2019.02.02 Page 1055 - The Dungeons

**Karen:** _Ngh..._
**Karen:** _Eugh..._ what happened? Where are we?
**Chicken:** _BAWK BAWK_
**Karen:** _COUGH_
**Karen:** And why is it so cold and dusty in here?
**Karen:** _Ah!_ Maddie! Oh no... Wake up–!
**Madelyn:** I _am_ awake, dummy. We’re in a dungeon. I’m fine.
**Karen:** But you got hurt...
**Madelyn:** I said I’m fine. It’s just bruised ribs. I’m a Basitin.
**Karen:** You don’t sound fine to me. What’s wrong?
**Madelyn:** . . .
**Madelyn:** You’re not a Basitin. You wouldn’t understand.
**Karen:** I can try.
**Madelyn:** When I was born, the old goats were so excited. A _**new**_ Adelaide.
**Madelyn:** My mother was already a living legend by then. The embodiment of what it means to be a Basitin.
**Madelyn:** But as I grew up, it quickly became obvious I wasn’t going to end up like her... _“What a waste.”_ They’d say. _“Maybe next time.”_ No matter how much I excelled in other ways, I was always seen as a disappointment.
**Madelyn:** And the old goats were right. Cunning can only take you so far. I wasn’t strong enough to help you. Or myself.
**Karen:** Madelyn, _**anyone**_ would have had trouble with that big lizard. And you’re just a kid. You could still grow to be like her one day!
**Madelyn:** Karen, I’m not actually a kid. I’m seventeen. My mother was twice my size at my age.