#willo writes

“My shop is in the lower region, closer to the streets. I shouldn’t be long. Just need to grab a few things for our...” Legend paused, looking for the right word, “Journey.” He settled with. Honest truth, he was excited to venture further into Hallownest’s caverns. Not that anyone but him needed to know. But if he was going to be parading around with a bunch of strangers, he wanted to at least have a decent nail.

He wouldn’t say his shop was the finest in the city. The upper capital indeed had competitors, but Legend prided himself on the standards he held for his business.

He was lucky to have bought it when the old landlord was selling for any geo they could get their claws on. It was an old building at the bottom of the capital with creaky doors, and a cracking ceiling constantly covering his products in dust.

But it was home.

“With how important this business you allude to is, you’d assume it would take up more space.” The bee remarked while examining the small structure fronting the empty street.

Legend scoffed, “You try finding prime real estate in the middle of all this foot traffic.”

Warriors laughed, a harsh buzzing sound.

Twilight didn’t respond. Time didn’t seem to care. “We will wait out here then,” he said simply, his tone flat.

Legend’s claw lingered on the door, glancing back at the large group that definitely would not fit comfortably inside, “To your point, though, the eight of us will not fit. Especially not the giants back there.”

Warriors hummed, “I can assure you we aren’t looking for souvenirs anyway.” It sounded like a joke, so Legend chose to interpret it as such.

The little dragonfly, Wind, was not too happy, “What?! But I wanna see! Why did we come all this way just to end up standing out here in the gutter?” His little wings twitched in irritation.

“Why don’t we go see what Twilight’s looking at instead?” Sky negotiated.

The mantis had slowly migrated away from the group, examining the Lumafly fluttering in a street lamp down the path. Wind paused to watch him and scoffed but followed the moth’s lead as he started walking away. Wind could honestly come inside if he wanted. Him and the caterpillar, Four.

They probably wouldn’t even reach the table tops with how small they were.

Legend sighed, hoping he wouldn’t regret bringing them here, and finally opened the door.

“I’m back!” He shouted once the door closed behind him, surprised to get no response; he rarely returned to an empty home. Ravio must be out, meaning Sheerow was also gone.

Odd, but not unheard of for the duo.

The space was well used. Shelves barely scraped the arched ceiling and tables were pushed as far up against the walls as possible.  All of which were covered in old relics, antiques, and curiosities. Each table was divided and objects were labeled with a generous amount of written signs listing their values. With all his travels have provided him with, there needed to be a space for everything. It was an organized chaos that Legend found himself simply accepting the longer he stayed in the city.

And lived with Ravio.

He sighed, breathing in the old musty air he’d come to associate with home. It was still nice to be back, even if Ravio was nowhere to be found.

Actually, it was probably better that way. He wouldn’t be keeping his new acquaintances waiting. “Okay,” he muttered to himself, stepping around the counter. He’d collected a few nails over the years but wouldn’t call his collection extensive compared to other shopkeepers he’d met. Ruins were prime spots to find old weaponry, and repairing them was relatively easy as long as it was in one piece.

These nails, hidden from the public behind a locked drawer built into the counter, were considered his finest. Short-ranged nails made up most of his inventory, with some made to be hidden away under a cloak or behind a claw; most were honestly more decorative than practical. His great nails and lances were further back in his personal space. He’d once gotten a compliment for his variety by a blacksmith, which felt nice.

Legend didn’t think he would be bringing any of them, given how flashy they could be. He didn’t know how Time could wield the largest and, no doubt, heaviest nail he’s ever seen.

He leaned back, thinking to himself. Ideally, he would want to bring something easy to carry, easy to conceal, and something that wouldn’t get taken away easily. Not that he didn’t trust his new acquaintances, but you wouldn’t catch him without a nail around any of them alone.

(Yet.)

He was pulled out of his internal rationale when the door opened. A gentle breeze rattled the hanging lamps illuminating the shop as a sliver of the conversation amongst the strays outside slipped in before becoming muffled by the closing door.

