Chapter 21: Into Darkness
MAX
Max was scurrying up the Basin's strange wall, panicked out of his wits. He glanced down at his uncle, who was struggling to climb right below him. The hornet had no idea what'd just happened, only that they had been surrounded inside the palace, when the General had pointed his glowy hand at him and Adrian. There'd been a gold flash, and the two had suddenly landed here at the bottom of the dark cave. This still wasn't very far from the shining fortress, however, and he didn't want to face those pale things again.
"Come on," he shouted.
"Right behind you," the human called back, before worriedly asking: "You are okay rushing up like this, right, Max?"
"Uh-huh. I'm fine, uncle," Max replied, "and you're the one who was hurt worse. Can you keep up?"
"I- I'm okay, don't worry," Adrian breathed, as they reached the platform with the lamppost. "Whatever the hell he did back there was a real good wakeup."
"Okay, we're good," the bug muttered, "we're fine." He did still feel a little sore, though. How in the doma had he survived at all?"
For the next few, long minutes, the two kept climbing up the black cavern, with Max eventually helping Adrian pull himself up the highest ledge. Out of breath, he pointed at the hatch, getting a nod. This time, his uncle went first, before heaving him up onto the tram platform, where the two dead sentries still laid, one due to him.
"Okay, so what now," Adrian stated rather than asked, as they looked across the flat, lit space. "We get back to the Hive, right?"
"I guess so, yeah," the hornet said, peering ahead at the larger tunnel, which had closed while they'd been at the palace, leaving only the rockier one. "We really don't have anywhere else."
"That's true," the human sighed. "I'm guessing the way back's through there." He nudged his head towards the opening.
Max nodded, a bit confused. Out of the blue, he realized something that could've been serious, nervously asking: "What if we're followed, though?"
"I don't know, but we'll think of something," his uncle assured, stepping towards the platform's side. "And at least the Hivelings will put up a good enough fight. Let's just go no-"
He was cut off by loud, metallic clanging echoing from the decorated trapdoor, causing Max's eyes to widen in alarm.
"Doma, they're coming," he shouted, rushing forwards.
"Then we really need to go," his relative replied, also hastening his pace, as the noise already seemed to be getting closer. However, just before he reached the edge, the hornet stopped in place, sensing someone in the air.
"What's wrong," Adrian called between breaths, nervously glancing at the hatch.
There's someone here," he replied, hand going to his nail out of instinct. And a good thing it did, for the next moment, an armed bug flew up from below the ledge, forcing him to dodge backwards. He then glared at the winged sentrybug, who returned the look, before swinging forward with an angry screech. Max blocked the hit, forcing the female to step back.
"You killed our brothers in arms, savage," she hissed at him, as another, decidedly male guard climbed up beside her. "Now, in the name of the king, you shall die! As shall you, filthy creature!" She pointed her weapon at Adrian.
"Get back, uncle," Max shouted at the human, as the sentries started to close in on him.
"Where to," the man asked in reply, the echoing of the constructs even louder now.
"I- I don't know. We're boxed in," the hornet yelled anxiously, still looking ahead.
"That's right, scum." the male attacker sneered, slashing at him, which he swiftly parried, before being forced even further back by two more attacks from the other.
"Ugh, just give in and fall already," the lithe sentry growled. From the way things were looking, Max was even starting to consider it.
"Max, get into the box-thing," he suddenly heard his uncle shout, glancing aside to see him at the tram's door. Dammit, he'd completely disregarded the thing! "Now! Come on," the human added, to which he ducked under another swing, scrambling towards the vehicle.
"Get back here," one of the soldierbugs yelled, painfully grazing his back and making him yelp out. Despite it, the hornet managed to make it through the entrance, before looking back just in time to narrowly avoid the female, as she dashed inside as well. She quickly swung again, driving him further between the seats and blocking off the front control panel.
"You beasts are not getting away," she snarled, to which Max, though scared out of his mind at this point, instinctively growled back, bringing his nail forth to meet hers, their ensuing slashes cutting up the surrounding cushions. Holding his ground, the young warrior pulled back from the clash, glaring at his seething opponent.
"Max," Adrian said from behind him. "Max, we're almost out of time!" A glance out the side window revealed he was right.
"I know," the hornet snapped, anguished, "I just can't reach the buttons. You try something!"
