An OC story- The Tales of Tiberius

[BirbMonster]

A few days ago, I made an msm oc, an Epic Tring named Tiberius.

 

I started thinking way too much about his backstory, and wanted to write it up fully.

 

This topic is that backstory.

Enjoy.

If you... actually clicked on this.

 

And are still reading. Who knows. Maybe you've already clicked off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still waiting....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're still intrested? Here we go!

 

 

 

 

Another dark day living in the caves.

Tiberius lazily glanced around the hollows of his own stony little den, dimly lit by fireflies and the glowing cave lichens padding his bed. It was silent, say from the muttering of familiar voices outside.

Despite barely being able to anymore, he stood on his hind legs. Like his father always said: “Stand to your limit before the crystals overtake you. If you don’t you’ll succumb young and weak,”

He pressed his ear against the door. 

“Geode, I think he’s ready,”

“For what, chief?”

“Why are you even the…”

“Oh! Yes! Guide training!”

“Be quiet! He could hear you!”

Tiberius quivered in excitement upon hearing those words. Guide training? At last? Despite the specific facts of what guides did being kept a secret from the young, he knew it was important. Being important was always important to him. And if being important was important, it made him even more so.

Using all of his strength, Tiberius heaved the heavy slab of stone aside, stumbling down at the feet of Geode and his father.

“The door!”

“That’s how it works, Geode, it’s not like we have hinges,”

“I heard you! When do I get to be a guide?”

“I admire your eagerness, Tiberius, but a guide must be patient. A guide must be cool, calm, and clear at all times. You are too-”

“And you can teach him how to be so, Geode,”

 

The familiar ringing of the gathering summons sounded. Before Tiberius knew it, for the first time he was allowed in the gathering cave. It was bigger than any other cavern in the camp. Several fireflies fluttered quietly by the ceiling, and the walls were lined with bright orange candles. A couple dozen eager Trings sat in a circle around Tiberius and his father, muttering excitedly about what was about to come. 

 

“Attention everyone!”

The muttering slowly died down. The group watched in anticipating silence.

“We gather today to initiate my son, Tiberius, as a new guide trainee!” 

The crowd cheered and stomped their feet, circling around the cavern before eventually slowing down. 

 

“He will be told about the Fire Haven, about the outside world, and given his ring to know his way through the caverns and join this world’s harmony!” 

More cheering, circling, and stomping. Tiberius’ heart beat faster than it ever had before. He shook in excitement, swelling with pride.

His father handed him a shimmering silver ring. Just like the very ones the whole tribe wore, clipped on their noses.

“Will it hurt?”

“Yes, but it is worth it. If you step down now because of this brief pain, you would be a coward,”

He took a deep breath. Something about this ring felt off. What was it made of? This wasn’t silver or steel or anything like that. It was something else entirely. 

“Do not fear. We all feel this at first,”

This was it. This was the moment. He knew how to do this.  

Taking a deep breath, Tiberius clipped it on. Pain washed over him immediately, so much so he couldn’t even focus on the crowd cheering. But it wasn’t the piercing that hurt, no. Suddenly… he knew. Suddenly he knew every little passage and nook and cranny of the caverns, and in the very centre, one singular, massive, open space. 

Once the pain eased, he finally had the strength to speak.

“Is that…”

“Yes, the Fire Haven. Where the other monsters come from. More often than not adventurers venture into these caverns, in search of ancient legends like the Kayna’s Map, and it is our job to make sure that they really return. Geode will train you in the ways of the Guides, and everything you need to know about the world outside to become one,”

An eager grin spread across the young Tring’s face. This was indeed, rather important.

“Your training starts tomorrow,”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes,”

“How am I gonna sleep if I’m waiting for this?”

“You simply… do,”

Now that Tiberius really thought about it, there was no night and day in the caverns. Nothing was showing him when to sleep and when to be awake. Everyone simply… knew.

Maybe outside something was different. 

But for now, he knew when tomorrow was.

And tomorrow was the beginning of something grand.

