Inkwhumptobertale 2024

Day Twenty-Nine

Beetle - Fatigue, Labyrinth, Burnout, "Who said you could rest?" 

Trigger warnings: none.

Comments are welcome and appreciated! 

Please enjoy!

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The annual multiversal scavenger hunt was the worst thing ever. It was one thing finding a pearl in PirateTale, and it was fun trying to find an amythest necklace in JewelTale, but there was always one thing on the list that was infuriating. Only one per year. Always one per year. And that wasn't even the worst part of it! The worst part was the fact that Error, of all people, had decided one year that he wanted to join in, and he was the master of scavenger hunts! He had won every single year since he had joined, and apparently, the only thing he liked more than destroying AUs was rubbing his victories in everyone else's faces! 

Well, not this year! This year, the Star Sanses were going to win! There weren't exactly teams required in the scavenger hunt, but there were rules about them, such as team members having to stay in the same AU at all times, and that was fair (a team with twenty people who could split up could have swept even Error by a landslide, and it would have been completely unfair), and the Star Sanses abided by those rules, playing fairly..but Error still won every year. 

This year however, things were going to change; Dream, Blue, and Ink had five items already, and they were going for the next..but the next item was something deceptive and cruel.

A beetle from LabyrinthHorrorFell.

The name of the AU was enough for most teams to immediately consider it a lost cause, but after failing to find two of the items in other AUs and deciding to put them off until later, the Star Sanses needed a guaranteed find. And, really, how hard would it be to find a beetle?

"..Ink." Dream stared up at the walls of the maze; they were..so high.. "What is this AU..?"

"Oh, well, instead of just locking the monsters in a mountain, the humans carved the mountain into a giant maze, and if any monsters can find their way out, they're permitted to live in society! It's pretty hard, though, since no monsters have ever done that, and the ceiling is protected by the barrier, so there's no cheating allowed!" Ink grinned. "But finding a beetle should be easy; we just have to see..uh.." Ink let out a long hum, scrolling through the code of this AU. "Oh.."

"..What's the problem, Ink?" Blue didn't like the sound of that.

"Uh..well, most bugs that find their way into the maze are turned into food.." Ink chuckled nervously. "And the locals are very thorough.."

"Can we just teleport outside the maze?"

"The rules for this one are specific; we have to stay inside the maze! Unless we can solve it, in which case, things should be super easy!"

"Guess we're finding a beetle in this barren wasteland, then.." Dream sighed. "I think we should stick together; Horrorfells are scary, sometimes.."

"Agreed." Blue nodded.

So the trio went on their way, starting to walk through the wide and tall maze corridors they had been presented with. For better or worse, there was no grass - just a stone floor. It would make it easier to see if there was a beetle, hopefully, but it would also make the chances to find one a bit smaller. As the three walked, they passed stones, rocks, and gigantic rock walls, but they found no signs of life. Two hours eventually passed, and Blue and Dream were beginning to get tired; Ink, the one with boundless energy, was not. 

"Come on, guys, you can't really be that tired!" Ink giggled. "We fight and stuff all the time, and we have unlimited food thanks to yours truly, so why are you slowing down?"

"Ink, I'm a mortal!" Blue reminded. "I can't run on just food!"

"..Valid, but what about you, Dream?"

"I haven't slept in a month, Ink." Dream yawned. "Can't we just take an hour's break? This is a lost cause, anyway! Error's probably in the lead by now!"

"That's ridiculous!" Ink huffed, crossing his arms. "We have five whole items, and it's only the first day! Error always takes at least three days to complete the list! If we can find this, we-" Ink paused, letting out a loud gasp. "Beetle!"

Ink ran for the small insect that he somehow saw from two hundred feet away, and the little creature had no chance against one of Ink's paint cages; it was over.

"Oh, finally.." Dream let out a sigh of relief. "Can we take a break, now?"

"Fine, fine, but only in a motel in our next AU." Ink agreed. "I'll search while you sleep!"

"..Whatever." Dream agreed.

"Which AU is it?" Blue inquired.

"Uh.." Ink pulled out this year's list of scavenger hunt items. "A maroon handbag from TrendTale."

"Oh, great." Dream groaned. "That color is not trending.."

"That's what makes it a hunt, Dream!" Blue shrugged. "At least we can sleep without fear of being eaten, or something!"

"Right..let's get out of here."

This year's scavenger hunt would not be so easily lost.