Legend waited, listening. A beat passed, then a shuffle, somebody moving through the cramped shop, before he heard a loud thump, making him wince. The intruder yelped. Legend slowly pushed the drawer closed, only making it halfway before the intruder made themselves known. “Oh no!” they hissed. There was a lull, then a very hesitant, “Uh—Legend? Hello?”

Legend peeked over the counter, staring at Hyrule, who only spotted Legend once he cleared his throat. Whatever just broke, it better not have been expensive, for Hyrule’s sake. The poor firefly looked nervous, antenna flat against his head as he stepped back. “I didn’t mean to- It... I hit the table.”

Legend didn’t react, glancing at the closed door behind him.

“They’re trying to climb the light post. Bugs were... watching...” Hyrule trailed off.

Legend sighed and leaned over the counter to see a dark shape at Hyrule’s feet. It was a stone relic, old and long fossilized, 250 geo unless Ravio upped it without telling him. He waved a claw, “Just put it back where you found it.” Dropping it wouldn’t make the value any less; what’s one more crack? In pieces, however... “Carefully.” He added.

“Okay.”

Legend returned to the drawer, not hearing anything else hit the floor but keeping himself alert.

“Are these all from one place?” Legend almost didn’t hear it, with how quiet Hyrule kept himself.

He looked back up. Hyrule had gained the courage to step further into the space, though he kept to the middle of the walkways between the tables with his tail tucked closer to himself. “No,” Legend said. “Most of its from the surface.” They do well in the shop since many in the capital haven’t been higher than the Crossroads.

“The surface...” Hyrule muttered, which made Legend assume he was one of them.

Hyrule didn’t say any more; he just continued to look around the shop, noticeably avoiding the counter. It gave Legend time to settle his debate.

A pair of short nails, light and easy to slip under his armor, comfortable to maneuver with and strike. He settled one on each side, tucked away in his cloak.

He finally closed the drawer and stood, watching Hyrule slowly migrate towards the shelf with his Greenpath relics. He leaned forward, resting his claws on the countertop, “Now’s your chance to buy something. I don’t think we’re going to be back for a while.”

Hyrule didn’t respond, pulling away from a particularly expensive and mossy idol. He turned, meeting Legend’s eyes before quickly averting them.

Legend squinted.

Hyrule moved onto the next shelf. His antenna twitched, curious, and his claws occasionally reached out to carefully touch an item before moving on.

It was a habit that made Legend cautious. Many experiences with grifters or bugs that think they’re sly. He didn’t believe Hyrule would take anything, not with Legend standing right there and his very... wary personality. But he’s met bolder bugs. Houses one of them himself.

“What is that?”

There was a single window in the shop, on the wall to the right of the door, showing a perfect view of the street outside. Ravio had decorated it with a lovely display of some relics, one from each region in Hallonest they had inventory for. There was also a little bed for Sheerow pressed against the glass, which was ‘another incentive to come inside,’ as Ravio had insisted. “What?” Legend said, asking for a specific item.

Hyrule stepped carefully through the shop when approaching the window, claws curled in his cloak. “That,” he said, nodding at a long object against the wall, leaning against the window frame.

“Oh, that.” He passed Hyrule easily, grabbing what caught the firefly’s attention.

A staff. One that he’s had before he arrived in the city. 1,000 geo. It was an old relic that sat in ruin for who knows how long before he found it during his travels. The bottom was broken, forming a jagged point that Legend suspected used to be a decorative heel. The swirled carving at the top was chipped but intact, which was partly why it was so expensive.

The other reason…

It didn’t take much for Legend to make the staff glow, for a spark of light come to life in the rivets of the carving. It was a neat little trick, something only Legend had been able to do and something he, admittedly, still didn’t fully understand. There was a pull from… somewhere within him.

Taking.

Using.

Guiding?

He didn’t know what to call it.

Hyrule took a step back, the flickering glow reflecting in his eyes. “Where did you get that?” He said, wide eyes never leaving the light.