"It's no use," the winged sentry jeered, "you'll be dead before the big ones get here."
With a yell, she charged at Max, who was barely able to block the powerful attack, desperately thinking this would really be it. However, as the female went in for another strike, there was a rumble and the entire tram suddenly lurched, throwing them both off balance. By some miracle, the hornet was able to recover first. Acting on instinct yet again, he slashed forward, causing her to stagger even more, before using what had to be the last of his strength to finally push her out of the moving box.
The young warrior leaned on the doorframe, panting heavily and glancing back towards the station, where the constructs and remaining sentry were angrily glaring after them, not even attempting to chase, as the tram fully entered the dark tunnel. A moment later, Max retreated inside, looking at his uncle, who was standing at the back control panel, clearly just as out of breath as him. The human responded with a tired, but relieved smile, which he returned. They'd gotten away, at least technically.
"We're going the wrong direction," the hornet uttered, basically collapsing onto one of the destroyed seats, as the last of his rush finally ran out.
"I- I know, Max," Adrian confessed, sitting down as well. "D'you have any idea where exactly?"
"No, Hornet didn't tell," Max spoke, "but I know that Deepnest, the place she's from, is somewhere this way. It sounded pretty harsh there, though." He sighed worriedly, thoughts momentarily drifting to her. Had she and the General even made it out of there?
"If that's the case, we'll have to watch out," the human replied, snapping him back to the conversation. "At least you have your, er, nail. I've seen how well you handle it now." He let out a small chuckle. "Really showed it to that guard lady."
He then leaned closer to the hornet. "Though they did a number on you too," he added, looming over the male's back, which had actually started to hurt.
"I'm fine, uncle. It's nothing," Max grumbled, intent on withstanding it like the proper hornet he was.
"Really," Adrian asked, before lightly tapping what was probably the scratch, causing a jolt of hot pain that made him hiss out. "Cause that didn't sound like nothing."
"But it is, though," the bug argued, carefully feeling at the light 'wound', "at least for real life-or-death battle. I could've been hurt much worse, but I wasn't. And you just said I can handle myself."
"Yeah, I did, but you know it's not gonna stop me from looking out for you," his uncle replied, "especially, when it's life-or-death like this." He set a hand on Max's shoulder. "So just let me, okay kid?" The hornet looked back and nodded, unable to argue. "And don't get too stingery. We still don't know where this goes," the human added slightly more sternly, letting out a small cough.
"Got it, sorry," the bug said with a small smile, getting one in return. They both fell silent for a bit, causing Max's thoughts to drift back to his worries.
"I wonder if Hornet's okay," he spoke up, sullen. "And Juss too. There were a lot of constructs in there, even for them."
"Ah, they'll be fine," Adrian said dismissively. "Whatever the General did to us, he can probably pull off again. Besides, you've seen more than me how good they can both fight, her in particular."
"Yeah, she's just beyond amazing with her needle," Max agreed dreamily, unable to stop himself from picturing her.
"Hmm," the human hummed, sounding weirdly interested. "You two have become real good friends, haven't you?"
The hornet could barely keep his eyes from going wide. Had he figured it out? It couldn't've been that obvious, could it? He really didn't want it to be a big thing yet. After all, hopes aside, it still wasn't clear to him how she felt.
"Yes, we have," he said cautiously, "just very good friends. Really the only thing we can do, you know. This'd be much harder otherwise."
"Huh, I see," Adrian replied with a nod, seemingly buying it, to Max's great relief. "Still, I think we should be worrying 'bout making it out ourselves right now. Whenever this thing finally stops, that is."
Max murmured in agreement and the two fell silent again, only the tram's humming audible, as the rocky wall slid past outside. He also kind of hoped the ride would be over soon.
Fortunately, that proved to be true, as only a short time later, both the human and bug heard a different, louder rumble and looked through the back window to see a large stone gate open up in front of it, letting light through and revealing the smaller platform ahead. As it approached, the tram started to slow down, before finally lurching to a full halt right beside the stop.
Letting out a groan, Max got to his feet, swaying a bit. Though the short ride had been a very nice break, it hadn't been enough to recover from everything he'd gone through in the Basin. If anything, he felt sore again. Still, he knew it was probably best if they didn't stay for too long, so after Adrian had stood up as well, also seeming pretty weary, the two quickly staggered their way to the door.
