Act 1 – Welcome to Bugaria
Episode 13a - The Festival
Author Note: This was fun to write, sorry for the wait! Enjoy!
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the festival approached, Vi anxious for it to get started already. She did get a little rest, but she didn't want to risk completely passing out and missing the festival entirely! But it didn't matter too much, since she and her friends didn't get a room at the inn, so they had to relax on a spare bench in the meantime.
Soon enough, it was nighttime, a crowd of bugs surrounding the large platform at the center of the Golden Settlement. Green lights danced around the several wooden poles surrounding the platform, illuminating it moreso than the white moon already did- the obvious sign of it being the correct night for the festival.
Team Snakemouth were among the first to arrive, Kabbu making sure they got there at least fifteen minutes early- even though there wasn't any penalty for arriving late. Everyone waited as Aria stood in the middle of the platform, her eyes closed and her hands clasped together. Vi let out a small huff, already getting impatient and wanting the festival to start already!
And as if answering her prayers, Aria's eyes opened, looking up at the moon for several seconds, before moving her head back down to everyone else.
"The Golden Festival has begun!" Aria declared, making sure she had everyone's attention. Nobody else dared say a word.
Aria's eyes shut as she prayed. "Oh Goddess Venus, who watches over us, and ensures a bountiful harvest without fault… We congregate to share our gratitude. May it reach your roots and bring you joy." Most of it went over Vi's head; she didn't really understand the point or meaning of it. Kabbu listened much more intently than she did, and even Anne made an effort as well.
"And when the two offerings, held by our esteemed guest hosts, are brought to me… The final ceremony will begin." Aria continued with a clap; her eyes open once more. "Now feast! Laugh! All in good faith! Let's make this one more festival to never forget!" She finished her short speech with a bow, everyone clapping in response.
The boring stuff was finally over with! The festival finally began! All the surrounding bugs aside from Team Snakemouth slowly scattered, mingling with each other as they enjoyed the festivities, and before long, the group of four were the last ones still lingering.
Anne appeared totally focused on something completely different, squinting her eyes as she looked up at the sky. "I dunno if it's just the festival atmosphere, but... ah never mind, it's party time!" She sure lost her train of thought fast.
"Well, Aria's passionate." Leif commented, changing the subject.
Kabbu put his hands together and closed his eyes, imitating Aria. "Thank you, Venus. For watching over us…"
"Wait, you're praying too?" Anne asked.
"I-Er, I felt the need." Kabbu said, trying to explain himself. "We should be respectful of their tradition." ...He was doing a really bad job at hiding his beliefs.
"Didn't you hear?" Vi said, trying to steer the conversation back to what was important. "Feast and laugh! Now THAT's a way to show respect!"
"We should probably gather the two offerings. They sounded pretty important." Leif added. Whatever, as long as it doesn't ruin their fun!
"Then we should have a GREAT time looking for them while we party!" Anne cheered. "We've got all night, after all!" At least Vi had someone to share her excitement with!
"I will remind you that this is to help us complete our mission." Kabbu said.
"Uh, right." Vi quickly agreed. Not that she forgot about it or anything in the heat of the moment. "The mission. Yup. I'm on it!"
"Mhm." Anne agreed, looking away. "Totally no other reason..."
"You know what he meant, Anne." Leif said, quenching her worries.
The festival was in full swing, so Team Snakemouth walked around; they were in no rush. Plus, if Vi knew only one thing, it was that you shouldn't tire yourself out too soon during a huge party! There were a ton of bugs talking amongst themselves and mingling, making it hard for Vi to hear herself think. She did catch a few glimpses of some conversations, though.
There was another bee with a bunch of neck fluff walking around. "Oh, I'm so not a party enthusiast…" Vi didn't recognize her, so she must've lived here instead of the Hive. "But I've heard the ceremony involves glorious combat! It gets me so pumped and ready for violence!" ...Okay then.
Neolith practically jogged around the place, trying to jot down every little thing before he forgot about it. "So much to do... so little time!" Neolith said, stopping for a moment to catch his breath. Kabbu notably seemed to avoid looking at him for whatever reason.
"Wo-Wow!" Someone else said, getting Vi's attention. It was a short beefly around her age with brown fur, and he stared at her intently. "That bee's such a looker..."
Vi gave him a weird look before turning away, hoping she'd never see him again. Her eyes caught two ladybugs, with a bee guard standing near them, watching and making sure they didn't go anywhere.
"It's always nice to catch the festival. The food is always great!" The first of the two ladybugs said.
The second ladybug nodded in agreement, but he then frowned. "I kind of miss visiting the farms, but I guess there's nothing to be done about it."
"Sigh." The bee guard with the two ladybugs visibly groaned, tired of standing in one place. "Did they really think these two would do anything? I want to enjoy the festival too..."
Anne also overheard the conversation, raising an eyebrow. "Why do those ladybugs need to be watched? Are they on probation or something?"
"...It's complicated, Anne." Kabbu answered. Vi knew all about the ladybug controversy, but that wasn't worth thinking about right now.
There were two others that Vi recognized. Nearby, Levi and Celia sat at a table, drinking berry juice. Levi had already stopped, though Celia just kept on drinking, despite Levi's protests.
"Stop worrying." Celia brushed her partner off. "I'm going to be fine, no matter how much juice I drink!" Just to prove a point, she took another huge swig of it.
"But if you keep drinking so much Berry Juice, your skills will be compromised!" Levi warned, Celia not heeding his words in the slightest. Levi sighed and took another sip of his berry juice. "Although it's hard to stop, when its flavor is so amazing!"
"...Are they gonna be okay?" Anne asked.
"Depends on how much they drink." Vi answered. She knew from experience that having a little berry juice would be fine, but after a certain point, a bug's body couldn't handle all of it being ingested, leading to strange behavior. It was a less extreme version of the side-effects from Anne's berry drink, now that she thought about it.
"Hm." Leif stopped, his stomach growling. "Maybe we should get something to eat before finding those offerings."
"Ah! That's right, we never ate after arriving here, did we?" Kabbu realized. "And we're running low on supplies... tomorrow morning, we will stock up!"
"I saw a chef's place nearby, maybe we could go there real quick?" Anne suggested.
"Let's go! And hurry!" Vi said. She nibbled on stuff from her secret stash occasionally, so she didn't have to worry about hungry as much, but having a full meal would help a lot.
Team Snakemouth turned around, walking over to where Kut, the local chef was stationed. But when they approached, the place was blocked by a bunch of bugs crowding around the entrance, loudly chatting amongst themselves while they all tried to push others out of the way, trying to get a look inside the place.
Vi let out a loud groan for two reasons: one, because this meant she wouldn't get to eat a full meal, and two, because there was a certain familiar wasp standing near the entrance, leaning against a rock. Great, why was he here?
"What gives?" Anne asked incredulously.
"Mothiva's having dinner, so the whole place is closed down." The wasp that Vi knew said, turning his head to the group. "Good luck squeezing through the crowd if you want a bite to eat." Sarcastic as always, huh? At least that explained it. Mothiva always took over anything she was a part of.
Vi sighed and crossed her arms, not looking forward to talking to him. "Hey, Zasp."
Zasp let out a short huff as he got up off the rock he was leaning on. "Hmph. Hello, Vi." Zasp was a tall wasp with crooked antennae, wearing some kind of accessory wrapped around his leg. Unlike most wasps, he had mostly crimson red and brown coloring, and there was a scar over one of his eyes.
"Is this wasp a friend of yours?" Leif asked.
"As if!" Vi would never dream of being friends with someone like him!