An odd choice of words.

He didn’t think he would have picked up on the slip if he hadn’t heard similar ones so many times before from the other traders. Legend let the glow fade, watching Hyrule’s claws gripping at his sides, looking like he wanted to snatch it right out of Legend’s claw. He leaned the staff against his shoulder, relaxed but guarded. “Some old ruins. Bordering Greenpath and the Crossroads. Why?”

The implication was there, and Hyrule must have been aware of the suspicion because he backpedaled, physically and verbally. “I—It looks... familiar. Is all.”

Legend continued to stare.

“I think- I mean… I could be mistaken?” He faltered, trying to recover.

Legend blinked, then put the staff back into place by just a fraction; the oldest trick in the book.

It worked. “It looks like a Shaman’s staff.” Hyrule caved, “One they use for Soul...”

Now, that was interesting.

Soul had been growing in popularity throughout the city, with the Soul Sanctum being the main culprits. Legend’s grip on the staff tightened. He figured it was something special to do with him since Ravio and other potential buyers had never made it glow before. Was it really his Soul?

Research was needed. The Soul Sanctum has been very interested in the recent gossip regarding magic.

Perhaps they could help?

Would they?

“Soul, huh?” he said simply, examining the staff, which suddenly had a whole new meaning. “Shamans. I’ve never met one.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to. They aren’t... around anymore.”

“You knew them?”

Hyrule laughed, “You could say that. I wouldn’t know most of what I do now without them.”

“And this was one of theirs?”

Hyrule examined it as closely as he could without touching it. Legend wondered if he wanted to. Wanted to hold something that clearly meant something to him. Something that Legend didn’t- couldn’t understand. “Looks like it, the carving up top—” Legend lowered it, looking closer at the spiral that decorated the end. “Is traditionally a shaman’s design.”

He had wondered about the design. Whether it was carved by other bugs or just a happy coincidence created with time. Legend’s seen such fine craftsmanship before, but knowing the context for its design added a lot more value to the “stick” he’d once simply used as a bludgeon and occasional nightlight. Hyrule was still watching, antenna stood alert, leaning forward, with a desire in his eyes. A genuine snail shaman’s staff. It was definitely worth more now in terms of geo, but the sentiment it held for Hyrule seemed greater.

“Do you want it?” Legend tested.

Hyrule flinched, gaping at Legend, “You- really?”

If Ravio were here, he would be calling Legend a soft-hearted sentimental bitch.

Legend shrugged, “Not like I’m going to be doing anything with it. All it does here is collect dust.” This is the first time anyone has shown such interest in the staff.

The light in Hyrule’s eye dulled, “I don’t have any geo.”

Legend smiled, “Then it’s a good thing I don’t just deal in geo. This is a trading shop, after all.”

Hyrule’s antenna lowered, suspicious, and looked between him and the staff. “What do you want?”

It was really hard not to mess with him, the first thought being your right arm, but Legend knew he’d be skeptical in the firefly's place. There was always a catch in this business. He switched the staff from claw to claw. “How about...” he said, pausing more for dramatics. He already knew what he wanted: “You show me all the tricks this thing can do.”

“...Seriously?” Hyrule sounded both relieved and doubtful, “That’s all?”

“That’s all I really want out of it now. It used to be something I could wack over someone’s head if I didn’t like them. Either that or a fun party trick. It would be... interesting to see what it was really made for.” He held out the staff, letting his grip ease around it, “Deal?”

Hyrule reached out but hesitated to take it from Legend’s claw. He squinted, looking the staff up and down, antenna twitching. “I shouldn’t...” he said. “It’s not mine.”

So?

Legend kept the offer out.

“You found it.” Hyrule added as if that elaborated anything.

Hyrule kept his claws to himself, even going further to prove the point by taking a step back.

Okay, How are we going to do this?

“So you don’t want it?” He pushed.

Hyrule’s antenna twitched again, “I can’t take it. It’s not mine.”

That still didn’t help.