 

 

I'M SO SCARED TO POST THIS FGHASDIFHIDGS

BUT IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKE IT I WILL CONTINUE

[BirbMonstwo]

Next part will release later today unless I have writing block ultra pro max

[BirbMonster]

Next part

 

 

 

Tiberius trotted down the cavern, following Geode deeper into the seemingly endless maze rocks. It was much darker here. Almost no fireflies. The further from camp they got, the hotter it was, and after quickly checking his memory, they were now closer to the Fire Haven than ever.

 

He hadn’t been paying attention, so when Geode spoke up so suddenly he almost stumbled.

“Climb this cliff,”

He looked up. There was a steep ledge, three times taller than even Geode herself.

“Why?”

“You’re going to have to be able to traverse terrain if you’re going to be a guide,”

“Alright then. It looks easy. It’s not, because you’ll have to haul this rock. Imagine it’s another monster, not a Tring like us. Many of them can’t climb. So you’ll have to carry them,”

He stated in dismay at the rock. It was almost as big as him. 

“I can still take it up,”

He pulled the rock under his arm and scrabbled up the cliff’s rough surface. This was harder than he thought it’d be, but before he knew it, he was staring down at Geode’s proud and surprised face, the heavy boulder by his side.

“Good job!”

“What are we doing now?”

“Well,” She said, craning her head upwards. “We still have plenty of time left before chief told us to get back. So you know what? I’ll let you explore around. If you need help, tap your ring twice really fast,”

“Like thi-“

“No! Not unless you’re in real danger! You’re father’ll come running if you do it now, and we don’t need that,”

“What if I find other monsters?”

“Do the same, but ring it thrice with some pauses. It’s the signal for needing help, but when it’s not necessarily super-dangerous,”

“Okay!”

And with that, he ran off in a random direction, his mentor left far behind.

 

He’d been trekking off in the same direction for a while now. As if something was pulling him. Was that the sound of softly shuffling footsteps?  And voices?

“It’s your fault we’re lost,”

“You said you wanted to find the Kayna’s Map thing. I don’t believe in dumb stories,”

“It’s a legend!”

Tiberius paused. Then he followed the terrified echoes of the voices. 

And standing right there, in an open cavern, a group of other monsters.

Come on, Tiberius. Ring thrice, Geode told you to, he thought, watching them from behind a rock.

But then again, nothing was stopping him from guiding them himself.

[BirbMonstwo]

I’m speedrunning lol

Dramatically stepping out from behind the rock, he walked over to the bewildered monsters. They were quite smaller than him, but probably the same age. One was hairy and green, with wooden tubes jutting from her back. They shook as she breathed, making an odd sound each time. The second was larger, purple and armoured, with too many limbs to count. The last, though, sat down on the big one’s back, was definitely far too young to be here, tiny and feathered, with ruffled little wings. The youngster stared at Tiberius with massive, confused eyes.

“Hello, monsters from Fire Haven! What brings you to these caverns?” He said, trying to sound confident and mysterious.

“We’re looking for the Kayna’s Map” said the armoured one.

“No, I’m looking for glory. The map isn’t real,”

“I see. Who and what are you?”

“I’m a Reedling, my name’s Bamboo. And the Repatillo is called Raptor,”

“The little Tweedle is Polly. She’s kinda my sister,”

“Alright. Alright, Bamboo, Raptor, are you two lost? 

“Yes,”

“No, Raptor, we’re not!,”

“Judging by how complicated the turns leading to Fire Haven are, I bet you are,”

“Fine! We’re lost,”

As Bamboo and Raptor followed him down the twisted maze, he couldn’t help but notice how much they talked. 

“Why are you blue?” Raptor asked, barely a minute into the journey.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re probably a Tring. But you’re blue, and your crystal things are all smooth and egg-looking,”

“You’re saying I’m not a normal Tring?”

“I was thinking you were a rare at first, but Lemon’s a rare Tring and they’re yellow. Are you an epic?”

“A what now?”

“Are there more down there? Why are you helping us? Do you live in the caves? How do you survive? How can you-“

“ENOUGH!”

But as the group continued down the corridors, occasionally stopping so Tiberius could check the brand new complex map in his mind, Raptor and Bamboo never stopped talking to him. Thankfully, soon he realised that the caverns were getting lighter. The echo of fast-paced music sounded from what seemed to be just around the corner.