Being the one with the nail, the hornet stepped outside first, curiously glancing around this new, dimmer cave. However, just as Adrian was about to follow, there was another rumble, to which the tram suddenly sprang into life again, causing the human to yelp and stumble forward onto the metal platform. Startled, Max quickly crouched down to help him back up.
"Thanks, Max," his uncle said, as he was pulled onto his feet again.
"Are you okay," the bug asked worriedly, partly supporting his weight.
"Yeah, I think so," the human replied, his tone not very confident. "Wow, good thing we got out of that thing." Both looked towards the large tramgate, which'd already closed again. "But we should get going," the man continued. "I'm pretty sure it didn't do that on its own."
Max nodded uneasily, then began to head further into the cave at a tolerable pace. He glanced around to see his uncle take a few shaky steps, before almost stumbling again, making him hurry back.
"You are not okay, uncle," he said, once more getting under the human's arm. "Let me help."
"Alright, go ahead," Adrian spoke wearily. "I think that spark the General put in me just ran out. Sorry, I- I feel tired as hell. You saw how beaten up I was."
"Is not your fault," Max puffed, as they started clumsily heading forward. "Come on. Just follow me." He glimpsed the human giving him a nod and they continued walking through the gloomy cavern.
Although the hornet could still see fairly well, even he noticed how much darker their surroundings were. The passage ahead didn't look much better, some of the scents and sounds he could already make out from it making him feel very uneasy. Max was now pretty much entirely sure they were in Deepnest.
"Sounds like a lot of scurrying," Adrian stated, as they neared the entrance. "You sure you can see in there?"
"Yeah, sure, just hold onto me," the bug replied, determined, before asking, curious: "Actually, uncle, could you tell how you ended up down there, with us?" At that, the man sighed.
"Okay, I'll try," he then spoke. "It's still a mess, though."
"Thanks," Max said, adding: "Also, watch out with your arm. Part of my blade's bared."
Moments later, they entered the darkness of Deepnest.
ADRIAN
With his nephew helpfully at his side, Adrian limped further into the dark tunnel, still not entirely convinced that the hornet could see any more than him in this place, since the only light there was came from white, dimly glowing roots in the ground. Even if he hadn't been tired and hurting, he probably couldn't have gotten far. What made it worse were the sounds, which unnerved him as much as they did Max, whose masked head didn't spend a moment still. All around them, he heard constant scurrying and chittering coming from the walls, some of it definitely from something dangerous.
Other than the kid's sword-nail, the only thing keeping the man from actual panic was trying to process what had gone down in that giant palace certainly not even an hour before.
Things had not gone well at all, even to Adrian that much was clear. However, he still had a hard time believing everything that'd happened, especially in regards to Juss and those powers he'd shown. The man really didn't know how to feel about it. Didn't the General say his job was to protect the world from things just like that? He'd kept it secret too. Showed how much you could trust a politician. At least he was on their side, magicing the worst of his wounds, then getting him and Max out of there.
"Hey, how're you doing, uncle," Max suddenly whispered, almost spooking him.
"I'm fine, enough at least," the human said quietly, letting out a small cough. "How's it looking so far?"
"Ugh, I don't know," the changed boy replied, sounding annoyed. "There's been a few other passages, but I don't want us to get lost already. And all these scents are seriously keeping me on edge. Try to keep behind me, okay?"
Adrian nodded understandingly. Even he could feel how thick and smelly the air was, which only added to the discomfort. "Got it. You keep guiding," he encouraged. "We just have to get somewhere safer so *huff* we can rest a little more." He wasn't really sure how safe it got around here.
"Okay, yeah, you're right," the hornet muttered back. "Let's do that."
The two kept making their way through the cave, not saying much else. Only a little while later, however, Max stopped entirely, causing Adrian to as well. Peering ahead in the glow from a bunch of the white roots, the man could see that they had reached a dead end. He looked askingly at the bug, who responded by pointing up, where he glanced to find a wide, black gap in the ceiling, which must've been a passage. He glared at the bug in disbelief. He can't have been serious!
"We have to," the hornet whispered firmly. "Don't worry. It's my turn to help anyway."
He set Adrian to lean on the wall, then climbed up, quickly disappearing into the dark hole. A moment later, he reappeared on its side and extended a hand to the human. Though his arms didn't feel as awful as his legs did, getting up still took a fair bit of struggling from both of them. Thankfully, he soon made it, gratefully smiling at his nephew, who hopefully did the same behind his mask.
