A new purpose

Chapter one

Quirrel sat on the shores of Blue Lake. The water was still and calm. There wasn't a single sound except for the soft waves.

So this is where the water in the city comes from—the source of the most astonishing sight in all of Hallownest.

Quirrel drew in a shaky breath, remembering his old life with...no. He won't say it. It hurt too much. He doesn't want to dwell on it any longer. He flung his nail into the sand. Surely no one would miss him.

He heard a noise.

He looked behind him and was met with another bug's statue. The bug wore a blue hood and had some sort of shield on their left arm.

"What...are you doing?" The bug asked. "A warrior should never leave their weapon behind! It leaves them vulnerable!"

Quirrel quickly picked up the nail, startled a bit by this sudden intrusion. He wasn't expecting to deal with anyone.

"Whoa, whoa, I wasn't meaning to interrupt, I was just giving some advice." The bug said quickly, and then quietly muttered "And you should probably follow it..."

"You don't understand. I won't be needing it anymore." Quirrel finally said.

Confusion appeared on the bug's face, visible even under the dark veil of the hood. Then, they seemed to realize what Quirrel had meant by that.

"You don't mean..."

"Yes." The pillbug replied, answering the question that remained unsaid.

The bug seemed to try to figure out what the heck to do in this situation, just sort of staring into the distance.

"That's not a warrior's death! That's stupid!" He said after the finally processed the information.

Quirrel sighed. This bug sure was arrogant.

"Why are you here anyway?" Quirrel asked.

"I'm heading towards somewhere worthy of my skills! Somewhere where I can get the glory I deserve!"

Quirrel still didn't know what that meant.

"I don't want to guess, just get to the point."

The bug pouted at that, obviously wanting to brag more.

"Fine, I'm heading towards The Colosseum of Fools."

The Colosseum. This bug had a death wish, it was called The Colosseum of Fools for a reason. You'd be an idiot to try and fight there. Quirrel remembered the Madam talking about it once, after she'd given him his nail.

Quirrel, a weapon like this is not to be abused, use it wisely, the Fools in that damned Colosseum would love to get their hands on it, and they'd do anything to hold it.

At first, he hadn't known what she meant by that. But then when he realized how truly powerful it was, he understood. The nail wasn't meant to just be plunged into the sand. You could do anything with a blade like that.

"Hey, you alright there?"

Quirrel snapped back to reality. He wasn't alright. He didn't want to remember. He wanted to leave. But this bug wouldn't let him. He nodded, deciding not to explain further.

"You sure? You look kinda down."

"I'm fine. What was your name? I don't think you told me." Quirrel said, trying to change the topic.

"My name is Tiso, greatest warrior in this abandoned Kingdom!" He bragged.

Quirrel snorted. Greatest warrior? He sure didn't look like it. But Quirrel didn't care.

"What, you don't believe me? Well, I've made it this far! That's certainly an accomplishment!" He said, defensively protecting his non-existant honor. Quirrel had to suppress a laugh, but a little snicker still escaped. Tiso pouted.

"I told you my name, what's yours?"

"My name is Quirrel." He said simply.

"Thats it? No title? Everyone in this kingdom seemed to have SOME sort of title."

Quirrel thought for a moment. He supposed that was true. That old bug he found in the Capital, Lemm, called himself The Relicseeker. And that...other bug he'd met in that faded old town called himself Zote the Mighty.

"I suppose you could call me an apprentice. I used to work under Monomon the Teacher." He said, regretting saying the name, for it made him remember.

"There it is again! Are you sure you're ok??"

Quirrel froze. He didn't take this bug to be the worrying type.

"Yes, I'm fine. You don't need to worry yourself with me, just skurry on over to that Colosseum or something."

Tiso withdrew, clearly taken aback by Quirrel's sudden sourness. He hadn't meant for it to come out that way, but at this point he felt like he was just cheating, wasting time in a life that already lived long enough. He sat back down on the shore, hoping if he ignored Tiso the bug would leave. It didn't work. Tiso sat down next to him. A part of Quirrel was glad, but he suppressed that feeling, knowing he'd only feel pain later on.