Fool's Gold | God Tamer x Tiso

Chapter 1 - In Which Tiso Enters Hallownest

"Alright boys, break it up. It's no good if you kill yourselves where the audience can't see you."

Tiso meets Tamer. It goes as well as it possibly could.

—

His whole life, Tiso had been fed the tales of Hallownest's grand colosseum. He had heard of the bloodshed and trials it presented to its warriors, trials that promised to lead to the painful death of any experienced fighter. But he also knew of the glory it promised, of the raining geo and cheers of joy, and the title of Ultimate Fool, bestowed only upon those very few worthy bugs who rose up and conquered the challenge of all three trials. A title that he would earn for himself.

He was a fool, but no idiot. He knew of the dangers of this challenge, and had heard the countless stories of the thousands of warriors who all flocked into that same colosseum with grand dreams, only to be stabbed in the heart with a dirty spear. He'd been preparing for this ever since he picked up his weapon, he knew what he was going to be facing.

He knew he had reached the fated cliffs when the wind started to blow. It was a steady thing at first, offering a breeze for his tired shell, but that breeze quickly transformed into a force that was tempted to knock him back to the ground. A wind that seemed to have no direction and shoved him every which way. A wind that blew so loud that he almost couldn't think. And just when Tiso thought the windy wasteland would never end, before him were the cliffs, taller and more intimidating than any bug-made structure above or below. And without hesitation, he went to climb it, and though the rocks scraped at his hands painfully and the wind threatened to blow him off every step of the way, he never faltered. With one last heave, Tiso had passed the first hurdle of Hallownest. He had climbed its Howling Cliffs.

From this entrance, the kingdom was bare. The only signs of any kind of life at all were a tiktik or two scuttering about the cracks and crevices. It was a while before he reached any form of civilization. Lumafly lampposts lit the path leading to a small town.

The town was so small you could hardly call it a town at all, though the bench was comfortable enough to offer Tiso the rest he needed, and as soon as he awoke, he started towards the deeper part of the kingdom. He had no desire in purchasing any maps, the stories he had been told had burned the directions to the colosseum into his very soul. A map would simply be a waste of geo, geo that would be better spent paying for the fee of the trials. An old bug in the town had directed him towards the well, and he made no hesitation when jumping in.

This was where Hallownest truly began. This was where the dangers lie. Infected bugs lurked around every corner, waiting to jump out and attack him with their sickly ooze. Tiso had little trouble fighting them off, though their constant presence was annoying. The stories had told him of a pathway at the bottom of the crossroads, and sure enough, it was there. The climb of Howling Cliffs had prepared him for this, as he had to climb into a small crack in the rock and fossil. The rock scratched his arms and legs, though he was determined to continue.

Tiso could smell the water long before he could see it, and when he could see it, he wished he couldn't. It was just so... blue, so bright, so blinding, so peaceful, so serene. It was sickening. But warriors need their rest, and this lake seemed to be safe, so Tiso took a break here before continuing onward.

He crossed the water by using his weapon as a raft, and an old nail he had found discarded as a paddle. It wasn't the most stable thing, it often shifted from side to side and he would have to spend several moments to center himself again, and he had to stay out of view of the vengeflys hovering above him, but it worked, though it was a very long ride. By the time he caught sight of the shore, he saw a bug enjoying the view on the sand. He seemed friendly, round and harmless. The bug waved to him as he approached. Tiso did not wave back.