"Zasp is a fellow explorer." Kabbu explained. "We met in the association, right before meeting Anne." Yep, it was over a moon cycle since Vi last saw Zasp. And she wished it could've been longer; she couldn't stand his attitude!
"Then how come I didn't meet him back then?" Anne asked.
Zasp shrugged. "I had to leave. There were more important things to do than wait around for those two to capture some weird creature."
Anne let out a scoff, appalled by the comment. "I'm not a 'weird creature'!"
"You're our weird creature." Leif corrected, to which Anne rolled her eyes, before subtly giving Zasp a look, the teen not trusting him in the slightest after her last encounter with a wasp.
"Anyway, congratulations on the expedition." Zasp said. "I assumed we wouldn't meet again, given you almost drowned." Was he making fun of them?!
"Oh, thank you kindly for your concern." Vi said, trying to match Zasp's mocking tone while being as deadpan as possible. "So glad to surpass your expectations." Next to her, Leif stifled a laugh.
Kabbu looked at Zasp and Vi, trying to quell any confrontation before it could begin. "Err, what do you say we start on a good limb this time?"
"You wish." Vi whispered to herself so that nobody else could hear. Once she decided she didn't like someone, it would not be easy to get her to change her mind.
"I'm too busy to hold grudges. Fine by me." Zasp said. He acted like he didn't even care! "I'm here to represent my team in the eating competition."
"Who's on your team?" Anne asked. Zasp jabbed a thumb over at the restaurant where Mothiva is, and it clicked near-instantly for the human teen. "Ohhhh! ...That makes a lot of sense now."
Zasp gave her a look, but decided to brush it off. "Mothiva and I are Team Mothiva. The winner gets an offering, so it is my aim to win. I just wanted to relax a little before it, is all."
"Is that so?" Leif challenged. "However, we must say you're going to lose. In an eating competition..." The blue moth took on a fighting stance, making it known he was serious about this. "We won't be bested."
Zasp only stared at him before leaning his head back, laughing at him. "Try your luck." Zasp resumed his previous demeanor. "I'll see you in the ring."
Frustrated, Vi growled. "You better beat him, Leif!" She didn't care how good at eating Zasp was, she could NOT let him win! Team Snakemouth was better than that stupid Zasp!
"Can't we just get along..." Kabbu wilted, about ready to give up.
"Nope." Anne answered. "In fact, I should record the whole thing so Leif's victory will be immortalized forever!"
Zasp scoffed, his patience having run out. "I don't have time for this foolishness." He immediately turned and walked away, leaving them behind.
"Well, there goes getting something to eat." Leif commented as the team began to walk away themselves, the moth giving one last forlorn look to Kut's place. "...Then again, it probably isn't a good idea to eat before the eating competition, anyway."
Vi didn't really care about getting food anymore. "Zasp is a jerk." She wished she could give him a good smack with her beemerang without getting scolded or yelled at; he was just so annoying! And frustrating! He was already ruining the mood of the whole festival!
"I know, right?!" Anne agreed, not liking him for her own reasons. "I can't believe he would be on the same team as Mothiva. ...Well I can believe it but you know what I mean!"
Before Vi could stew in her frustrations any longer, someone called out to them.
"Hey! You're Team Snakemouth, aren't you?" A woman's voice called out, the four of them stopping to see two bugs Vi recognized walking over. Vi wasn't acquainted with them or anything, but she knew them from seeing them and hearing about them a few times.
"That's us!" Vi smiled. Finally, bugs that she didn't have any animosity with!
The woman who called out was a gray mosquito, having an orange bracelet around her neck, as well as wearing blue fabric with a cutout in the chest area. With her was a massive, orange, round scarab beetle with a dark blue belly, also wielding a wooden sword on his back. The orange beetle towered over everyone; he was huge!
"Nice!" The mosquito said. "We're fellow explorers too. Ever heard of us?"
Anne raised her good arm so she could get a chance to speak. "I'm new around here, so that's a no from me."
"Hm, given what I've heard... Are you Stratos and Delilah?" Kabbu asked.
"Yep, that's us!" The mosquito said, before introducing them. "I'm Delilah, and this big guy's Stratos."
She gestured to her partner, who gave a short nod at Team Snakemouth. "Mhm. Nice meeting ya." Wow, Stratos had a deep voice.
"You're known as 'Team Slacker', correct?" Kabbu continued. "Famous for never finishing missions?"
"Not even one?" Leif asked.
Stratos simply shrugged. "No mission's interesting for long enough. Why bother finishing them?" That just meant there were more missions for Vi to finish and get the rewards from!
"What kind of missions have you been going on that could be considered 'uninteresting'?!" Anne asked in disbelief.
Delilah huffed, insulted. "Certainly, missions that aren't dangerous enough to cause an arm injury!" Anne frowned, looking away and gently grasping her cast, a guilty look on her face. That was a bit much, wasn't it?
"Don't make fun of Anne's injury!" Kabbu chastised, patting Anne on the shoulder to help her feel better. "And you still call yourselves explorers?"
"Of course! We love exploring! No place's outta reach!" Delilah answered.
"Nice." Vi commented. They were passionate about this, weren't they? Aside from that weird comment toward Anne a moment ago, Team Slacker was pretty cool.
"We're more like informants, ye? For the other explorers." Stratos said.
"We gather intelligence about tough quests so other teams can do them." Delilah said, explaining further before she smiled. "Nice deal, ain't it?"
Kabbu could only stare at them, trying to comprehend how they could possibly live like this, before hesitantly accepting it. "...I guess."
"Have you found anything yet?" Vi asked, wanting to know all the details.
"We're looking into the fabled Sand Castle in the corners of the Lost Sands!" Delilah explained.
"I dunno what that is, but it sure sounds interesting!" Anne said, already moving past Delilah's comment from earlier. Vi wasn't sure what it was either, though now she knew she had to check it out at some point! A castle was sure to have many secrets inside of it!
"After the festival, we'll resume our search." Stratos said, satisfied with himself. "This'll be a good time to unwind."
"Looks like 'slacker' isn't quite the name for them." Leif said.
Vi giggled to herself. "They're living the dream!"
"Are you two gonna try and get the offerings?" Anne asked Team Slacker.
"Nope." Stratos shook his head.
"I figured." Kabbu let out a groan, trying not to judge Team Slacker for their choices.
Delilah started to walk away, but stopped. "Let's meet again on the road, yeah? Maybe we'll meet at the desert!"
"Mhm." Stratos nodded, about ready to leave himself.
"If you give us an interesting mission to go on, it's a deal!" Anne said. Stratos let out a short chuckle in response.
It was too bad they had to leave so soon, especially since- "We gotta go!" Vi blurted out right as Leif opened his mouth. "Before Zasp steals all the offerings!" She couldn't believe she almost forgot about him! There wasn't any time to waste!
With that finished, Team Snakemouth and Team Slacker said their goodbyes to each other, the former team now walking in the direction to where Zasp went a few minutes ago: the west side of the Golden Settlement. Vi especially could not let Zasp even look at the offerings, those were gonna be hers!
Along the way, there were more bugs mingling with each other, such as two beetles, Tanjerin and a taller, black beetle named Kenny, though Kenny didn't seem to care that Tanjerin was around.
"This festival brings everyone together. For a night, we live in true peace." Kenny said with a sigh, enjoying himself.
"Look! Look!" Tanjerin said, trying to get Kenny's attention while pointing at his horn. "My horn is new and improved, see!" The horn was still patched up with glue and duct tape from earlier.
"...That's nice." Kenny didn't seem to care too much, the black beetle adjusting his shades before looking somewhere else, Tanjerin letting out a huff in response.