“I can hear it!” Said Bamboo excitedly. “How much further?”

“Two lefts, one right. Can you make it?”

“Of course. I’m not an idiot like Raptor,”

“Hey!”

“Alright, bye…”

“Tiberius. My name is Tiberius,”

“Bye Tiberius. We’re gonna miss you! Thanks for helping!”

And on that notice, they parted ways, walking off in opposite directions to their own homes.

As he approached the Tring camp, Tiberius couldn’t help but smile. As annoying as Bamboo and Raptor had been, it felt so good to have helped them. Maybe not even just from importance and honour. It felt good to have done something nice. And maybe, perhaps, he saw them as friends.

“Tiberius! You’re home!” His father excitedly shouted as Tiberius entered the camp. “I was quite worried about you. But you didn’t signal,”

“Yep. All cool. I… did a lot of climbing practice and stuff,”

“Excellent! Now come on, go to sleep, it’s quite late. You’re learning about some of the other monsters tomorrow,”

When the door of his room was shut, a smile spread across his face. 

Best day of his life.

 

[BirbMonstwo]

Time to keep this at the top of off topic with bumps, I want to see that at least someone wants to read this before I post new chapters

[BirbMonstwo]

Bump

[BirbMonster]

I think this chapter is shorter than the others? Idk

Please read my thing I worked hard on this stuff and no-one is reading it

 

 

“TIBERIUS!”

He awoke with a jolt. Was that his father shouting? His question was answered when the door was easily pulled away by a muscled arm.

“Tiberius, I have thought about it for the night. You seemed suspicious when you returned home yesterday,”

He gulped, guilty, looking nervously at the floor.

“Did you guide monsters back on your own? With no training?”

Telling the truth was the only option here. His father was always good at identifying lies.

“Yes. Uh… what’s so bad about that?”

“Did you let them speak to you? And see you and simply follow you back?”

“Yes…”

“THAT IS NOT HOW ITS DONE! We’re meant to be a presence, nudging the lost souls in the right direction. We’re meant to not speak and to only be seen when absolutely necessary,”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know! I thought I was just doing what guides do!”

“You weren’t. Today’s lesson won’t be about monster species since you clearly need to know this stuff more. And you’re not allowed to roam the caverns for the next 10 days,”

“But dad-“

“End of discussion!”

 

The lesson with Geode that day was long and dull. At least he’d tried to pay attention. Something about connecting thoughts, blah, blah, blah. But at least it was all over eventually. However, for the rest of the day he had nothing to do. All he did was wander and lounge around the camp. Hardly a single fellow Tring payed any attention to him.

Would it hurt to sneak off?

The exit was right in front of him, but a guard was standing there, attentively watching for outsiders. As if anyone would even find their way here. There was certainly no way he could just sneak past, and the idea of knocking out the guard that briefly popped into his head was stupid.

 

Instead, he went off to find an alternative route. Was there an entrance no guards were posted at? Would one leave or be distracted?

An opportunity presented itself. Was that guard by the side entrance sleeping on the job again! It made sense. It was the least used one. Nobody was even standing around there, apart from the sleeping guard.

Quickly, before anyone noticed that he was gone and that the guard was sleeping, he scurried silently through the gateway, off to roam once again. This time he’d see the Fire Haven for himself.

 

It was quite the stretch going straight from the side entrance to Fire Haven. Every bit of common sense he had told him to go back. Avoid another harsh scolding. And yet, deep down, this was what he wanted to do. 

 

Before he knew it, it was warm and bright in the tunnel. No music this time, though.

It was right there. The very place he couldn’t stop thinking about since the day he was made a guide.

Ducking behind a boulder, he crawled over. Just a peek would satisfy him. 

Instantly as he stepped out the first thing he noticed was the heat and light. It was so hot and bright that for a fleeting moment his skin and eyes felt like they were being boiled, but it eventually dissolved into a pleasant feeling. There were candles everywhere. Tall and orange, some in thick rock-like piles or on top of iron structures, as if meant to be part of the landscape. In the centre stood a towering castle, made of blood red bricks and sparkling crystals. Despite its appearance, the castle wasn’t threatening or intimidating,surprisingly, it felt welcoming. A variety of monsters milled around peacefully, talking, eating, and doing whatever else they did.