They continued the limp through the new, narrower passage, which was even more lightless. Adrian was pretty sure he could hear a noise right ahead, just out of sight. All of a sudden, there was an almost deafening rumble.
"Oh, doma, get back," Max yelled, forcefully pulling him against the cave wall. Trying to look, the human saw something move past right next to them.
"What the hell is it," he asked, panicked.
"I don't know, it's huge," the hornet shouted back. "It- it kinda looks like a centipede!"
Adrian swore under his breath. This place was very throughout with the bug theme. Keeping himself pressed against the wall, he inched after Max, the enormous monster beside them feeling endlessly long. Fortunately, after some time, its back end finally seemed to go past him, the rumbling slowly starting to weaken.
"You okay, uncle," he heard Max ask, feeling him support his side again.
"Still standing," Adrian huffed, though he wasn't sure how much longer. His nephew hummed in agreement and they took a couple steps forward, before abruptly coming to another halt.
"There's a hole," the bug said, without him even asking. "Looks like another passage."
"Well, we've still got enough tunnel up here," the human replied, not wanting to tire himself any more. "Let's just pass it for now."
The hornet agreed and took to guiding him, as they started to slowly edge along what had to be the hole's side. During the crossing, the man noticed what sounded like the distant rumbling getting closer again. All of a sudden, it was loud again. Max gasped and shouted: "Another one! Look out!"
Before Adrian could even try anything, he was pushed into the hole, barely managing to shield his face, before painfully landing on the ground below. Groaning, he laid in place, feeling dangerously close to just blacking out. A few moments later, Max touched down next to him.
"Sorry I had to push you, uncle," he apologized, clearly concerned. "You have no idea how close that was. Come on, I'll get you up."
Though unsure if he even could anymore, Adrian obliged, finding Max's held out hand and letting himself be pulled to his shaky, aching feet. Having done so, the two were on their way again, the human using the tunnel's wall for more support. Weirdly enough, this cave seemed a bit better lit than the others. Looking forward, he saw more light coming from ahead and quickly pointed it out to Max.
"What do you think that is? Other people, er, bugs?"
"Could be," the hornet replied warily. "Hopefully not sentries."
They continued towards the light as carefully as they could, in case the folks making it really weren't friendly. Soon, the opening into the lit cave started to become visible. However, just when even Adrian could clearly see it, something burst out of the ground with an angry screech, nearly throwing both of them off-balance.
"Stay behind me, uncle," Max said, drawing his weapon and heading against the silvery, knee-height thing, the man being left to lean on the wall, only able to look on, as the hornet slashed at the creature, which ferociously snapped back. Max let out a genuine growl, before bringing the nail straight down on its head.
Adrian watched, as he pulled his blade from the dead bug and resheathed it, glad he couldn't make out the details. Though he knew Max had done it before, it was still unnerving to witness his own nephew kill another living creature right in front of him, even if it had been necessary for their survival.
"Whew, that was something," the bug in question said.
"Sure. That was you in there, right," Adrian asked, concerned. That 'murderous rush' story also still worried him.
"Yeah, I think so." Max got back to his side. "Now come on, we're almost there."
Not waiting for any more surprises, they made it through the passage. Having made it in, they looked around to see a much wider cave, which surprisingly didn't seem to have anyone else present. The only sign of life, weirdly enough, was a single metal sitting beside a pool of steaming, glowing water fed by a stream coming from further in the cavern. The gentle sound drowned out a lot of the creepy noises from around, adding to the safe feeling. Still, for the moment, Adrian only cared for the seat and was quickly helped over by Max.
He leaned into it with a soft moan and closed his eyes, feeling himself start to drift off.
"Hey, uncle."
Annoyed, he looked to find Max sitting in the pool. "You should try this water. It feels really good."
Though a bit reluctant to leave the bench, he decided it couldn't hurt and crawled over to the steaming pond's side, testing it with his hand. God damn, the kid was right. Not only was the water nicely warm, there was also something good about it, something vitalizing. He got further into the water, not giving a damn for his already ruined clothes.
They soaked there for what was probably a few minutes, occasionally sighing with relief.
The silence was broken when Max spoke up, disheartened: "What are we going to do now?" He looked at the human. "What do we do from here, uncle?"
