Chapter 3: The Storm of Sweet Thunder

The spiral stairs went up and up – like a long, twisty licorice stick! Each step made a different sound when they stepped on it. After a lot of steps, Baby’s cheeks puffed out, and her eyes filled with tears.

Zsolista stopped with a big sigh. "Snack time!"

From her amazing Bag of Wonderment, Zsolista pulled out yummy treats: crispy jerky, jelly crackers, and a cool green slime drink with whipped sparkle-cream on top!

Baby pointed. "Don't even THINK about it, Boka! It's-a-Baby!"

Before Boka could whine, Zsolista gave him a handful of jerky and patted his spiky head.

Feeling better, they kept going up. Time felt slow. The stairs seemed to tilt. Each step was made of different stone, some sparkly, some crumbly. Pillars that looked like white bones held up lots of candles in green, purple, and gold. Spiderwebs hung like shiny flags, some thin like hair, some thick like ropes, in all sorts of weird shapes and colors. The higher they climbed, the stranger it felt, like the stairs were made of a million dreams.

After a long time (maybe even days!), they came to a room that glowed like gold. Everything shimmered like honey in the sun. The air buzzed with the sound of bees!

Golden slime covered everything! It wiggled when they stepped in. This room was like a giant beehive! Big honeycomb shapes were everywhere, pulsing softly. Golden syrup dripped from cracks, shining with light. Flowers as big as tables and trees glowed and swayed like they were dancing to a buzzing song. Giant bees in shiny armor flew around, fixing honeycombs and taking care of baby bees in drippy cradles.

Zsolista held up her hand. "Let's check if this slime is okay to eat!"

A tiny flame appeared in her hand. It touched the slime and fizzled out. Safe!

Boka sniffed the wall. "Honey slime! Yummy! Boka-Boka!"

The buzzing got louder. From a giant honeycomb high up, a scary creature appeared – a bee with three heads! One head glowed red, one blue, and one green!

Zsolista stopped. The big bee was very high up. For a second, she thought it was just a worker bee. But then she saw all three heads turn to look at them, their mouths twitching like they were ready to cast spells! The stinger on its bottom glowed, pointing right at them!

Zsolista threw a ball of fire!

FWOOMPH!

The bee's blue head spat water, putting out the fire right away!

"We can't turn into the dragon," Boka said, licking honey slime. "Still tired… or maybe just full. I ate like, five walls! Boka-Boka!"

"I know," Zsolista said, her eyes narrow. "Run around! Let's melt some sleep and burn off some of that food!"

They ran in different directions. Boka made it snow ice! The red head shot fire! Baby blew wind! The green head made a tornado and threw the wind back!

"They're blocking everything!" Baby cried.

Zsolista spun around, dodging fire, and squinted at the floor.

The floor under the bee looked wobbly.

"It's sinking in its own slime!" she whispered.

Zsolista shouted, "Baby – lightning! Boka – make the air hot! Team 6 Strategy!"

They ran in circles, making the room hot and windy.

The bee's wings flapped slowly, all sticky with honey goo.

"THUNDER KIRIN – BOSS KILLER FORMATION!" Zsolista roared!

A magnificent dragon made of crackling blue and gold lightning appeared! It spun high and then dove down!

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The three-headed bee fell to the floor in a sticky mess, its wings sizzling. Its buzz was now just a soft sigh.

The room smelled like toasted honey and roasted crunch!

They ate happily, licking their fingers.

"Save the wings!" Baby said. "For my monster collection! It's-a-Baby!"

Boka looked inside the bee's middle mouth. "Shiny crystal! Score! Boka-Boka!"

Baby turned into a gentle breeze and carried them to a door high up in the honeycomb. Boka put the crystal into a glowing hole.

CLICK!

The door shimmered open, showing a dark room that felt old and quiet, like a secret bug temple. The walls had twisty letters and strange glyphs, some glowing softly. The air smelled like old flowers and smoky wax. In the middle of the room was a smooth rock in a bowl that looked like a cracked spring.

And standing there was a giant stone creature with a head shaped like a door!

It opened its eyes.

"Welcome, skull rippers and soup stirrers," it said. "Can you guess my third riddle?"

 

                                         Jump to the Next Part:

 

1) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 1

2) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the FLower of Eternal Compassion pt 2

3) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 3

4) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 4

5) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 5

6) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 6

7) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 7

8) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 8

9) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 9

10) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 10