There was just one familiar face among the crowd: Bamboo, following a lanky bipedal thing, with a beak and a mound of white fluff on its head.

Maybe the lesson would come in useful for this.

He thought about her as hard as he could. Bamboo, I’m here, here, to your left!

To his surprise, it worked. She looked left, and simply stood there, mouth agape upon noticing him.

She pointed quietly at the monster she was following, as if signalling something to Tiberius. He couldn’t hear what she was saying from his hiding spot, but he knew that for whatever reason she couldn’t leave now. 

He waited for what felt like forever, watching this newfound paradise in complete admiration. Nobody looked his way. They wouldn’t. Not unless someone brave and eager was planning to enter the caves. 

 

Suddenly, he noticed someone coming towards him. He prepared himself to run, but it was Bamboo. 

“I finally got away from her! I just had this weird gut feeling I should look that way, I sorta knew you’d be there, and then I did, and you were there!”

That was me, he thought, not saying anything else.

“Why’d you come?”

“I wanted to see Fire Haven. I need to go back soon, though. Before my dad realises I’m missing,”

“He’ll be fuming, I think,”

“He’s already mad. When I helped you out of the caves yesterday, turns out I did it wrong. I wasn’t supposed to talk to you, or let you get a good look at me. Found out I have to do this mind-control thing,”

‘Is that how I had that gut feeling?”

“Yep,”

“Cool. You should go, like you said-”

“Bamboo? Oh, there you are, who is…?”

“Mom! I-”

The same tall thing from earlier. Without bothering to question anything, he sprinted at full speed back into the cave, only instinct telling him where to place his feet.

[BirbMonstwo]

Bump because it fell to page 2

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

On 1/22/2023 at 5:02 AM, BirbMaster said:

 

And are still reading. Who knows. Maybe you've already clicked off.

*clicks off /j

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

i hab read through this

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

BIRBMASTER CONTINUE THIS AHHHHHH

[BirbMonstwo]

2 minutes ago, Fox leaf said:

BIRBMASTER CONTINUE THIS AHHHHHH

I will, calm down

[BirbMonstwo]

8 minutes ago, Fox leaf said:

BIRBMASTER CONTINUE THIS AHHHHHH

 

12 hours ago, Fox leaf said:

i hab read through this

also thanks for reading this, motivated me to actually try and continue

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

[Activate motivation sequence]

[BirbMonster]

Next chapter will probably have Bamboo's POV

[BirbMonster]

Help I have writers block

[Chiyanna]

7 hours ago, BirbMaster said:

Help I have writers block

 

9 hours ago, BirbMaster said:

Next chapter will probably have Bamboo's POV

Maybe take a bit of a break and worldbuild more in your head or on paper.

Could also take a shower. IDK why but that helps me sometime

[BirbMonster]

Yay Bamboo POV

 

 

Meanwhile, in Fire Haven…

“Mom, I can explain!”

Bamboo’s mother simply stared calmly into the cave entrance.

“You’re… not mad?”

“Who was that, Bamboo?”

“His name’s Tiberius,”

“Is he a Tring? Where’d you meet him?”

“He is a Tring. Probably. I… Well…”

“Say it,”

“I met him in the caves,”

“You what?”

The Dandidoo suddenly shifted her gaze at Bamboo. “YOU WERE IN THERE?”

“I’m sorry! It was Raptor’s idea, I swear! He wanted to look for the stuff in legends again and we thought it could-”

“You should’ve known better! You could’ve died! If you’d gotten lost-”

“I didn’t get lost, mom! Tiberius helped!”

“I don’t want to hear it. Come on, I’ll lead you back to your room. You can stay there until I say you can leave,”

“Can’t I at least join in the song today?”

“No, Bamboo. This is your punishment for sneaking off to the caves without and putting yourself and your friend in danger,”

 

Bamboo paced in circles alone. Well, this wasn’t the worst case scenario. If her mother had known Polly was with them too, this could be a lot worse. 

But still, there wasn’t anything to do anymore. There must be a way to… 

She suddenly noticed the pile of parchment and bottle of ink, laying unused in the corner of the room. 