"I- I'm not sure," he replied. Getting back to the Hive seemed much harder now. "I think we should at least try and find the others, have the General think of something." He frowned. "You know, that pale bastard seemed much stronger than he'd made him out to be."
"Uh-huh, he was," the hornet groaned. "We kinda had him at first, but he just kept getting more and more powerful." He shot a slightly accusing glance. "Got even worse when you showed up."
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," the man apologized.
"Do you think you can finally tell how that happened?"
Adrian nodded and began recount what little he could remember: How Apisia'd left him waiting alone, hearing the Call, running through the black haze and how much it'd hurt, finishing with how he had been brought back to reality by Juss, all the while Max listened silently.
"Wow. Thank mother for the General," he said once the human was finished "You think the king'd be able to do that to the army too?"
"Nah, doubt it," Adrian assured, "I was just one guy. There's bound to be loads of our boys up there."
"Alright, I think. Though, we're lucky that your speaking charm's still intact."
"I guess that's magic for ya," the man agreed, glancing down at the ornament still hanging onto his tattered shirt. Other than a few scratches, it was completely fine.
Max stood up. "Well, you can doze off if you want," he said, stepping out of the pool. "I'll be on lookout in case anything comes near." He left Adrian's view.
However, the human then realized that he wasn't the least bit tired anymore. Quickly getting up himself, he found that any pain or weakness in his legs was also gone. The glowy water was a real miracle cure!
He glanced over to see the hornet standing at the far end of the cave, looking around with his face pointed strangely upwards. Confused, he walked up to him, giving a tap on the shoulder.
"Huh?" The bug turned around. "Oh, the water made you feel better as well."
"Sure did." Adrian smirked, before asking: "What's the matter? You look like you're searching for something."
"Yes, I am." The kid became more serious. "I picked up this scent and I- I think we should follow it. Everything else I've sensed here has felt at least a little dangerous, but this one feels good, inviting even. It's almost like a call."
The man's eyes widened. "Max, I just told you about how my mind was messed with," he warned. "This could be something similar. You shouldn't trust it."
"I don't think so. I'm fine otherwise," his nephew protested. "My eyes look normal too, see? There's something familiar about this smell and I really think it could help us. Maybe it'll at least be good prey."
Adrian wasn't convinced. "Are you completely sure this isn't bad?"
"Yeah, definitely," Max affirmed. "Besides, we don't know where else to go."
The adult sighed, still wary, but having to admit he was right. "Fine, we'll try it, then," he said. "Just please don't get us killed."
"I won't." Max nodded firmly, turning towards the cave exit. "Now let's go."
"But not yet." Adrian responded, prompting the bug to look back.
"I'd like to dry off some more before that," he added, having started to shiver a bit.
HORNET
The first thing Hornet noticed upon waking up, was how cold and sore she felt. Opening her eyes, the warrior found herself surrounded by complete darkness, unable to see anything. Confused, she quickly rose to her feet, looking around for even the faintest hint of light and trying to recall what had happened to her. All of a sudden, the halfling realized that her new needle wasn't in her grasp, nor around the spot where she'd just laid.
Then, it all came back to her: Their invasion of the White Palace, the lengthy, failed battle against the Pale King, how she'd nearly lost Max, before having to flee down into the dungeons with Yuss. And finally, how'd they'd plummeted down.
Into the Abyss.
Hornet became utterly terrified, understanding why everything was so lightless. There simply was none in the depths of the black Void that she was now in the middle of, alone and without a weapon. Even worse, the halfling felt no scents other than a linger of the General's, likely from her cloak. She wasn't among the kind that easily travelled by touch alone, which meant she was entirely trapped and blind. Who knew what ancient monstrosities lurked about down here, ready to devour lost little younglings like the beasts in Midwife's tales.
Her dread growing, Hornet felt herself start to breathe faster, as she rapidly turned her head, trying to make something out.
"I see that you're awake," a deep, familiar voice suddenly spoke up, almost causing her to shriek out.
"Huh? Hyu-man? Where are you," the bug shakily asked in reply, before glancing to the side and seeing a single, tiny glowing circle stare at her through the dark, sending chills down her shell.
"I'm right here, Hornet. Don't worry," the male replied calmly. "How are you feeling?"
"Not very well," the warrior confessed. "I cannot see a thing here."
