiling at him. "I couldn't get a single crop to bear fruit except the sauce, which nobody likes nowadays. So, with the finances catching up with me and the fact that we lost our house from the expenses, we embarked on this adventure to try and start over... and just before you got back from the Sugarpine Woods, the Bugsnax in the field ran off, eating the sauce plants I had in the process... I feel like a failure," Wambus said, me sighing at his words as my Bugsnax friends looked concerned.

"You're not a failure, Wambus," I said, him looking at me with a sigh. "After all, you do have the most important crop of all that has survived through everything that's happened as of late." Wambus looked at me in confusion at me saying that.

"And what'd that be?" he asked.

"Triffany," Bronnica smirked, that making Wambus smile at his grandmother-in-law.

"Yeah... I guess that's true... even after we lost everything on the mainland, she never lost faith in me. She wanted to help out, but I just felt too stubborn to admit I needed the help... maybe I should ask her for some help... sure, she might want me to help her fossil studies, but it's a small price to pay, y'know?" he said, me smiling at that.

"Indeed. Cooperation and teamwork is the key to happiness. And in a sense, your crops can be considered as your livelihood. And just like a baby, both parents need to do their part to help out. Sure, you could do it with only yourself working, but it becomes twice as hard to do so. And when dealing with tons of infants, you're required to need help. Otherwise, they'll never grow up," I said, him nodding at me.

"Yeah... I hear ya there, pardner. It'll be tough, but I do need help with the crops. I'm gonna talk to Triffy now... I'll go back to town on my own from here. You go on ahead, I'll... catch up," he said, me smirking at him.

"Thanks for not punning," I smiled at his restraint as he then headed back to town.

"Well, he seems to have realized his weakness. It's up to him on what to do now," Scorch said as K-Bob looked at me with a sigh.

"Yeah... better than I ever tried," he sighed.

"Maybe you can look on the bright side, K-Bob. Sure, you turned into a Shishkebug, but you're still alive, right?" I said, him sighing afterwards. "How about you tell me about your life before you got accused? What was it like before then?" I asked, him then thinking hard... and then finally speaking.

"I can remember it... I had a family. A loving wife and daughter that were very kind to me... of course, humans were even rarer back then, so I had a Grumpus for a wife and we had to adopt, but we were still very happy," he admitted.

"And who was your wife? What was her name?" Applesauce asked with intrigue.

"Her name Omari. Omari... Dorbeaze... never met a nicer Grumpus in my entire life," he admitted... but then, when he said that, we finally arrived in the Scorched Gorge... and a specific Bugsnax immediately hopped over to us when it heard that name.

"Did... You say... Omari? asked a Poptick that hadn't been puffed up yet, me nodding at it. "I... I think that was my name... a-are you... Johno?" she asked, me gawking at that... and even more when K-Bob went to her and spoke.

"Y-Yes... I am Johno... y-you... how?..." he asked, me being surprised. A family reunion? Between two different Bugsnax?!

"Me and Kimji tried to find you when we heard the ship was lost to Snaktooth Island... but we got Snakkified... now Kimji is in the form of a Buffalocust further into the Sizzling Sands," she said, me being surprised by that.

"She's probably safe, then," Scorch spoke. "I've seen that Grumpus in the Sizzling Sands before. She's very old and finds it hard to catch Bugsnax. She says she doesn't like eating them and that she wants to be the voice of reason for 'Mother Naturae', but her weakness is that she wants people to listen to her, no matter how hypocritical she is," Scorch explained.

"Sounds troubling..." I said as I then went up to the top of the top of the gorge with my Bugsnax and the two Bopsicles, where I then saw Cromdo at the top and he looked at me with a smile.

"Ah, you came back! Good thing, too. I was gettin' hungry," Cromdo smiled as I then fed him the Bopsicle and, using the Snaktivator, I turned both of his feet into Bopsicles... to be honest, after learning what the Bugsnax really did, I felt very apprehensive to feeding them to others, but so long as I could get their weaknesses covered, I felt I could save all of them.

"Aha! Another valued customer! Here ya are, pally, your bridge," he smiled as he opened the gate to the bridge... and the moment he did so, the bridge... collapsed into pieces. "Oh, and by the way, Cromdo Mart and its subsidiaries are not responsible for any injuries that may happen as a use of its products. If there's anything else you need in town, anything at all, please, please, please! Call your friend, Cromdo," he said as he then packed his stuff up and proceeded to rush back to town, just as the sun started to set in the distance.

"Well, pooey. Now how am I going to get to the Sizzling Sands to find the old Grumpus?" I asked in annoyance.

"Maybe ask Chandlo for help? He seems like the best man to build a bridge," Bronnica suggested.

"Not a bad idea. I'll go ask him for assistance, then," I smirked as we then proceeded back to town... and I also saw that the Poptick named Omari was following us.

"Um... c-can I... come with?... In safe ball?" she asked, me nodding at her.

"Of course. Family needs to stick together, after all," I smiled as I handed her another mobile container and she then hopped into it and started to push it with her hopping power... but it was also at this time that I saw I only had 1 container left. "And it looks like Kimji is going to be the last one to come along with us," I said with a frown.

"I thank you... so... how do you understand us?" Omari asked.

"Not even I know. I just hit my head when I first arrived and then suddenly, my hair becomes different elements every time I wake up and I can understand Bugsnax like its English," I said, her being surprised at that.

"I heard that, but no believe it. You the one that wants to rescue Queen Bugsnak," she said, me nodding at that. "Well... she has this to say. If you want to save her, make sure it's last one. And... bring blade, too," she said, me being confused.

"A blade?... Why?" I asked.

"Because, otherwise, she too big for balloon ship," she said, me gulping at that... I didn't want to hurt Lizbert, especially when I was supposed to rescue her!... But if it was the only way... I had to ask.

"Will she be okay after?" I asked.

"Bugsnax don't bleed. She'll be fine, but her body will regenerate slowly after you detatch her," Scorch explained.

"I uh... I'm not even going to ask, because I feel I'll see it for myself," I said, him nodding at me.

"But what kind of blade can we use? I mean, there aren't that many sharp objects on this island, so where would we go?" Bronnica asked.

"I think I know," Applesauce said, me looking at him in surprise. "There's a lot of shipwrecks in the Boiling Bay, that's where water ships get wrecked by Megamaki, the queen of the bay. And among them were pirates. There's surely sword or something there," Applesauce spoke, me smiling at that.

"Well, looks like I'll need to get access to that place, then," I smiled as we then proceeded back to town... I had to have some interviews as well as a small therapy session with Gramble... poor Gramble. I had to wonder if he had to get some more things off his chest.