Legend leaned back, taking the staff with him. He hummed, thinking. He’d heard of Soul here and there during his travels. Each bug had a different definition, but a similar sentiment was that it kept bugs alive and going. He’s heard rumors of some bugs that could harness and use their Soul to their benefit.

He would have... has laughed in their faces at the notion.

Then, he met Hyrule.

He’d seen what Hyrule could do, how his very being lit up when using his power. Legend wanted that knowledge. Would Hyrule be willing to share?

What would Legend be willing to give in return?

“You’ve put me in a rough spot here Rule.”

Hyrule squinted at the nickname but didn’t comment.

The ball was in Hyrule’s court. Legend hated that.

Mercifully, Hyrule seemed to pick up on his internal conflict. “I could teach you.” He said, “How to use it, I mean.”

That was kind of him, but... “I don’t like... I have plenty of debts I need to pay off already. And I wouldn’t want to scam a potential customer.”

Hyrule looked around the shop, eyes drifting from item to item stacked on tables and shelves, pausing on one full of tablets and old scrolls. He gasped, “Your journal!”

Legend stepped back, claw automatically going to his satchel. “Absolutely not!” He said it perhaps too sharply, seeing how Hyrule flinched, but he didn’t care.

“No! Sorry, uh-” Hyrule scrambled, raising his claws, “Your map. I meant your map. Or- What’s on your map?”

It was Legend’s turn to waver. He recalls their journey to the city, traveling through the twisting caves and tunnels, and how none of his comrades had the necessary skills to navigate outside their regions. “Yes?” he prompted.

Hyrule didn’t waste it. “I want to see them—all the places you’ve been, where all of this came from.” Hyrule gestured around the shop.

His map was far from complete, but he remembered the look in Hyrule’s eyes when he first opened it in front of the group. His travels were something he rarely got to talk about. Few bugs actually cared where their treasure came from.

Legend forced himself to relax and collect himself. Soul lessons for a tour? It didn’t seem fair at all. Hallownest was huge, and Soul was... He wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Hyrule clasped his claws before him, pleading silently, eyeing the staff.

“Mmmm,” a pause, debating. If what he’s heard is true, Soul was a bug’s life force, their essence, their very being; controlling it would be an excellent tool. The staff only glowed in his claws; if he could somehow do more... “I can do that,” He decided.

Hyrule beamed, his antenna vibrating. He extended his claw, closing the space between them. “Deal?”

Legend couldn’t hold back the laugh. This was perhaps the strangest barter he’s wagered, but you wouldn’t catch him complaining. “Well,” he said, taking Hyrule’s claw, “If you insist.”

Only Time and Warriors were at the door when they finally vacated the shop. Looking down the street, Legend could see the rest of the group circling something on the ground, along with a Great Sentry. Wet red armor shone against the flickering light, and Legend felt his eye twitch.

“What in the queens of old is that?” Warriors exclaimed, gesturing to the staff still in Legend’s claw. This caught Time’s attention, who looked interested but remained quiet.

Legend had a response, a quick, perhaps snide comment about this bee’s so-called queens. He held back as Hyrule took hold of the staff, jerking it in his claw but not pulling it away from Legend. He presented it with a sudden confidence. It glowed bright under Hyrule’s hold, more of an even pulse compared to Legend’s weak flicker. He wasn’t sure if Hyrule was doing it on purpose. Legend hoped the Sentry didn’t see, too busy with whatever the rest of the group was occupied with (which he’d no doubt have to pay for later).

“A souvenir!”

The Dream Nail lay in his lap, a faint glow dying as Sky started to wake.

He was right where the others left him. If he listened closely, he could hear their hushed voices echoing off the walls.

The body twitched, but Sky knew it wouldn't rise. The sick orange light in its eyes dimmed. A sign of their infection dying inside them.

"Were they dead?"

Sky jumped, readjusting the grip of his nail. He whipped around, to the left, where the voice had come from.