Would a Candle Bat know where to deliver the letter? Could she write to Tiberius?

She’d have to ask Raptor. He was the smarter one. 

Bamboo hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t supposed to leave her room, just as mother had said. But, to her, rules were made to be broken.

Seizing the parchment and ink, she burst through the door, running down a long corridor to find Raptor’s home. But she could hear the music outside already, he couldn’t have joined without her, right? He was one of the few to prefer not to join the song. Odd, especially for a Repatillo. 

“RAPTOR! RAPTOR! RAPTOR!” She screamed, aggressively hammering her paws on the door. 

Raptor opened the door and gazed down at her. “What in the Colossal's Name is so important for you to be this loud?”

“Oh, thank Galvana you’re not outside! Mom grounded me for going in the caves with you,”

“Yeah, I’m here because I had to watch Polly and I wanted to stay and keep reading… wait, with me? It wasn’t my fault! I would never break any rules!”

“Yeah, yeah, it was both of us, ok? But, anyways, I saw Tiberius again! He came here! It's how mom found out we went in there,”

He stared at the items grasped in her paws “And let me guess. You want to write a letter to him?”

“Yeah, I was gonna say that!”

“Hmmm, I suppose you want it carried by a Candle Bat… they can understand some stuff in Monstrous, mostly names of monster species and locations, and any names they learn… it won’t have met Tiberius, but if we tell it to take the letter to the Trings in the caves, it might understand. They have good enough senses to find where Tiberius and the other Epic Trings are. I think they’re Epic Trings, right? If we already know how the rare ones look,”

“Good! Ok, you have the brains, I have the fingers. So I’ll write and you tell me what to,”

“Why are you even writing to him in the first place?”

“He’s our friend now, isn’t he,”

“Alright… I see. Okay, I think he could meet us at the same cave entrance you saw him at, right?”

“Maybe. Wait, I have another idea!”

“What is it?”

“When I met him he said Epic Trings like him could to this mind control thingy. He could mind control us so that he knows where we are and we know where he is!”

“It’s a bit of a stretch… but if the mind thing is true then it could work! Okay, write this…”

 

“Okay, finished. I have some coins to pay Aloe. Come on!”

The pair sprinted to Aloe’s desk. The Floogull still sat there, surrounded by dozens of chirping Candle Bats.

“Hi Aloe! Can you get one of those to deliver this?” 

Aloe grabbed the letter, staring at it suspiciously. “Directions?”

“Deliver it to the Trings in the caves,” said Raptor.

“Trings… in the caves?”

“Yeah,”

“What?” Aloe stared at the monsterlings, confused. “There’s nobody living in the caves,”

“We’ll give you lots of money!”

Aloe sighed, accepting this nonsensical rambling as just children being children. “Fine, hand me the coins,” 

Bamboo placed a small pouch of coins on the desk, hoping it was enough.

“This is… more than enough. Alright,”

He tied the letter to a Candle Bat’s leg, and opened a hatch that led to the outside of the castle.

“Number Five, Deliver this letter to the… Trings living in the caves,” 

The critter nodded, hopping through the hatch and flying off into the distance.

 

[BirbMonstwo]

Take this slightly lazy illustration for the previous chapter

[BirbMonstwo]

Birb!!!!!!

 

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

9 hours ago, BirbMaster2 said:

Birb!!!!!!

 

is the birb a tring?

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

1 minute ago, Fox leaf said:

is the birb a tring?

yep

[Lozloxfeafcakerat]

12 hours ago, BirbMaster said:

Yay Bamboo POV

 

 

Meanwhile, in Fire Haven…

“Mom, I can explain!”

Bamboo’s mother simply stared calmly into the cave entrance.

“You’re… not mad?”

“Who was that, Bamboo?”

“His name’s Tiberius,”

“Is he a Tring? Where’d you meet him?”

“He is a Tring. Probably. I… Well…”

“Say it,”

“I met him in the caves,”

“You what?”

The Dandidoo suddenly shifted her gaze at Bamboo. “YOU WERE IN THERE?”

“I’m sorry! It was Raptor’s idea, I swear! He wanted to look for the stuff in legends again and we thought it could-”

“You should’ve known better! You could’ve died! If you’d gotten lost-”

“I didn’t get lost, mom! Tiberius helped!”