Nearby, there were two bugs engaged in a card game, a few others watching and cheering them on. Vi recognized one of the two players from... somewhere; she was a velvet ant, but Vi didn't know her name. The other one was a beeish butterfly, both of them locking eyes with each other.
"A fitting stage for a duel of this caliber!" The velvet ant declared to her opponent, others nearby taking notice- including the other members of Team Snakemouth.
The opponent let out a short but taunting laugh, trying to appear intimidating. "I won't lose!"
"Wonder what game they're playing." Vi asked, her and the others stopping for a moment to check this out. She wasn't too interested in playing it herself, she was just curious.
"I do not know, but it is intense!" Kabbu said, invested. He let out a gasp a few moments later. "She just summoned another monster! What a combination!"
Leif not-so-subtly nudged Kabbu, trying to push him and the others along on their current mission. "Off we go..."
"Aw, but that looks so interesting!" Anne complained, disappointed that she won't see how the match ends.
Nevertheless, the group of four continued walking toward the west area of the Golden Settlement for the next few minutes, memories of what happened here from the earlier incident with Tanjerin immediately coming back to Vi.
But before she could dwell on that incident any further, she saw someone a few yards away that immediately made her groan, rolling her eyes at the mere sight of her. "Ugh. It's her." It was a bee, a little taller and skinnier than her who just oozed of self-importance, Vi knew that all too well. Did she really have to come here too?
"Who is she?" Anne asked. The other bee was out of earshot, just walking around and talking to herself. Vi really hoped she didn't decide to come over and talk to them.
"Beette." Vi answered. She let out a short sigh, especially as Beette started talking to herself loud enough for everyone else to hear.
"Oh geez..." Beette said with that same, obnoxious inflection in her tone. "I came all the way here…" The taller bee let out a faux huff. "But these plebs really can't compare to the Bee Kingdom..." She immediately walked away, presumably to do something else. Vi tried to suppress her frustration, growling and shaking, Kabbu ready to hold her back if he needed to.
"Well, she's rude." Leif said.
"She?" Vi gave Leif a look. "Most bees are like that. They're all so stuck up!" She'd never forget what they did to her.
"Vi, I never did ask." Kabbu said. "Have you any beef with your kingdom?"
She wanted to rant. She wanted to go into a huge tirade about how the Bee Kingdom was the worst thing in the world and how she hated them all. Thinking about the Bee Kingdom frustrated her; she spent so long trying to prove to them that she was better than them and their way of doing things. But was it really worth the anger when it wasn't directed toward any of the bees that wronged her?
"...A little." Vi answered, looking away. "We just don't get along." It was the understatement of the century, and yet she still felt the need to downplay it so she could really save her energy to lay into the bees that caused her to do this. She turned back to the others. "They tried to stop me from exploring because it was 'dangerous'." Vi used air quotes to emphasize her point.
"What?!" Anne exclaimed in disbelief. "You're more than old enough to explore on your own!"
"Eetl did think that Vi was a kid when-" Kabbu yelped as Leif elbowed him, getting him to shut up.
Vi grumbled and rolled her eyes. Yes, she was still a teenager, but there was a big difference between that and a kid! She was fifteen when she left the Bee Kingdom Hive, and now, multiple moon cycles later, she was sixteen. But who cared?! She was capable, she had her own weapon, team, and everything! She already accomplished so much!
"They're all annoying, okay?" Vi said, trying not to think about what everyone said back home. "Being an explorer is way better! Who wants to be stuck in the Hive forever!?"
"So you're an outcast amongst your own bugkind." Leif deduced.
Vi sighed. "You don't have to say it like that, but I guess."
"We do understand how it feels, though."
"Me too." Anne added. That was true. Anne was without any of her friends and family; she was basically an alien here, and Leif was somehow displaced from his own time, left on his own to figure out the truth of what happened. "We're outcasts together, aren't we?"
"Stop." Kabbu said. "You're no outcasts! You're equally incredible within this team!" He then lowered his voice to a whisper, making sure nobody else heard what he said next. "But I can't deny I'm an outcast as well..."
Vi let out a small laugh at the inspiring words. "You're too corny, Kabbu." She knew he meant well, but she wondered... Kabbu said he was from the north, right? What was the story behind that?
"That sounds embarrassing, saying stuff like that. No offense." Anne said, trying not to be harsh.
Kabbu shook his head. "No. I am serious. I won't let my friends feel like outcasts!" He was determined to make this known. The four of them stayed silent, Kabbu's words sinking in.
"...Thanks." Leif said, a smile on his face.
Even if Vi still knew she was an outcast, there was an exception. Within Team Snakemouth... they were not outcasts to each other, and maybe that would be what mattered most right now. "Yeah...thanks, Kabbu."
"Thanks, dude, that means a lot." Anne added.
"Oof." Kabbu winced, flustered. "Now I'm actually embarrassed! But I digress. We have a festival to enjoy. It's our mission!"
"You're right." Leif nodded. "Let's go make some new memories."
"And have tonsa fun!" Vi said. Beette was long gone, and she was in a much better mood now. Even the thought of Zasp trying to get the offerings didn't bother her too much, because she knew Team Snakemouth would get them first!
Team Snakemouth moved on, Vi trying to forget about the Hive for now, but not before Anne had a contemplative look on her face, thinking.
"Were you really being serious about that stuff the Bee Kingdom did?" Anne asked.
"I meant everything I said." Vi confirmed, trying to move past it and enjoy the festival.
Anne frowned as new bitterness for the Bee Kingdom rose within her. "Gotcha."
As Team Snakemouth walked around, they passed by Chuck, exchanging quick hellos with him. Anne turned to see the berry farm, Vi realizing Anne never gave it a proper look before.
"How do the logistics of growing currency work...?" Anne wondered to herself, her hand on her chin.
"It just makes sense, Anne." Kabbu said as they walked by the large area blocked off by a wooden fence.
"How?!"
"Well you see-" Kabbu stopped and turned, seeing someone he must've recognized, Anne groaning to herself as she'd never know the answer to this pressing issue.
"Mayor Emmet!" Kabbu greeted, walking over and waving to the giant wētā. "It is good to see!" Emmet had goldenrod skin and a dark brown shell, as well as having quite large antennae.
Emmet turned as Kabbu and the others walked over, the giant wētā chortling. "Hey, Kabbu. You seem to be well back on your feet!" He gave Kabbu a quick pat on the shoulder.
"Mayor? Of where?" Leif asked.
"This is the Defiant Root's mayor." Kabbu explained. "He graciously hosted me when I..." He paused, nervous about how to phrase the next part. "...got lost in the desert." Huh.
"You're just full of wild stories you haven't told us, huh." Vi said, to which Kabbu let out a short, nervous laugh. Come on, was he really holding out on those cool stories?
"I wouldn't say wild...Kabbu is such a good bug!" Emmet said. "Come visit at the Lost Sands when you can. Right now, I'm hosting this festival's Whack-a-Worm! It's an honor, really." He gestured to what lied beyond the huge fenced-off area next to him, the others turning to look. It was mostly empty, save for the worms that occasionally poked their heads in and out of the ground.
"What's Whack-a-Worm?" Anne asked.
"Every moon cycle, these pesky worms keep making holes in the aphid farms!" Emmet explained. "The goal is to get rid of all of them by hitting them before they escape. If you get close to them, they hide away, so you have to hit them from afar! And if you get over fifteen worms in a minute, you get the prize; one of the offerings!"
"Whoa, awesome! Vi, this is perfect for you!" Anne said.