"Hmm?" Her companion sounded surprised. "Then we'd better fix that." As he said so, the darkness around them was promptly filled with warm, golden light, allowing her to properly see the hyu-man, who was leaned against a mound of black rock, with his glowing right hand held forth in a way a bug would've a lantern. "
While it also wasn't much brighter than one, it was enough for Hornet. She stepped closer to Yuss, already feeling safer. This comfort quickly gave way to annoyance.
"Why didn't you wake me up," she demanded, glaring at him. "I thought I was on my own. You saw how frightened I was!"
"Exactly. And that got you up and alert," the General spoke, audibly smug. "It was quite funny too."
Embarrassed and angry, the female was about to snap back, before being stopped by the soldier: "Better watch your tone with me, young lady. You've seen what I can do now." To emphasize, he raised the glowing hand, which the warrior now noticed was without its glove.
This and the sudden authoritative tone had their effect.
"I- Excuse me," Hornet found herself sullenly muttering. The male gave a single nod, leading to a short, but uncomfortable silence. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something long and sharp glisten just outside the glow's reach, quickly recognizing it regardless. "Excuse me," she said again, before taking off.
Stooping down, the warrior picked up the blade she'd been gifted, holding back the urge to embrace it. She held it firmly, feeling a lot more confident, especially regarding what her companion had just said. Eyes narrowing, Hornet sent him a sideways glare. What'd given him the right? Honestly, what even was this magic he possessed? Earlier in the palace, she'd been entirely set on escape and hadn't had to make sense of it, but now, questions finally arose in her mind. How had he known so much when it came to battling the Pale King?
Thinking about it now, the color of his powers looked considerably similar to that of the-
"General," Hornet called, pointing her needle towards him. "I believe it is time you gave me some answers." In response, the soldier raised his other hand.
"I know and I'm sorry for that threat," he spoke, regret in his tone. "It was really uncalled for and I should've handled myself better, alright?"
Though surprised by the apology, the warrior quickly dismissed it. "You know that is not what I meant," she shouted angrily, her words echoing. "This magic you use. How do you have it? Max told me hyu-mans can't use magic. Are you even one of their kind?"
"Calm yourself, Hornet, you know where we are," the General said in a stern voice, warily glancing around, before sighing deeply. "I understand that you're frustrated and I can't really blame you for it. It's true that I've kept you in the dark concerning my nature, as well as other things." His tone grew heavier. "Things you honestly have every right to be told, which I now plan to respect."
"What manner of things," the warrior asked with dwindling anger, though with her needle still raised at him. "Can I even trust what you say?"
"Hornet, come on. You know I'm not the enemy here," the General pleaded. "I truly wish to help you, all of you. Please, just lower your blade, so I may explain what I can."
Curiosity getting the better of her, Hornet nodded, pointing her precious weapon to the ground. Then, still a tad skeptical, she hesitantly approached the male.
"Tell me, then," she began, standing in front of him, "Are you truly hyu-man?"
"Yes, I am," her companion affirmed, "though it may look slightly otherwise." He waved his glowing hand again.
"Indeed. How is it that you have this magic," Hornet asked, yet inclined to believe what Max had once said. "I know ordinary hyu-mans do not."
The soldier harrumphed. "What makes you think you know so much about humans," he replied. "Humans know little about humans, your striped little friend included. They don't even know it either. However, you're not wrong about me. I am indeed special, to put it very simply. Actually, I'm something similar to you." He looked straight at the bug.
"Hmm? How come?" The young female was confused. "What have we in common?"
"You and I are both descended from gods, Hornet," the hyu-man began, "though with you it's much more direct than with me. You see, I hail from an old bloodline of humans, whose roots go back thousands of years to powerful ancient higher beings just like your father." Hornet winced at the mention. "Sorry," he quickly said in reply, then kept explaining: "Thisancestry has left me a natural connection to magic, along with other forces. It's helped, but it's also left its mark. See?"
He moved his hand closer, the light from it dimming slightly, which let the bug make out patterns of glowing symbols on the soft shell. "And considering how powerful he is I'm more than certain the ability's in you as well, Hornet, waiting to be awakened, like- like I once did mine."
He sighed deeply, finished, as the warrior could only gape, her eyes wide, unsure if she was even able to fully grasp what'd just been said. Other higher beings? She'd heard there were more far beyond the cliffs, but had never given it much thought before.
