#but who cares! I have bad brain fog and a splitting headache and I wrote this! I'm happy

[egglygreg]

Ahleri meets her new "housemate"

Ahleri groaned, opening her eyes slightly only to squeeze them shut again at the wave of pain that swept through her. Her whole body ached like she'd been digging post holes all day, and then had gone and got the snot kicked out of her by a fat angry jumbuck. What on Lhoam had happened?

And then a voice spoke out of knowhere.

"Um, g'day? You right mate?"

She shot to her feet (ignoring for the moment the horrible pain that shot through her) and desperately tried to find who had spoken. It had sounded super close. She spun wildly and stumbled a bit in her haste to try and catch sight of the speaker.

"Who's there!?" She said loudly, shaking a little.

"Er, me I guess?" Said the voice, a bit unsurely. It sounded so close! Almost as if the person was standing directly next to her? But there was no-one there.

"Who are you? Wait, WHERE are you!?" Ahleri asked bewilderedly.

"Oh, I'm... Bertie? Pretty sure I'm Bertie. Nice to meet you?"

Ahleri continued to try and catch sight of "Bertie" but couldn't see anyone anywhere. She repeated her question.

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm in your head? I mean, I'm not really sure exactly what's happening but I think that's what's going on."

Ahleri stood for a moment slightly stunned, before putting her head in her hands and groaning.

"That's it, I've gone mad. Fully round the twist. Completely bloody bonkers. Dad always said I was a bit nuts and here's the proof."

"I think you need to sit down, your heart rate is through the roof."

Ahleri laughed, a little manically, but she took the advice and sat down heavily.

"OK voice..."

"Bertie."

The voice sounded a bit more sure about it this time. Ahleri thought she sounded feminine, but wasn't certain.

"OK, Bertie, how exactly are you in my head?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it was the things you put on. What are they called? I know that I know what they're called, what is it? B, b, bracers? Brrracelets? Mmmm wait no, Bonds! You put on the Hero's Bonds, and here I am!"

Bertie sounded rather proud to have remembered that fact. Ahleri, however, was less pleased.

"The... wait THE Hero’s Bonds!? The things that the legendary Hero of Strahna wears? You're pulling my leg."

"Nope, I remember now! I'm the guardian of the Hero's Bonds, and my name is Bertie. It's my job to help the Hero know what they're meant to do and stuff."

Ahleri huffed a disbelieving laugh.

"And stuff? You're really filling me with confidence there, Bert. You're telling me that I found the lost Hero's Bonds? The ones that disappeared like 90 years ago?"

"90 years!?" She sounded genuinely shocked, which was odd, considering her prior declaration. "Really? Huh, that's a long time. Wait, what happened to old Zyggie?"

Ahleri was puzzled for a moment, before she recalled the previous Hero's name.

"You mean Hero Zygos? The last Hero? No-one knows, they say he just disappeared... wait, why don't YOU know?" 

Ahleri's tone became a bit accusatory.

"You were literally attached to him, right? How do you not know how he died?"

Bertie was silent for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was unsteady and halting.

"I... don't remember. Why don't I remember? I... I don't. I don't. Know. I don't know!!"

She sounded genuinely distressed, which made Ahleri feel very uneasy. She did take pity on her though, and changed the subject.

"OK, let's chuck that aside for a bit. What exactly am I meant to do now, Bertie? Do I need to get the Bonds to the Piyem in Bamerrac, so they can appoint a new Hero? I don't really know how this works."

"Weeeeell," said Bertie, a bit sheepishly, "you're... actually the Hero? Once the Bonds are on they don't really come off, not 'till you kark it. Sorry about that?"

"You... they WHAT!??"

(Ahleri, and Bertie in her "anxious" projection form, which is a gold glowing fat tailed dunnart)