"It does sound like a job for Vi." Leif added.
Though Vi was still a bit miffed from what happened earlier, she knew what they were trying to do. A game to get as many points as possible in a frantic chase before time ran out? That was right up her alley! "Alright!" She took her signature weapon out, ready to get the job done. "Time for some Beemerang action!" Finally, this festival was getting good!
"Great!" Emmet smiled. "Go on and hop over the fence now, and as soon as I get my hourglass set up, you'll be good to begin!"
However, Anne took her phone out of her pocket, negating the need for such a tool. "I can just set a timer on here, it's much faster than a boring ol' hourglass." She was already setting up the timer on her small device.
"Huh?" Emmet asked, bewildered.
"Just go along with it. It's easier this way." Leif said, knowing that it would take way too long to explain what a phone was to the mayor.
"Well then!" Emmet said, turning back to Vi. "And don't worry about the worms, they're too stubborn. They'll keep coming back for more!"
Vi figured something like that would be the case; otherwise attacking random worms could come off as cruel to others. If they wouldn't back down, then she wouldn't either! "Got it!" Taking her beemerang out, she deftly hopped over the fence, preparing herself.
"Ahem!" Emmet said, preparing for the countdown.
"Five!" Holding the phone, Anne was ready to start the timer.
"Four!" Kabbu looked on in anticipation of how this would go.
"Three!" Leif stared at the worms as they popped in and out of the ground.
"Two!" Vi braced herself, trying to zero in on the task at hand while remembering the exact intricacies of the rules. Don't get too close, hit them fifteen times. It sounded so easy! But at the same time, a minute was a strict time limit.
"One..." Emmet took a deep breath, Vi prepared to move- "GO!"
Anne started the timer, and Vi sprang into action, her eyes locked on a worm, running over as she swung her beemerang at it- only for the worm to duck into its hole right as the beemerang swung over it. Vi silently cursed herself as she waited precious seconds for the beemerang to come back, reclaiming it.
Focus. She needed to focus. Her friends cheered her on, the loud, encouraging screams fading into the background as Vi attempted to figure out any sort of pattern to the worms popping in and out of the ground.
But there wasn't a pattern. The worms did whatever they wanted, popping in and out randomly, always hiding away when she got too close. Why were these worms so frustrating?! Vi swung her beemerang at an arc, trying to hit another worm- but yet again, it ducked just before she could hit it.
As the beemerang swung back to her, it did hit a worm that happened to pop out of the ground at the exact right moment, the worm letting out a squeak before burrowing itself into the ground. Vi almost couldn't believe it, catching her beemerang as it sunk in that she actually managed to hit one. She didn't know how much time had passed, but she knew she had to do this, lest they miss out on the offering, leaving someone else like Zasp the opportunity to swoop it up for himself.
Everything became a blur, Vi forgoing any intricate strategies, relying on her quick reflexes to strike any worms as she saw them. She missed some, but also hit several, even somehow getting two worms with one strike in an instance. She completely lost count, her heart pounding as she tried to pace herself-
"TIME!" Anne screamed.
It was over. Vi stopped, reclaiming her beemerang as it flew back to her. She had no idea how she did, but she took a few moments to breathe, wishing she had something to drink. Still, she made her way back to the others, hopping over the fence, Anne putting her phone back in her pocket at the same time.
"How... many did I get?" Vi asked. Emmet must've been keeping count, because she sure wasn't.
Emmet chortled; that was good news. "Fifteen! You sure showed those worms who's boss!"
Vi let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she couldn't have cut it any closer. "They didn't know who they were messing with!" Those worms might've tricked her at first, but she won out in the end!
"That's right!" Emmet said with a hearty laugh. "Here you go, lass. You've earned this!" He reached into a large sack he had with him, taking out a large, round object, giving it to Vi. The Sun Offering shined as she held it, the others getting a good look at it as well.
Anne scrunched her eyes as she stared at the offering. "That looks like an orange. But amazing job, Vi!"
"Not bad, Vi. Not bad." Leif agreed.
"Mhm." Vi nodded before holding up the offering. "I never knew a mission could be so fun! Take that, Zasp!" She couldn't wait to rub it in his face later!
"We still need one more offering…" Kabbu said.
"Hopefully, it'll be as entertaining to get as this one." Leif added.
Team Snakemouth said their goodbyes to Emmet, the Defiant Root mayor being generous enough to give them the sack he used to carry the offering in, to make it easier for them.
"One moment, young lady!" An older woman said before clearing her throat.
But before they could make it to the second event, two bugs walked up to them, stopping them in their tracks. Just how many times would they be interrupted tonight?!
One of the bugs was a tall bee- no wait, he was a moth, Vi mistook him for a bee at first due his similar appearance to one. He wore sunglasses and a lab coat, and carried a few papers in his arms, giving him an air of importance. Next to him was the woman that stopped them; she was an old bee, hunched over and needing to use a gray cane to stand. She wore a pair of odd glasses; both lenses were different sizes, just like her antennae.
"Huh? What's your deal?" Vi asked, not having the time for this. She knew the old lady was talking to her and not Anne, since she was the one who managed to beat the challenge for the offering just now.
"Hello there." The moth in the lab coat greeted. "My name is Hawk, and she's Professor Honeycomb." They were from the Hive; Vi recognized them from the time she spent there. Hawk was Honeycomb's assistant, though Vi never really bothered getting to know either of them.
"Greetings." Leif said.
Honeycomb pointed her cane at Vi, getting her attention. "That boomerang you have there, where did you find it?"
"I've been wondering that myself... I just never bothered to ask." Anne shrugged.
Vi took the beemerang out, wondering what was so special about it. "...I uh, I bought it?" She wasn't going to say who she bought it from, but she did get a pretty good deal for it!
Honeycomb stared... before abruptly jabbing her cane into the ground, furious. "YEAH, RIGHT! YOU STOLE MY AUTOMATED DRONE BOOMERANG PROTOTYPE DIDN'T YOU, YOU THIEF!?" Her voice was so loud and shrill; Vi couldn't take it!
Vi, Anne, and Kabbu freaked out upon Honeycomb's outburst, Kabbu yelping while Vi nearly swung her beemerang upon instinct. Leif, meanwhile, stayed on guard in case anything happened... but it didn't, as Honeycomb loudly coughed several times, everyone awkwardly waiting for her to finish.
"Vi, look what you've done." Leif deadpanned.
"One moment, please!" Kabbu cut in. "Vi is no thief. There must be a misunderstanding!" At least Kabbu stuck up for her.
"Don't stick your horn where you ain't asked, you green stinkbug!" Honeycomb spat, gripping her cane so tight that Vi thought it would break. Kabbu winced, a singular tear falling from his eye.
"Hey, don't call him that!" Anne said.
Honeycomb gave an Anne a hateful look. "I ain't ask you either! And-" She couldn't finish her sentence, needing to cough several more times.
Anne couldn't help but feel bad for her, any anger fading away. "...Do you need a cough drop?"
"I didn't steal anything, okay? I bought it in Ant City!" Vi said, trying to explain herself before the professor could accuse her of anything else she didn't do. How was she supposed to know she bought a stolen item?! But considering where she got it from... great, she should've known.
"Professor, please watch your temper." Hawk said. "Doesn't she seem to have mastered the A.D.B.P. quite well? She could be useful." ...Vi was still going to call it the beemerang, no matter what fancy name it officially had.
Honeycomb gave him a look. "Useful!? How could this..." The professor trailed off, thinking, realizing something. "Wait. Yes, I'm a genius!" She walked over to Vi, this time outright poking her with that cane of hers. "Listen up, you rascal. You can keep that prototype. ...If you help us gather data and with some upgrade testing. You can't say no!"