“I don’t want to hear it. Come on, I’ll lead you back to your room. You can stay there until I say you can leave,”

“Can’t I at least join in the song today?”

“No, Bamboo. This is your punishment for sneaking off to the caves without and putting yourself and your friend in danger,”

 

Bamboo paced in circles alone. Well, this wasn’t the worst case scenario. If her mother had known Polly was with them too, this could be a lot worse. 

But still, there wasn’t anything to do anymore. There must be a way to… 

She suddenly noticed the pile of parchment and bottle of ink, laying unused in the corner of the room. 

Would a Candle Bat know where to deliver the letter? Could she write to Tiberius?

She’d have to ask Raptor. He was the smarter one. 

Bamboo hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t supposed to leave her room, just as mother had said. But, to her, rules were made to be broken.

Seizing the parchment and ink, she burst through the door, running down a long corridor to find Raptor’s home. But she could hear the music outside already, he couldn’t have joined without her, right? He was one of the few to prefer not to join the song. Odd, especially for a Repatillo. 

“RAPTOR! RAPTOR! RAPTOR!” She screamed, aggressively hammering her paws on the door. 

Raptor opened the door and gazed down at her. “What in the Colossal's Name is so important for you to be this loud?”

“Oh, thank Galvana you’re not outside! Mom grounded me for going in the caves with you,”

“Yeah, I’m here because I had to watch Polly and I wanted to stay and keep reading… wait, with me? It wasn’t my fault! I would never break any rules!”

“Yeah, yeah, it was both of us, ok? But, anyways, I saw Tiberius again! He came here! It's how mom found out we went in there,”

He stared at the items grasped in her paws “And let me guess. You want to write a letter to him?”

“Yeah, I was gonna say that!”

“Hmmm, I suppose you want it carried by a Candle Bat… they can understand some stuff in Monstrous, mostly names of monster species and locations, and any names they learn… it won’t have met Tiberius, but if we tell it to take the letter to the Trings in the caves, it might understand. They have good enough senses to find where Tiberius and the other Epic Trings are. I think they’re Epic Trings, right? If we already know how the rare ones look,”

“Good! Ok, you have the brains, I have the fingers. So I’ll write and you tell me what to,”

“Why are you even writing to him in the first place?”

“He’s our friend now, isn’t he,”

“Alright… I see. Okay, I think he could meet us at the same cave entrance you saw him at, right?”

“Maybe. Wait, I have another idea!”

“What is it?”

“When I met him he said Epic Trings like him could to this mind control thingy. He could mind control us so that he knows where we are and we know where he is!”

“It’s a bit of a stretch… but if the mind thing is true then it could work! Okay, write this…”

 

“Okay, finished. I have some coins to pay Aloe. Come on!”

The pair sprinted to Aloe’s desk. The Floogull still sat there, surrounded by dozens of chirping Candle Bats.

“Hi Aloe! Can you get one of those to deliver this?” 

Aloe grabbed the letter, staring at it suspiciously. “Directions?”

“Deliver it to the Trings in the caves,” said Raptor.

“Trings… in the caves?”

“Yeah,”

“What?” Aloe stared at the monsterlings, confused. “There’s nobody living in the caves,”

“We’ll give you lots of money!”

Aloe sighed, accepting this nonsensical rambling as just children being children. “Fine, hand me the coins,” 

Bamboo placed a small pouch of coins on the desk, hoping it was enough.

“This is… more than enough. Alright,”

He tied the letter to a Candle Bat’s leg, and opened a hatch that led to the outside of the castle.

“Number Five, Deliver this letter to the… Trings living in the caves,” 

The critter nodded, hopping through the hatch and flying off into the distance.

 

OHMYGOSHTTHANKYOUFORCONTUEINGTHISAHHHHHHHHHHHILOVETHESTORYSOMUCHAHHHHHH

[BirbMonstwo]

16 hours ago, BirbMaster2 said:

Birb!!!!!!

 

Oh holy lord wrong thread

[BirbMonstwo]

I’m sorry I was supposed to place burb on my homethread but I was stupid and tired