Elderbug

The climb down the wall was a bit of a pain. I almost slipped a couple of times but in the end, I made it down safely.

I let out another big sigh before telling myself to test out how far I can fall down without killing myself.

I dusted my hands off and began walking toward the town. And far off in the distance, I saw a person.

Running up to them I saw their face. He was an older man with horns sticking out of his forehead. And he had a big shell on his back. He seemed to have an air of wisdom around him. And as he spotted me running closer to him he gave me a smile and said in a kind voice.

"Ho there, traveler. I'm afraid there's only me left to offer welcome. Our town's fallen quiet you see." He said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Don't worry about it, it is good enough to see another face around here." I said with excitement.

Sure, the man looked strange with the horns sticking out of his head, but I had already encountered insects that look like they belong in the Carboniferous Era. Plus encountering someone else meant that I was at least heading in the right direction.

The old man let out a short laugh before saying.

"My name is Elderbug. What is your name young man?"

"Oh, my name is….. Erm….I don't know?" I tried to introduce myself only to be met with nothing. I couldn't even remember my own name.

The old man let out a smile before saying.

"Names are quite important, after all, the very first bond we create with others is through their name… How about I give you one? You remind me of someone else who I used to know long ago… So how about Ghost?" The old man said as he gave me a look as if I was an old friend of his.

"Ghost? I like it." I thought the name sounded a bit weird but the dude in front of me was literally named Elderbug. So I just assumed this was how people were named on this place.

The old man gave another smile once again before walking with me to a nearby bench and sitting down next to me.

"So, Elderbug… what did they call you when you were young?" I asked with a bit of intrigue.

Elderbug simply let out a loud laugh before answering.

"My name has been Elderbug for as far back as I can remember… But who knows, I am old, and my memory is not what it used to be. Maybe if you stick around long enough I will remember. To tell you the truth, it has been quite lonely in this town."

Noticing the sadness in his voice I asked.

"What happened with the people who lived in the other houses?"

Elderbug looked up to the ceiling before taking in a deep breath.

"They have all gone down that well over there. One by one, until they never returned…. There used to be a great kingdom below our feet but now it is nothing but ruins. However, even ruins can motivate a lot of people to go down to explore.

Wealth, glory, enlightenment, that darkness seems to promise all things. I am sure that is the reason you came here, isn't it? But be wary of the air down there. Creatures turn mad and travelers are robbed of their memories. I think the fact that you cannot remember your own name is a sign that you have already been affected by it." He said as he gave a thousand-yard stare.

He looked at me seriously before continuing.

"Ghost, there are plenty of empty houses in here for you to stay in. I believe that you will find nothing but dangers down there. But I cannot stop you from going. So at least promise me this. You will try to stay safe down there."

His words were quite heavy as he spoke. I could feel all of the pain that came from them. So I slowly nodded my head.

"Old man, I feel as if my mission is somewhere down there. But I promise I will try my best to not die. Who knows, maybe I will be able to find this town's old citizens and bring them back." I said trying to release the tension that had built in the air.

Elderbug smiled before standing up and telling me to follow him.

"You can choose one of the houses to be your bedroom. But before that, you must be hungry. So let me treat you to some food."

Following to his house, I was served a mix of vegetables and what appeared to be one of the "little buddies" I had encountered back where I woke up.

"Thank you for the food." I said.

Grabbing a fork I stabbed onto it and tried to eat before realizing there was something in the way.

Touching my face with my free hand I felt there was a smooth mask on my face. It seemed to fit so well that I hadn't even realized it was there this whole time. It almost felt like it was a part of my face.

Gently taking it off I felt a bit strange without it. It appeared to be a pure white mask with two pitch-black lenses for the eyes. It was strange that the lenses were so dark yet they didn't darken my surroundings at all while wearing them.

I saw Elderbug giving me a kind smile before he said.

"You are not the first person I have met to forget that they were wearing a mask. My old friend was called Mask Maker, and he did just that. He could speak on and on about the power of wearing a mask.

It has been a long since I last saw him. But I am sure that if you ever meet him he will be able to work on your mask should you ever break it.

Now, please. Enjoy the food." He said before grabbing a fork and starting to eat his own food.

— — —

As dinner continued Elderbug continued to tell me stories about the town and about his past.

I learned that the town I was in was called Dirtmouth. And it once used to be quite prosperous while the king was still around. Travelers came from all over the world and stopped to rest at this very town before heading down through the well.

He told me that a new couple had moved in not too long ago. But they had headed down through the well to begin working on their business. Apparently, they were aspiring mapmakers and wanted to map out all of Hallownest. Or at least, the husband Cornifer wanted to map.

Iselda, the mapmaker's wife said that she would be returning to Dirtmouth to run the shop once she made sure Cornifer could take care of himself down there. But it had been some time since they had gone down so it was unclear whether they were still alive.

I was given descriptions of what the old citizens of the town looked like in case I ran across one of them. And I was also given a quick description of what to expect when heading down.

Finally, Elderbug led me to one of the abandoned houses so that I could sleep in it.

Entering I noticed that the entire house didn't appear to be much more than a small bedroom. But it was good enough for me.

Looking in the mirror for the first time I saw my reflection. I had a slightly androgynous face that leaned ever so slightly closer to a male's face. With pale white skin and pure black iris. Two beetle-like horns protruded through my head. And my short hair was a silvery-white.

Taking a moment to reflect on my appearance I let out a chuckle.

"I guess the name Ghost is quite fitting."

Placing the mask back on my face I felt a sense of comfort. And laying down in the bedroom I closed my eyes and began to focus on the soul core inside of me.

I felt it tremble for a moment before settling down and becoming still.

I still had some soul inside of it from killing the flying bug. Which Elderbug had told me was called a Vengefly.

I felt some sense of control over the soul inside of me. So I tried to move it. But as soon as I did so I felt it begin to bubble and evaporate inside of me. The rush of energy I felt when I first healed coursed through me once again. But after it had passed through my body without discovering any injuries I felt it begin to leave my body.

Opening my eyes I saw a faint white aura around me that vanished after only a moment. And sure enough, the small amount of soul in my core had been emptied.

"I am going to have to gather more soul if I want to experiment more with it. But is killing the only way to gather it?"

Closing my eyes once again I began to attempt to meditate and gather the energy once again inside of me. And before I realized it I had fallen asleep.