Vi crossed her arms and sighed, knowing she had only really had one option. Either let them gather data, or get screamed at and poked by Honeycomb until she said yes. "This is what I get for buying from Shades…" Vi mumbled that part to herself so nobody else could hear. "Fine. Upgrades sound cool, anyways!" She made sure to take a few steps back so Honeycomb couldn't poke her anymore.
The professor nodded. "Hawk! Give her prototype the Halt Upgrade!"
"Of course, professor." Hawk said before digging through the pockets of his lab coat, pulling out a small, red device. "Please give me your A.D.B.P. This will take just a few minutes." Vi walked over to him, handing him the beemerang. If he ruined it... "Thank you."
Immediately after taking the beemerang, Hawk turned and walked away as he did his work, not letting anyone else see what he was doing. Honeycomb let out a few coughs before adjusting her cane, while Anne fiddled with her phone, occasionally looking up to see if there was any progress.
"Is this safe?" Anne casually asked.
"I really hope so..." Kabbu answered.
Vi impatiently tapped her foot while waiting. For all she knew, Zasp could be getting the other offering right now! She was almost tempted to tell Leif to go ahead without her, but she didn't have to, as Hawk walked back over, handing her the beemerang.
"Professor, I've successfully upgraded the A.D.B.P." Hawk said, right as Vi snatched her beemerang back, inspecting it. The weapon now had a red diagonal striped pattern adorning it, the beemerang appearing as if it were brand new. It was a simple change, but Vi couldn't help but be impressed by it, holding it up for all to see.
"Oh wow, you painted it red. What an upgrade." Leif didn't sound too impressed.
"Hmph! As if you'd know real science!" Honeycomb said. "The Halt Upgrade allows you to hold the prototype after you throw it!"
"Do physics work that way?" Leif asked, not believing it in the slightest.
Vi rolled her eyes. "Shush, Leif. That's awesome!" She didn't want to hear Leif go on and on about how it was unrealistic, despite the moth having magic ice powers.
Honeycomb cleared her throat before she continued speaking. "The specifics are hush-hush, but the boomerang-"
"Beemerang."
"Listen up!" Honeycomb said, ignoring Vi's interruption. "It's connected to you because of how much you've used it. With this upgrade, if you concentrate hard enough, you'll hold the prototype in place for a few moments, and the kinetic energy generated should be able to spin stuff around." Huh... Vi didn't understand it too well; did she create some kind of bond with her beemerang? Still, technology was awesome!
"That is literally impossible." Leif said, still skeptical.
"Weirder stuff has happened." Anne said with a shrug before gesturing to the beemerang. "Plus, that upgrade probably uses crystal energy or something."
Honeycomb was silent, staring at Anne in a silent, building fury- "That was supposed to be a SECRET!" The professor then coughed several more times, everything getting more awkward by the second.
"Er, don't heed her any mind. She just makes lucky guesses sometimes." Kabbu said before Honeycomb could make any assumptions as to how she got the information.
"I do, don't I." Anne wondered.
"In any case, we hope you'll aid with our research when you can." Hawk said, addressing Vi. "For example, why not test the halt on that crank over there?" He gestured to a crank near a windmill, where a farmer ant couldn't get the door open, getting more frustrated by the second.
Vi looked at her beemerang, the shiny, new red pattern inspiring her. If it really did form some kind of weird connection with her, then she was all for it! This really was her weapon, and she'd never use anything else if she could help it! Now, to test out the upgrade... she hoped it wouldn't end in disaster. If it did, she wouldn't be happy.
She walked over to the crank, standing a few yards away, also making sure nobody was in her direct path. Her aim true, she threw her beemerang at the crank, concentrating as much as she could when the beemerang approached the crank. Stay in place. Stay. She focused, and... it worked!
The beemerang stayed in place, spinning the crank until the door to the windmill opened, the farmer ant shocked and relieved. A sense of satisfaction within her, Vi allowed her beemerang to return to her, grabbing it and pocketing it afterward. That was awesome!
"You opened the windmill! Thank you!" The farmer ant said, a smile on her face.
"No problem. Got anything for us?" Vi asked, ready for her reward.
Kabbu was about to protest this, but the farmer ant already had her hand outstretched to them. "Here is something for your trouble!" Vi expected a Crystal Berry or something equally as valuable, but her face fell flat when the farmer ant only had a Hard Seed to offer her.
"I'll take that!" Anne said, bailing Vi out. Anne grabbed the Hard Seed and pocketed it. Whew. Vi was this close to asking what kind of reward that was supposed to be, to which Kabbu would've then given her the scolding of a lifetime.
"Great job! Even a half-wit like you can use the Halt, it seems." Honeycomb said.
Vi gave her a look. "Hey!" Half-wit? Seriously?!
"Please excuse the professor's behavior." Hawk said, remaining neutral. "She only wants the best for her research items. Take good care of that prototype."
"I will." Vi nodded. It was already a given, it's not like she would've thrown it away or something. The beemerang will stay with her for life!
"It was nice meeting you two, but we must get going." Kabbu said, changing the subject.
"Mhm." Leif agreed. "We need to hurry to the eating competition." Who knew how much time there was left before it started?
Anne looked around and squinted her eyes before seeing several bugs gathering in the distance. "I think I can see it from here, it's not too far away!"
After short goodbyes to Honeycomb and Hawk, Team Snakemouth made a beeline for the eating contest area. A few bugs were mingling, such as Chuck, who wasn't going to enter the competition, a beetle fortune teller, and a bee guard, standing in front of massive double doors. There was a table set up for the eating competition, and a leaf covering several yards above the table, in case of any rain or other inclement weather.
"We're going to enter ourselves into the competition." Leif said, breaking away from the group to find the judge.
Anne took a look around the place, noticing the bee guard. "Vi, what's she guarding?"
Vi wasn't too fond of being asked questions every single time another bee showed up, but whatever. "That's the power plant for the Bee Kingdom Hive. ...It's not really important, trust me."
"Ah. Huh." Anne decided not to press it any further.
Around the same time, Leif just finished talking to the judge, entering himself into the competition. That was easy. Before he walked back to meet the others, he saw Zasp nearby, leaning against a fence.
"See you in the ring, wasp." Leif said, his competitive spirit taking hold.
Zasp only gave Leif a passing glance before he scoffed. "...You're as good as finished."
Before an argument could start, Leif rolled his eyes and walked back to the others, who hadn't gotten too far. "We're back. The competition should be starting in a few moments."
Kabbu gave the table another look, wondering about something. "There are three seats... if you and Zasp are competing, then who is the third competitor?"
Vi wasn't sure who it was, but she wasn't the one competing, so did it really matter? She had a feeling Leif would win. Another bug walked by; she was a fat bee, wearing a red flower on her head, also having puffy fur around her neck. When she saw Team Snakemouth, she walked over, waving to them. Oh great, another bee...
"Heyyy!" The new bee said, getting Team Snakemouth's attention. "You've come for the eating competition?"
"Mhm." Leif confirmed. "We can't wait to show our eating prowess."
"Don't let Leif's slim figure fool you…" Kabbu warned. At this rate, the other competitors may as well forfeit!
"He ate my Thai dishes so fast that I barely had a chance to stop him!" Anne added, to which Leif shrugged. Vi remembered that incident too well; she got pelted with utensils!
The fat bee chuckled, about to say that was cool- until she stopped, her eyes landing on Vi. "Oh! Oh my gosh! You're that bee!" She walked over to Vi, stars in her eyes.