Wild sat in the shadow cast by one of the stalagmites, melding into the darkness. All of his eyes reflected what little light there was in the cavern. Sky would have found it creepier if his own eyes didn't do the same. But something about having more than 2 made it look eerie.

He took a deep breath, "You scared me." He admitted, forcing himself to relax, releasing his grip on the Dream Nail. Wild had an alarming tendency to sneak up on everyone when he first joined the group, frightening them all when he would unexpectedly appear beside them. But Sky didn't think the scares were intentional. With the admittedly very little time the group had spent in Deepnest, Sky figured it was more of a 'spider thing' than a 'Wild thing.'

And there had been things scarier than Wild down there.

He used his nail to help him stand, pushing the blade into the soil below. The ground was softer here, close to the water's shore. The Blue Lake. Full of normal water (whatever that meant), according to Legend and his map.

Wild watched Sky stand. He noticed the glint of a nail held carefully between Wild's claws.

"They were dead," Sky said, remembering Wild's question. They were long dead, most likely before the plague started to spread. They were like every other infected corpse they'd come across. Nothing but a husk of their former selves. Risen from the dead by the dreams of a sick goddess. His goddess, according to history.

It was hard to stomach. Harder to watch and experience first claw. Walking through lost minds, seeing nothing more than her and that blinding light.

"Everyones at the lake." Wild said, finally standing, "Told me to stay here and wait for you."

"Thank you." Sky said automatically. "I don't think it was nessesary but..."

Wild shrugged, "You never know what could happen." He flicked his nail, eyeing the body as he tucked it away.

That was true. This infection had given them one too many surprises for Sky to be comfortable with. He was with one of their biggest surprises now.

Wild stared at the body as he approached, stopping at Sky's side. "So?" he asked.

"So what?"

"Anything different about them? Anything new?" He clarified.

Sky thought back, looking at the poor soul he'd put to rest. Each mind was different, infected or not, but those too far gone were harder to navigate. He'd see figures in the light that consumed their mind, sometimes. Faces of bugs he's never met. Parts of Hallownest he's never seen. The chiming toll of a bell, a sweet melody that promised wishes that could never be fulfilled.

A goddess's voice that only the infected could hear.

It was all the same.

"No. Nothing new."

Wild hummed, watching the infection quietly fade from the dead shell.

It was rare they got a calm death like this.

You can never tell how the body will rid itself of its infection. But most of the time, it was violent.

That was the easiest way Sky could describe it.

He's witnessed the infection burst from the body. Explode out to free itself, uncaring of the shattered shell it would leave behind, only to wither and die without a host to cling to.

Too many times, the orange pus had landed on one of their party. Nothing harmful comes from it, luckily for them, just the need for a long cleansing in a hot spring or nearby waterfall. Wind had started referring to it as 'being goo-ed,' which was much more light-hearted than Sky would have chosen.

It wasn't often the infection simply rotted away.

Either way, it was sad to watch. An ending to a life that should have been longer, or in this case, a soul that should have been allowed to rest.

Is that what happened to Wild?

Twilight would be the only one who could answer that. Sky hadn't been the one to cure the spider.

He didn't think he wanted the answer either way.

When he looked back to Wild, he was still... staring. Watching the corpse like it was going to get up and attack. Or, perhaps, live again.

That could have been him.

Sky's antenna lowered, pressed against his head, "I'm sorry." He said before he could stop himself.

Wild jumped, looking up at him with dark eyes.

He grieves for the bugs whose scattered and sick minds he's already laid to rest.

He mourns for the ones to come.

He hopes... prays to whatever god he's supposed to believe in, that hadn't been Wild.

"There... wasn't anything I could do for them." It still didn't feel like enough.

Wild remained quiet, looking back to the corpse. The orange light of the infection completely vanished from their broken body, leaving nothing but an empty shell and dead dreams.

Wild sighed, "...I know..." He said, "And it's not your fault. I guess I'm just... hoping for another miracle."

Sky was, too. "Sorry." He said again. Wild just smiled, sad.

It was probably the closest he was going to get to forgiveness.