Vessel

ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND

Our little group of three returned to Dirtmouth, to find a happier elderbug. "Ho there travelers, I see you've joined forces. And what's this? You've another friend! Wow, I wish I could make friends like you do." Poor elderbug really did seem to have trouble when trying to make friends.

At least elderbug had the shop keepers, sly and iselda. Speaking of, we decided to stop in their shops, and see if there was anything worth buying. I invested my three grand in a lumafly lantern, and sprint master. Mala purchased maps of everywhere we were going. The knight bought all four mask shards, which formed a new shell over their old one.

Having done everything we needed to do, we continued to our destination; the howling cliffs. Mala claimed to know it's layout well, but didn't explain how. Once we had arrived, the knight's dream warrior senses went off.

It didn't take long to find what we were looking for, Gorb's grave. Even without the dreamnail, we could hear his famous phrase. "ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND WITH GORB!!!" Mala looked back, saying "This could take some time. Gorb was supposed to be a brilliant strategist. We will return later."

I was a little reluctant to leave the knight to face Gorb alone, but I followed Mala regardless. The path seemed to be one Mala had travelled many times, warning me of sudden drops, and tripping points. Eventually, we finally arrived at the end of the path. Ahead of us, was a small hut.

The door opened, and a large bug stepped out. He looked very similar to Oro, who we had previously met in the kingdom's edge. However, his demeanor was different, friendlier. He looked over at us and stopped. "By Wyrm. Mala?" Mala walked over to him. "Yes. It's me." They replied.

The big guy seemed overjoyed. Yet, he was hesitant to trust us. "Wait a minute. I don't remember you speaking before. When did that start?" Mala calmly responded with "It's a long story, but let's just say my studies have payed off." Mato chuckled and let us in.

I'm not going to lie to you, it was like being that guy in the three person friend group that doesn't get picked for the two person group project. Mala and Mato had a fantastic conversation about everything that was going on, while I just kind of dawdled off to the side.

Soon, Mala brought up the subject of nail arts. I had a feeling I knew where this was going, and rejoined the conversation. As expected, Mala requested that Mato teach the three of us, nail arts. "Three?" Mato questioned. Cue the crazy anger child through poor Mato's window.

The knight crouched under where the window once was. Soon, the chanting of "ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND" could be heard approaching. Without warning, the knight stabbed upwards, followed by the sound Gorbs make when they get stabbed in the... well... you know. "OOOOOOOoooOooOOOOOH." Then he died. That was it. The knight was absolutely brutal.

Even Mato cringed, and he didn't even know what was going on. Cautiously, he spoke. "Little one, are you with these two?" The knight looked up at the big guy, perhaps wondering how many nails tall he was. "Unfortunately, yes, that one is with us." Mala responded for the knight.

Mato seemed a little distraught, but nevertheless, he agreed to teach us his nail art. First up, was the knight. While Mato seemed scared of them, the knight proved to be a great student, learning the move in only a few tries. What a show off.

Mala was up next. Mato took more time to explain the move to them. Mala listened eagerly, absorbing all of this new knowledge. Eventually, Mato instructed Mala to attempt the move. Mala wound up, and attempted the move. Mala was able to do it on their first try, likely because of Mato's extra instruction.

Then it was my turn. Mato carefully explained what to do, and told me to try it. I wound myself up, and started spinning. Granted, I was not spinning anywhere NEAR as fast as needed. Mato facepalmed. After some more instruction, and a few more tries, I managed to pull it off.

The three of us spent a little bit of time in Mato's home, but unfortunately, we had to go. While we were walking out the door, Mato called Mala over to him. He handed them something, but I couldn't see what it was. As we left, we heard him call out to us. "If you see my brothers, tell them I have survived! And tell Oro that I have forgiven him, long ago."

I supposed our next stop would have to be the queen's gardens. It would be a lovely place, if not for the creatures that live there.

And that's it for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed the knight being a brutal beast, Mato being scared of them, and me failing to do nail arts. The queen's gardens are the next destination, but that doesn't always mean that's where the next chapter will take place. See you in the next chapter!