"Uh... What?" Vi had absolutely no idea what to say, taking a step back. Who was this bee?! Vi thought she saw her once in the Hive, but didn't know who she was at all, so the suddenness of all this had her completely taken aback.
"You're Vi, right!?" The other bee asked, still talking before Vi could answer. "Some bugs were talking about you! Short and with attitude... It must be you!"
"Uh oh..." Kabbu whispered, knowing Vi wouldn't respond well to this.
And he was right. "Yeah." Vi huffed, annoyed with the way this other bee talked about her. "I'm short, so what? What do you want!?" She didn't come to this festival just to get made fun of! She remembered Anne trying to learn that she couldn't always get everyone's approval, but it was different for Vi. She had something to prove!
The fat bee let out a short laugh, amused. "Easy there! I'm Chubee, your number one fan!"
"What?" Was all Vi managed to say, her retorts and other strong words she planned to say fading away as Chubee grabbed one of her hands with both hands, vigorously shaking the shorter bee's hand.
"You're the first explorer bee, who conquered Snakemouth and survived being dragged away by the river!" Chubee said, ecstatic to meet her hero. "I have no idea why the other bees aren't freaking out!"
Chubee finally let go of Vi's hand, Vi stammering so much she had no idea what to even say. Her mind was a blank, trying to comprehend what just happened. She expected another bee to belittle her or make fun of her... but she had no idea what to do now, silently pleading for her friends to help.
Anne subtly elbowed Vi with her good arm, trying to get her attention. "Dude, she wants to be your friend!"
Vi's eyes lit up with surprise, somehow completely missing that until now. "O-Oh!" Being friends with... another bee? Another bee that actually liked her! Ha! Take that, Hive! Any victory, no matter how small was worth celebrating!
"Uh, yeah! That's me! The greatest one and only bee explorer!" Vi said, an air of confidence surrounding her as she pointed at herself, standing up as straight as she could. Kabbu smiled as Vi and Chubee got along, Leif and Anne supporting this as well. Vi needed more friends outside of the team, after all.
"Wooow! You're even cooler than I thought!" Chubee said, unable to contain how excited she was.
She thought Vi was cool? "So you don't think exploring's silly?" Vi asked, just to make sure. "I'm not too good at art or anything…" The echos of all-too-familiar words came back to her, beating down on her, imagining that bug in the place of Chubee for a split second.
Chubee shook her head. "No way! It's cool to see bees trying new things! Me, for example...I'm going to travel all around Bugaria. Go to lots of events and meet all sorts of bugs!"
"That's awesome!" No way, Chubee was just like her! Full of adventurous spirit and always ready to tackle new challenges! Vi knew that when she wasn't busy with a mission, she had to spend some time with her new friend!
"Let us make this competition the highlight of your trip. Least we can do for Vi's new friend." Leif said.
"Oh, you're on! I'm not going to lose!" Chubee gave Leif a friendly glare, one that the moth was quick to return.
"We won't lose either! Do your best, Chubee!" Vi said. This festival was getting better by the second! She never anticipated getting a new friend, but here she was now!
"Making unexpected friends, healing the spirit..." Kabbu said to himself. "This must be thanks to Venus too!"
"I... am not too sure about that, but no matter what, we can't let Zasp win." Anne said, determined.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Zasp WILL win!" Someone else said, walking up to the eating contest area.
Anne turned around, recognizing the smooth voice from earlier that day. That was Mothiva, wasn't it? Anne knew that voice from her singing, but she never got a good look at the idol before now. Mothiva was a cream-colored silk moth, with patches of white fluff around her legs, waist, chest, and hips. Her wings were quite fluffy as well, and around one of her antennae was a cherry red decoration.
"Why's that?" Anne asked. Never would she have thought that Mothiva would be the one talking to her, but she couldn't pass up this chance!
"Because Zasp has trained, at least I hope he has. I'm sure he'll do his absolute best for me!" Mothiva said, a sickly-sweet smile on her face. It was nice that she cared about him, but Anne had more important things to talk about while Mothiva was here.
"Well-"
"All contestants take your places, the competition is beginning in a few moments!" The judge, a bee named Jud said, ending all existing conversations as everyone now focused on the competition. Oh well, Anne would have another chance later.
Vi knew Jud, she was a fair judge. She nodded at Leif and Chubee as they walked over to the table, to sit down, Zasp joining them. Leif sat in the middle, with Chubee and Zasp on either side of them. Leif waited patiently as Jud passed out the plates of leaves, Chubee anticipating eating them while Zasp tried to hide how nervous he was.
The rest of Team Snakemouth and Mothiva all stood nearby and watched, as well as several others interested in the eating competition. Vi couldn't wait; this was exciting!
Jud cleared her throat, everyone quiet as all attention was on her. "Welcome to this festival's eating competition. The rules are simple: Eat as fast as you can, and don't even think about trying to hide your food. I'll know, and you'll be disqualified! Whoever finishes their plate first is the victor!" She paused, allowing for a wave of claps and cheers from everyone watching, waiting for them to settle back down.
"Here are today's competitors:" Jud resumed. "From the Hive, Chubee!" Jud gestured to her, and Chubee waved to everyone else watching.
"Good luck!" Vi cheered.
"From the Ant Kingdom! Leif!" Jud continued, Leif nodding.
"Destroy the competition!" Anne screamed, Kabbu giving her a weird look.
"And Zasp! Who's come from a land far from Bugaria." Jud finished. Zasp didn't even give anyone a passing glance.
"You MUST win, Zasp!" Mothiva called. Zasp instantly turned to her before giving her a short nod.
Jud opened her mouth to speak-
"Go Zasp! Go Chubee! Go Leif!" Kabbu said, clapping and cheering for all three of them. He soon stopped as he realized everyone else stared at him. "What?"
Jud decided to ignore that. "With that, we are ready to begin! Give it your all, for the Goddess Venus!" Leif prepared himself, intently staring at the plate of leaves. "Ready..." Chubee licked her lips, already planning out how she'd tackle this. "Set..." Zasp gulped, hoping he could do this.
"EAT!"
Not a moment later, they began.
Everything became chaos, almost everyone cheering, creating a cacophony where nobody could be heard clearly. That didn't deter the contestants, Leif immediately grabbing a leaf, practically swallowing it whole before grabbing another one. Next to him, Chubee took a different approach, taking a few leaves at once, stuffing them in her mouth, trying to chew and swallow as fast as she could.
Meanwhile, Zasp took it slow, only halfway through his first leaf. When he saw how many leaves the other contestants had eaten, he tried to pick up the pace, wincing at he shoved the rest of the large leaf into his mouth, already picking up another one before he swallowed it.
Vi cheered loudly for Chubee and Leif, Kabbu cheering for them as well. Kabbu did also cheer for Zasp, even though he was already in last place, clearly struggling. Anne jumped up and down as she cheered for Leif, screaming at the top of her lungs, temporarily overpowering the other cheers until she was told by someone else to tone it down a bit.
Others watching cheered for whoever their favorite competitor was, meanwhile Mothiva stayed quiet, only staring at Zasp. He was halfway through his second leaf when Mothiva managed to get his attention, asking Zasp to please hurry up.
Zasp tried his best, practically gagging as he forced the next leaf down- but his stomach grumbled in protest, Zasp holding his hand over his mandibles, resisting the urge to throw up. He knew his limits, he couldn't continue.
Leif and Chubee were neck and neck. Leif inhaled leaf after leaf like some kind of garbage disposal, while Chubee quickly swallowed multiple leaves at once, focusing on one batch at a time. Jud watched carefully; this was going to be close.