"I'm sorry. I know this is a lot for you to take in," Yuss spoke. "And it's okay if you don't, at least not right now. We've got time, hopefully." Both sent uneasy glances at the darkness around them.
"I- I truly have no clue what to make of most of that," Hornet then said, finding her voice. "But do you truly mean to tell that part of his power carried over to me?" The General nodded. "I always took it that I only inherited his form. I was never told of this. I wasn't even taught any magic." She frowned, realizing the probable cause. "It wasn't favored in Deepnest."
Back in her first youth, even the Weavers had always made her focus on battling and endurance, despite weaving their own spells. Other than charms, she'd almost never had any real dealings with magic, as it'd otherwise become a rare sight during the Infection.
"I see. That is unfortunate. But even then, you were trained to survive and fight." The hyu-man stood up and motioned at her. "And look how well you've done that. You guarded this damned kingdom with your blade and skills alone. You even stood a chance against an empowered god. That's no easy feat and I really have to give my respects."
Hornet would've smiled. However, the words brought her back to their current situation and how grave it was.
"You may, even, but how is that going to help us now," she asked sullenly. "We lost." She huffed, as other questions finally formed in her mind.
"And this tale of yours, these explanations. Why couldn't you tell us these 'important' things before? Of your abilities as well." Hornet was starting to get angry again, her voice rising. "In fact, why did you make so little use of them against the Wyrm? We might've still defeated him!"
The warrior seethed, as the hyu-man raised his hand. "Hornet, I'm-"
"And you lied of his strength," she cut in. "You boasted that he was still weak and that we'd swiftly set things right, yet he overpowered us with ease. Why even believe we could face him like that? He nearly killed Max!"
"Because I made a mistake," the General loudly shouted back, his echoing words silencing the female.
"I overestimated us and was misled and I am sorry!" He hung his head. "It's my fault we lost, I admit it. The preparations may've gone well, I'd say Max's training especially, but I still had them be too quick. I- I was so entirely confident that bastard wouldn't be able attempt anything serious before us that when he did kill the White Lady, I just got angry and didn't even suspect what it might've entailed."
He paused, sighing harshly, prompting the warrior to ask: "What did murdering her have to do with his power, then? Are you saying that somehow enhanced it?"
"Exactly," the hyu-man said darkly. "The Lady was a higher being as well. Their kind may be powerful and immortal, but their life is directly linked to the magic coursing through them. Do you remember the king's nail?"
"Ghost's nail," Hornet corrected. That the king dared to use such a noteworthy blade only heightened her fury at him. How had his sentries even come upon it?
"Its name aside," Yuss went on, "not only did he stab the Lady, but also used it to rob her of her energy, take it for himself. He kept his own power concealed too, so I could only sense her dying. He didn't fully drain her either, but left a cruelly small bit that she couldn't hope to survive from." He hissed at the ground. "That fuck. Not even my father did something so-"
He stopped himself. "I'm sorry, you get the point."
Hornet nodded, understanding his outrage.
However, though her own anger had faded, she still wasn't wholly satisfied. "But why all that secrecy regarding your powers?"
Her companion looked up. "Oh come on, Hornet, we've only known each other for three days. I believed quickly defeating the king would grant me a better opportunity to properly explain these things to you. It's not something I can trust anyone with. Most of my kind doesn't know of them."
"Well, you aren't among them here," the spiderling argued. "You could've used them more. Why didn't you?"
The hyu-man sighed. "To be honest," he replied, "I prefer to steer away from them if possible. You can fault me for it, but I just do. Besides, here, I had to anyway. The same way I sensed out the king's yet-growing power before, he could've just as easily detected mine if I hadn't kept most of it hidden. At the palace, that became pointless."
"Yet you're using them now," Hornet warily pointed out, to which he let out a chuckle.
"Relax, a simple light's not enough to be noticeable." He glanced around. "Regardless, wherever this darkness down here has come from, it's definitely thick enough to veil me from him, even with his new strength. He likely thinks we're dead already."
The female was slightly relieved. That gave them at least a small chance at survival. Still, matters didn't look good at all. "Even if so, defeating him will now be nigh impossible," she said, disheartened.
"It'll be much harder, yes," the hyu-man agreed. "And there'll be a time to worry about it. First, though, we need to get out of this place and get back with the others. Do you know where the entrance might be?"
