Chapter Text
I've been wandering this continent with my team for months, wondering what happened to the world.
As far as I'm aware, the anomalous phenomenon's affecting every human, and every Beastie except for me. That's to say, I'm not really sure what's special about me. Maybe the most reasonable explanation would be that I died and this is the afterlife, or I'm in a coma, and this is a very, very long dream.
...Regardless of what this is, I've been trying to find a way to turn everything back for a while, and I still haven't gotten anywhere.
I certainly don't trust any humans with turning everything back, no matter what their capabilities are. Even with the whole world being changed, the humans still ruined the continent where Beasties once thrived. They make me sick. That's why I refuse to be coached by any humans, because I just don't trust them.
That's why I'm looking for... perhaps an extinct Beastie to help me with this. They seem to heralded as gods by a good amount of Beasties, so hopefully I'll get somewhere by finding one of them.
...
Maybe I can sneak onto a boat to get myself through Chroma Sea.
I've certainly gotten nowhere in Amberstone, and I doubt that Geo City has anything worthwhile, considering it's a cesspit of human waste and the suffering of Jellibats. And if Chroma Sea doesn't have anything, I'll look in Mythwood, because the mountainous range beyond Mythwood full of strong and wise Beasties seems promising.
Currently, I'm in Beryl, where everyone is a stuffed creature.
...
This town f[ uh oh! ] sucks.
Whatever, I gotta keep it on the down low if I'm ever gonna get a boat ride through Chroma sea.
And then, I realize...
Where the hell is my team?
...
...
...
...
...
Whatever. [flip] them.
I mean, I should cut them some slack, because they're my team, but when everybody acts so strangely, and like exaggerated caricatures, it's hard to see them as people.
I just wait for the boat to come my way.
And all of a sudden, a Beastie comes over to me.
...
Of course they're a plush Calcroach.
They look at me, curiously. 'Hey, what are you doing all the way out here in Beryl?'
I sigh. 'I'm looking for Extinct Beasties so they can fix everything.'
'But nothing's broken!' the Calcroach tells me. 'Or, did something happen to you?'
'Well... It's hard to explain,' I reply to the Calcroach. I realize that my approach of slashing Beasties isn't really... helpful. It's more harmful than anything, because that means they won't cooperate with me. 'There's just something wrong with the world.'
'Oh! Like... the environment? I get it!' they tell me. 'I'm Grendel by the way. I'm currently waiting for my Coach to finish writing her book.'
I huff. 'Well, Grendel, can I ask you a question real quick?'
Grendel smiles. 'Of course! What is it?'
I nod, and then ask, 'Do you have any memory of your life before you became a plush?'
Grendel stares at me, and then looks away. 'I dunno... I'll have to get back to you on that one.'
Ah. Well, I guess I should've expected that question to stump them. The answer's probably gonna be no, but I really hope that at least one of these Beasties remembers their past life.
Grendel thinks for a moment.
...
They're not really saying anything.
...
Silence.
Silence fills the air like an unwanted smell.
I usually prefer silence, but... this kind of silence is... scary. Like... the area shouldn't be silent at all. The silence doesn't belong, and the longer that it's silent, the more dreadful the moment becomes.
And then, Grendel looks back up at me, and says, 'I don't think I do, actually!'
And then, I hear a sound near the shore.
The boat has come.
I stare at Grendel.
...
Would it be wrong to bring them along? They already have a coach, but again, I don't really trust any humans in the first place, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad to bring Grendel along with me.
I look at Grendel, and say, 'You're coming with me.'
Grendel looks a bit shocked. 'I-I am?? B-But- Riven! My coach! I can't just leave her, she'd be so worried about me! Like-'
'It'll be fine,' I reply. 'I promise, I'll return you back to your coach.'
Grendel gulps. 'A-Are you sure...?'
I give Grendel an earnest smile. 'Trust me.'
Grendel sighs. 'I mean...' they muse. 'It wouldn't be too bad to explore, I guess... Maybe I'll see sights that I've never seen before! Th-That would be fun, right?'
Yeah. Fun.
I nod, and give Grendel a good way to my back. 'Come along, then. Don't keep me waiting.'
Grendel smiles. 'Oooookay, friend! I can't wait to go where no Calcroach has gone before!'
...Well, that's one way to put it.
I walk over to the boat, with Grendel on my back.
I tell them, 'You ready?'
'Yeah! Let's go!' Grendel replies.
Perfect.
I sneak on the boat, and hide in the storage.
They'll never see it coming.