After a training session that felt more like a mini-apocalypse, I knew one thing for sure:
We weren't ready for direct combat.
But we also couldn't just keep hiding in this nest forever.
To survive, we needed information.
And the only place we could get that…
...was the monster city down below.
I didn't know its name, who ruled it, or what kind of creatures lived there.
But from the whiff of air that occasionally drifted into our cave, I could tell:
There was a market, food sources, and—most importantly—potential danger.
"Kids," I said seriously, "we're going to scout that city."
They panicked immediately.
"You want us to get eaten?!"
"What if I ignite in the middle of a crowd?!"
"I'm scared our stink will crash the market prices!"
"Relax," I said. "We'll use disguises."
And thus began the most absurd planning session in the history of eggs.
Belang would act as our pathfinder. With his camouflage ability, he could roll along the dungeon corridors unseen.
Lurik cast an illusion to make us look like... a group of giant potatoes.
Don't ask me why potatoes. Apparently, in his memory, monsters don't care about tubers.
Putih cloaked us in a thin mist to mask our scent.
Cimut was forbidden to speak.
We made him carry a pebble in his mouth to keep quiet.
Hitam was covered in moss to stop him from reflecting light.
Abu was tied with vine strings because he was too excited to stop bouncing.
Oyen… we placed him in the middle, surrounded by the others.
If he flared up, well… at least he wouldn't blow *everyone* up at once.
And me? I did my best to suppress my natural rotten stench.
Slowly, we began to roll—like a secret parade of sinful eggs—down the dark corridor toward a monster city we had never seen.
As the dim glow in the distance came into view, and the sounds of life—grumbling, laughter, roaring—echoed faintly…
...we knew our next steps would decide our fate.
But for now, our mission was clear:
Observe without being seen.
And hopefully, no monster out there has a craving for rotten potatoes.