The warrior shook her head "No, I've not ventured this far before," she said. "But couldn't you just send us away? You seem rested enough now."
"I am, but sending both of us would already reveal us to the king," her companion replied, "and I can't just go alone and leave you here, now can I?"
The halfling's eyes widened. "N- no, you definitely can't." This much dark still frightened her. "Still, I don't know which way to go."
Yuss chuffed, saying: "Then it's good we don't have many options."
He raised the lit hand. Finally taking a proper look outside the glow, Hornet could make out they were on a modestly sized rocky island jutting out of a smooth sea of pure blackness, seemingly bigger than even the Blue Lake. Looking around, she also better saw the tall spire they were standing close to, as well as a series of dark rocks leading over the Void. Neither path looked very trustworthy.
"So, which way do we choose," the hyu-man asked. "It's your call."
"I- I think we should follow the lower path," Hornet replied. Although it lead upward, her instinct told not to trust the tower. She hoped it was right. However, she also didn't want to waste any more time.
"Let's get going, hyu-man."
He looked at her. "Please, Hornet, just call me Lembit."
That took the Warrior aback. Were even important hyu-mans this informal when it came to names. At least his made sense to say. Though not as much as Max's-
She shook her head clear. They had to go
The two made their way across the rocks. Yuss, being the light-being, jumped first and the warrior followed, taking great care not to touch or even come close to the dark liquid below. Surprisingly soon after, they reached genuine land again, starting down a trail, which soon lead to a tunnel in the dark cavern's wall, strengthening Hornet's confidence she'd indeed chosen the right path.
However, she still kept cautiously close to Lembit, as they headed into the smaller cave. She still faulted the General for what his arrogance had cost them, but now hoped he'd be able to make up for them. She also found her mind drifting to the hyu-man's tales, becoming more and more curious about his 'special' race.
"Er, Lembit," she addressed, getting an asking hum. "I think I'd like to know more of this line you said you belong to. What is it you're called?"
"There aren't enough of us that we'd have a name like that," Yuss replied. "Closest thing now would probably be my own family name or just half-blood. Though once, when there were still other lines like ours, regular humans that saw them as a threat called them Tainted."
Hornet grimaced. "How many are there of you now," she asked, sympathetic.
"Two, me included."
"Oh." She promptly felt guilty for asking. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We're enough," he assured.
"Well, if there are so few of you, where do you reside," the female queried. "Where do you serve as General?" Of things Max had told her of the surface, she knew hyu-mans lived across quite a number of different tribes, Hallownest being in the middle of a great one known as Amerikah.
"Well, it is a fairly small nation that's quite far from here. One which my family's considered itself a part of for a long time," Lembit began, his tone growing softer. "First of us were even kings there. Its people are resilient, lived through quite a lot." He sighed. "They can be stubborn as hell sometimes, but they're my people and damn it all if I don't love them."
Although moved, Hornet just had to huff, which her companion noticed.
"You don't like me swearing, do you?"
"It is simply good manners not to," she shot back. "I thought you'd be one to follow them better. You did before."
"I'm a soldier. It's habit to us," the General said. "Still, I'll try not to if you so wish."
The warrior nodded thankfully. "Please do."
"Alright," he agreed, before mumbling: "Just hoped I'd get to be m-"
He abruptly cut himself off, halting in place. Alert, the warrior quickly looked back forward. In the darkness ahead, which somehow seemed more intense than before, she caught sight of multiple pairs of pure white orbs, silently staring at them. Glancing behind, she saw they were there as well. They were surrounded.
"What are these," Yuss whispered.
"I haven't a clue," Hornet replied, firmly grasping her needle.
For a few moments, the two stared at the white 'eyes', who replied with the same, until one pair approached. As a shadowy being floated into the General's light, the halfling's eyes suddenly widened. Although their color was now that of pure black, she still clearly recognized those horns.
'Ghost,' she could only mouth.
Then, it spoke.
"Greetings, sister."
So, if memory serves correctly, this Fanfic turns one year old today. Yay!
With this proper start to year 2, I'd just like you to keep the constructive criticism coming, since I'm not sure if I handled all the exposition in this chapter that well. I'd also really like to know if I should keep the dialouge format from the Interlude chapter or go back to what I did here, so just lemme know.
Sorry to keep you waiting, complicated business. Next one won't take so long. R&R