Arthur Otley and the Order of the Arthropods

231
Beetle battle
🪲

You find yourself face to face with a trio of bombardier beetles, who seem to be guarding the way.

"Look how large these three fine specimens are!" says Daniel. "I wonder how they will react to a human presence?"

You find out immediately: as one of them makes an angry chittering sound. Even though you don't understand the beetle exactly, you are pretty sure he or she or it doesn't like you.

The three beetles turn around in the corridor to face away from you.

"How curious, they seem to be retreating" remarks Daniel with a puzzled look.

Suddenly there is a loud popping sound and an aqueous solution of hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxides shoots out of the beetles' posterior regions.

"Duck!" you cry, and you and Daniel throw yourself to one side. The liquid misses you by inches. The stone flagstone bubbles and fizzes where the liquid struck it.

You both pick yourself up off the floor and scramble back round the corner for safety.

"That was too close," you say. "We need to find a way to immobilise those beetles, or distract them somehow."

You think hard, there must be a spell that you can use that would incapacitate those three remarkable creatures, preferably without harming them so they can be studied later.

After a moment, with a determined spring in your step, you decide. You leap out from your hiding place, your wand at the ready.

............................................................

1. Yelling "Tweetle beetle bottle battle!" ~ Go to number 218

2. Shouting "Paraguas pronto!" ~ Go to number 266

3. Screaming "Die beetles, die." ~ Go to number 243

4. Crying "Somnolencia salchicha sabrosa!" ~ Go to number 279