The seconds passed, impossible to tell who was ahead-
Leif ate the last leaf, swallowing it-
"STOP!" Jud yelled, the cheering quickly fizzling out. "We have a winner!" Jud walked over to Leif, Zasp sighing in relief while Chubee put down the last batch of leaves she was about to eat.
Leif stood up as Jud approached him, grabbing his wrist and lifting it up. "Today's winner is...Leif!" The cheering resumed, Chubee and Kabbu clapping for Leif. Anne whistled in support, and Vi smiled; she had a feeling that Leif would win.
Zasp groaned and stood up, glad that this was over. He held his aching stomach as he stumbled away, hoping to escape embarrassment. Mothiva frowned and followed him.
"Well fought, Leif!" Chubee said, holding her hand out to him.
Leif took it, the two of them shaking hands. "You were a worthy rival."
"Congratulations." Jud said, getting Leif's attention. "Here's your reward." She reached into her nearby sack, pulling out a large, blue, crescent-shaped object; the Moon Offering, handing it to him.
"...That just looks like a croissant." Anne commented.
"Consider joining us next time!" Jud said, also giving Leif the sack so he could easily carry the offering.
"We may, judge. We may." Leif said. It might be difficult if Team Snakemouth was busy on another mission, but there would always be more festivals in the future.
Leif and Chubee walked back over to the others, Vi remembering what happened with Zasp. "Did that really give Zasp a tummy ache?" So much for him getting the offering, he never had a chance! "Is he gonna be alright...?"
"Eh, doesn't matter to me." Anne said with a shrug. Still, as much as Vi didn't like Zasp, she didn't want something bad to him. ...He'll be better later.
"Thank you for joining us, Chubee!" Kabbu said. "We have both offerings now, so we will be presenting them to Aria."
"That's awesome! I can't believe I get to be part of something this cool!" Chubee cheered.
Chubee was full of so much positive energy, Vi couldn't help but have some of it rub off on her! "You bet!" The festival was winding down, but she still had a fantastic time!
"Vi! We gotta hang out sometime! We gotta!" Chubee said, already excited at the prospect of it.
"We totally can! After this mission is over with!" Vi said. Now she had something else to look forward to after getting the artifact!
"Yay, I can't wait!" Chubee clapped several times, unable to suppress the giggles that followed.
Though Vi wanted to talk to her new friend about a bunch of stuff, she and the others still had to deliver the offerings. After saying their goodbyes to Chubee, they walked off, making their way back to where Aria was with the offerings in tow.
"You were a beast in that eating contest, Leif!" Anne said as the approached the middle of the Golden Settlement. Kabbu gave her a brief look at her wording.
"You've got one heck of a stomach!" Vi added, also impressed.
"Thanks." Leif smiled, proud of himself. "It was a piece of cake really. This festival was great..." He then lowered his voice to a whisper, hoping nobody else could hear. "Muse... If only we could have come together. Watch over us."
"Did you say something?" Anne asked.
Leif shook his head. "So if we give Aria the offerings, we can get through to the Golden Hills?" He asked, rather abruptly changing the subject.
"Mhm." Kabbu confirmed. "This has been quite the festival, but we should make haste in meeting her."
"Let's go get that treasure!" Vi cheered, already able to see Aria's platform from where they were.
A minute or so later, they made it to Aria, walking onto the platform. She was still in the same place and pose as before; did she not enjoy any of the festivities?
"The offerings... I can sense them." Aria said. Did she really sense them, or did she just see the two large sacks they had with them? "You've brought both?"
In response, Leif took out the Moon Offering from one of the sacks, and Vi dug through the other sack before pulling out the Sun Offering. The offerings shined in the moonlight, Aria getting a good look at both of them, deciding that they were the real deal. "You would wish to start the cer-"
"YES!" Anne yelled, too impatient to wait a second later. There were stars in her eyes, the teen vibrating with so much excitement that she could explode.
Aria paused. "Very well." She nodded. "Only three may perform the ceremony. Two bugs holding each blessing, and I."
"Those are weird rules." Vi said. Why did it matter how many bugs performed the ceremony? Way to leave everyone else out with those arbitrary restrictions!
"Do not question Venus's ways, Vi!" Kabbu chastised. "And we owe the offerings to you and Leif. You should go!"
As much as Vi did want to do the ceremony, the festival wouldn't be complete unless everyone got to participate in an activity, which meant... "No way, you haven't had any fun! You're going!" Vi said, practically pushing Kabbu forward.
"Vi...!" Kabbu said, stifling a gasp of surprise. "Thank you!"
"I'm going too! There's no way I'm missing out on this." Anne said, stepping forward. That worked out perfectly; Vi was about to volunteer her as well!
"Are you sure? You should be careful of your arm." Leif said. ...Vi certainly didn't forget about that when she thought of volunteering Anne! She still deserved to have more fun aside from cheering on the sidelines.
"It'll be fiiiine." Anne waved him off. "It can't be any worse than Vi whacking worms or you stuffing your face with food."
Leif let out a small chuckle. "Alright then. Good luck, you two." He gave Kabbu and Anne a nod, Leif handing Anne the Moon Offering before discarding the sack; good thing Anne could carry it with just one hand. Vi then gave Kabbu the Sun offering, Vi and Leif stepping offstage shortly after.
...
Anne could barely stand still, too excited and eager for what the final event could be, so many possibilities swirling through her so fast that the anticipation was almost too much. Aria directed Kabbu and Anne to stand on either side of her, setting their offerings on the ground. The praying mantis then waited as a crowd formed, all watching and waiting for the final ceremony to start. Anne spotted several bugs she recognized amongst the crowd.
Hawk and Honeycomb were there, the professor a bit miffed that Vi wasn't participating, because the beemerang upgrade wouldn't get tested. Emmet joyfully watched the proceedings; Chubee had a bright smile on her face... even Stratos and Delilah were there to cheer them on. Zasp and Mothiva were nowhere to be seen, however. That wasn't a problem, Anne could always find another chance to talk to Mothiva.
When enough bugs had gathered, Aria put her hands together, praying. Kabbu did the same, but Anne bowed, due to her injured arm. Everyone in the crowd stayed silent.
"Oh, Goddess Venus." Aria began her prayer. "May this ceremony please you and grant us a bountiful harvest... May our battle shake the planet, and bring joy and dance to your roots!"
Wait, what?!
Nobody told her this was going to be a fight! She thought it would be an improvised prayer dance or something! Anne made a mental note to ask more questions before volunteering for anything in the future, while also trying to figure out a way out of this.
She looked at Kabbu in a silent plea for help, but Kabbu only shrugged, not wanting to interrupt the ceremony. Well, whatever. Anne tried to calm down; her arm was injured, but this surely wasn't going to be a real fight. She wasn't going to fight a spider or a killer moth that was out to kill her, this was just a part of the ceremony.
Still, the unexpectedness of this made her heart race, Anne slinging off her backpack, thankfully managing to zip it only quickly with one hand, trying to yank her tennis racquet out before the battle began.
"Now, let us spar for the Goddess!" Aria finished, in the exact moment that Anne finally managed to get her tennis racquet out.
The three of them got into fighting stances, and the fight began, the crowd cheering them on.
Kabbu took the first move, charging at Aria while Anne stayed back, trying to gauge Aria's fighting style. Kabbu tried upstriking her with his horn, but she backflipped away before swiftly closing the distance, sweeping him off his legs.
Aria moved about in an elegant matter, as seen when she gracefully moved away from Kabbu as he got back up, the mantis now moving toward Anne. She braced herself the best she could, keeping her injured arm away as she tried to jab her tennis racquet at Aria, only to miss completely. Shifting her stance, Aria jabbed, Anne holding her good arm to block it.
Anne thought she saw Aria smile a little, but she didn't pay that any mind, instead trying to focus on finding any openings. Aria kicked her, Anne grunting as the hit landed on her side, but she ignored the pain, taking the chance to hit Aria with her tennis racquet, the hit connecting this time.
Aria stumbled back a bit, Anne stepping back as she saw Kabbu from the corner of her eye. He rushed at Aria, his head down and his horn out. Aria turned around to face him and side-stepped the oncoming attack, but Kabbu anticipated this, Aria's eyes widening as the beetle turned around, grabbing her arm before flipping her over his shoulder.
Despite this, Aria stood up immediately, backing away from Anne and Kabbu before placing a hand on the ground. Anne briefly wondering what Aria was doing until the ground began to rumble, a large vine popping up from underneath the platform. How'd that happen?!
Before Anne could question it, Aria jumped up onto the vine as it moved into position, Aria sitting on it as if it was a chair... and she was far too high to reach.
Aria didn't waste any time before unleashing her next attack, launching herself in the air before aiming a downward kick at Kabbu. It was too fast to dodge, Kabbu letting out a grunt of pain as he took the full force of the attack, Aria then pushing herself off of Kabbu so she could flip up backward toward the vine-
That's it!
Anne rushed toward the tall vines, striking it with her tennis racquet to try and disrupt it, otherwise Aria would have a huge vantage point that she'd continue to attack from without resistance. It worked better than she intended, the vine shrinking into the ground before Aria could reach it.
But she still managed to gracefully land on the ground, the removal of the vine seemingly not affecting her at all. Come on! When Aria landed, she struck the ground again, the platform shaking. Kabbu yelled in pain again as a vine launched upward from directly underneath him, striking him.
Anne winced, that had to hurt. Hang on- the vine lowered and the ground rumbled again, Anne yelping as she jerked herself backward, trying to avoid the incoming vine-
Only to stifle a scream as the sudden movement caused her to shift her injured arm wrong, white-hot flashes of pain moving up and down her arm. The pain lingered, and to make matters worse, the vine still hit her anyway, adding more pain on top of it. Anne hisses, unable to stop herself from going to her knees; for a split second it was as if Vesp and Skye stood over her again-
"Anne, don't give up now!" Kabbu yelled, his voice clear. "We've got this, I promise!"
Despite the pain, his pep talk motivated her, inspired her... Anne stood back up, shaking it off the best she could, waiting for Aria's next move. Instead of moving to attack, she prayed, Anne lowering her guard. What was she...
Without warning, a large plant-like creature sprouted out of the ground, having no eyes, but instead large eyebrows, and a mouth tucked into a smirk as it immediately flew up into the air. Anne wasn't sure how many more surprises she could take today, to be honest.
"What's that?!"
Kabbu stopped and stared up at the plant creature. "This being... This is a Venus Bud. If only I could strike them while they're airborne..."
Anne didn't have much time to think, as Kabbu had to defend against another one of Aria's attacks, and the Venus Bud spat out some kind of spore at Anne, forcing her to block it with her tennis racquet. One of the spores went flying into the audience, causing the bug it hit to fall asleep instantly.
"Sorry about that!" Anne yelled, trying to figure something out. The intense pain made it hard to think- hard to think- hard- that's it!
She dropped her tennis racquet, shoving her hand into her pocket before pulling out the Hard Seed she got earlier. Without any hesitation, she chucked it at the Venus Bud, landing a direct hit. The Hard Seed shattered, and the Venus Bud let out a screech as it fell to the ground, dazed.
Anne wasted no time, fighting through the pain as she picked up her tennis racquet back up, swinging it at the Venus Bud right before it hit the ground- and Anne had to stop, wincing in pain. She needed to wait for the pain to lessen to what it was before, otherwise she'd be more of a burden than anything.
At the same time, the Venus Bud flew backward in Aria's direction, she and Kabbu exchanging blows. Kabbu couldn't see the Venus Bud coming, but Aria did, ducking below it- right into the path of Kabbu's next punch, Aria grunting as she collapsed to the ground.
Kabbu moved in for another attack, but Aria held her hand up, Kabbu stopping instantly. Aria then looked over at the fallen Venus Bud, giving it a simple nod. The Venus Bud huffed before burrowing back into the ground, Aria smiling as she stood, Kabbu helping her up.
It was only when the applause and cheering began that it sunk in.
The sparring match was over.
Aria and Kabbu moved back to their original positions, Anne eventually remembering to run over, needing to go slow due to how tired she was. She soon made it to her spot, and Aria waited for the cheering and applause to die down.
"That was a fierce battle. I am sure Venus enjoyed it." Aria said. No kidding, Anne hoped she didn't mess up her arm any further. Plus, those vines were rough... Anne's heartrate thankfully slowed down a bit, allowing her some reprieve.
"Respected acolyte, have we earned passage to the Golden Hills?" Kabbu asked.
"It is all up to the Goddess." Aria answered. Anne had her fingers on her good arm crossed, her eyes closed, hoping that the fight was good enough. Aria pressed her hands together, her eyes closed. "Oh Venus... If you enjoyed our display, please grant us passage to the Golden Hills!"
Nobody said a word.
Beat.
Anne was counting the seconds, and when second number eight passed, she thought that it just wasn't good enough, but the large Venus statue blocking the way began to rumble. She gasped, transfixed on the statue as several pillars rose from the ground, pushing the statue upward several feet, revealing a new, previously unseen path beyond the Golden Settlement. No way...
"The path has opened. Beyond this point, lies the sacred Golden Hills." Aria turned to the crowd, bowing to them. "Thank you all for attending today's festival. Venus will be watching out."
It must've been way past midnight by now, but Anne didn't care! She let out a cheer as she pumped her fist on her good arm into the air, before collecting her stuff, Kabbu helping her. The crowd fizzled out, leaving room for Leif and Vi to walk onto the platform.
"Woah! It opened all by itself!" Vi said, finally able to get a look ahead.
"Whatever is your business there, Venus has granted you passage." Aria confirmed.
Something about that made Vi a bit on-edge, but she couldn't figure out why. "W-Well, whatever! We did it! That artifact will be ours in no time!"
"Soul: Relaxed. Passage: Open. Mission success, we'd say." Leif said, content with himself.
Kabbu nodded as he made sure that the two offerings fit in Anne's backpack without crushing anything else. "Let's tread carefully, team. We're heading into sacred ground. It won't be as simple as it seems."
Anne was about to agree, but as she stood back up after putting her backpack on, she felt heavier than usual, the excitement fading and lack of sleep catching up with her. "But we have some time to get some sleep beforehand, right?" She let out a long yawn, stretching her back and good arm. Sleep sounded so good...
"After that crazy festival, it would be nice to have some rest." Leif agreed.
"it's not like the entrance is gonna close on its own, right? We beat Snakemouth and those wasps, so we can do this!" Vi said. Anne was glad Vi turned out to have fun, she really needed it.
"Heh, indeed. There should be some openings at the inn once the festivities die down..." Kabbu said. Hopefully...
As her friends got lost in their own conversation, Anne took another look past the open statue path. With every event that happened, she was one step closer to finding answers. One step closer to finding the truth. With how much progress she'd been making, it had to be soon, right? After a big festival like that, answers were bound to come! She was confident that those answers would be around the corner!
Only time would tell... but first she desperately needed to sleep.