Chapter 22: 'Family' Feuds and Confessions

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HORNET


The warrior gaped at the dark, yet familiar being in front of her, before quickly collecting herself.

"Ghost," she deadpanned. "You speak."

"Quite so, sister," the former vessel affirmed, their voice, wherever it came from, unnervingly whispery. "For it, you have only our Void to thank, alongside many other things."

"About that, we shall see," Hornet stated, slightly wary of the once-short hero's praise for the darkness. Then again, it was which he appeared to be formed of now. "I take it you've been residing, ugh, here since we battled the Hollow Knight and Infection?"

"Yes," her 'sibling' hissed, needlessly lengthening the word. "My defeat of the Radiance freed me from my shell and reunified me with the Void and our other siblings." To the warrior's shock, a black tendril then burst out of their backside, waving towards the rest of the white orbs in the darkness.

"We've all been more than eager to meet you once again, you know,"the shade continued. "Yet enough of us. What is it that's brought you tumbling into our Void, sister?"

"How did you-," the warrior started, before deciding not to bother (though the idea of being spied on did annoy her a little). "Never mind. Our coming here is a long story. A great number of things have happened in your absence, the gravest of them being the return of the Pale King," She sighed deeply, "our father."

"Do not call him that," Ghost growled in reply. "My sole parent is the Void. And it knows already of the Wyrm's disquieting return, as well as of his powers' sudden growth not long ago, though not how that came to be. You fell from the Palace Grounds. I take it you do."

Hornet nodded joylessly, saying: "Indeed. I'm not very learned of the specifics, but I know he gained his strength by draining the White Lady and bringing denizens from the surface under his rule."

"Yes, he's got quite the plan for invasion," added Lembit, who'd been quiet thus far. "The-"

"Silence, Light-Bringer," the Void being roared, taking the halfling aback, "and be thankful. Our Void would've consumed you already were you not helping Hornet see!"

"I also saved her life, you know," the hyu-man replied darkly, his hand getting brighter, "so I advise you be a tad more polite or she'll be seeing even better." The shade started shying away, as the light became painful to look at.

"Lembit, stop it," Hornet spoke up (perhaps a bit too worriedly). "You shouldn't anger the Void. We've a common enemy here."

"Alright," her companion said offhandedly, his light dimming at once. "I'll be friendly with you, little shadow. Though I'd also like to know more of this Void of yours. What exactly is it? It feels powerful, yet I cannot sense anything truly in control. How come?"

"You wouldn't know of it, surface dweller," Ghost growled. "While our Void is beyond ancient, it hasn't been unified enough to have a mind alike the beings' above, only a will. One, which we are to carry out." They shot Hornet a sharp glance, forcing her to suppress a shudder.

"Would it be willing to let you help us, then," she stated, hopeful. With the higher being's strength, they undoubtedly needed allies to stand the slightest chance. It'd also have been nice to fight alongside her 'sibling' for once.

"The Pale King is as much our Void's foe as was the Radiance, sister," the shade replied, "and we shall see him vanquished in its name."

"That won't be easy if it's as unfocused as you said it is," the General spoke, his arms crossed, "However strong, a mindless force of nature can't hope to match a Keeper, especially one like the king now is. He's even made his constructs from your dear Void."

"I know! I've had to face them myself," Ghost said, anger in their tone. "But be aware, Lembit, that our power isn't wholly without mind anymore. As wearer of the Void Heart, I now command my siblings as Lord of Shades." They looked towards Hornet again. "Despite that, we've not yet enough strength to truly leave our Abyss. For that, we need you, sister."

The hyu-man let out a confused hum, reflecting the female's own feelings. "How so," she asked. "How can I help you out of this place?"

"You are strong by nature," Ghost began, "born of god and beast. And you've only gained in your ability by defending the ruins of Hallownest for so long, frozen in time as you both were-"

"Get to your point, shade," Lembit interrupted. "What do you want her to do?"

The Void being growled at him, before facing the warrior. "Sister, our Void senses that your power joined to its' would grant it the means to finally advance above. Thusly, my want of you is simple." Suddenly, another black tendril came out of them, this time held out like a hand. "Take hold of me and become one with our Void, with us, so that I may mold you into my equal. Together, we shall reclaim Hallownest!"

There was silence, as Hornet stared at the shade, her mind slowly grasping what they'd just told her. To join with the darkness? Indeed, they needed aid, yet she'd come to understand the Void was ultimately as malevolent as the Infection. While she would've lent a hand to her still-heroic 'sibling', the same definitely wasn't the case for their new realm. There had to be other ways.

"I am sorry, Ghost," she spoke, "but I will have to refuse. Now please, move aside so we may be on our way."

A 'wave' seemed to ripple through the blackness surrounding them.

"That," Ghost snarled, "was not an offer, Hornet."

Before the warrior could react, the shadow lunged forth. Just as it reached her, however, Lembit swiftly punched at it, sending them back with a burst of gold. Coming to a halt, the 'shade lord' let out a loud roar, several new tendrils bursting out of their sides, as the many-eyed darkness began to quickly flow closer. Frightened, Hornet looked to the hyu-man, whose hand brightened, until it released another, stronger blast, forcing the shadow away. Right after, he pointed forwards, unleashing a bolt of light that created a tunnel through the lively blackness.

"Get your bearings, Hornet, we are leaving," he then shouted at the female, who gave a firm nod, to which he promptly started into it.


Hornet rushed after him through the darkness without looking back, fleeing the Abyss the sole thing on her mind. That did not change when another roar sounded from behind them, followed by a nightmarishly deep voice, seemingly from everywhere, saying:

"Chase…Extinguish…Consume"

The tunnel was beginning to get rather long. Fortunately, she soon discerned the air feeling slightly colder, hoping that meant its end was near. That proved to be true, as she suddenly sensed the walls opening up, while the ground beneath turned a lot rougher, starting to feel like shell? Yes! They were almost out!

The General then stopped in front of her, raising his hand to better light the wider chasm, letting the halfling see that its floor was made up of hundreds, if not thousands of lifeless, cracked masks of vessels.

"The he- What happened here," the hyu-man asked.

"Horrific things," Hornet replied darkly. "Yet it is our way out. Look above." She pointed upwards, where, in the darkness, was a faint speck of white light from the lumafly lantern she'd left there to find her way back from her short explorations.

"Okay, let's not waste any more time, then," Lembit stated. "How do we get up there?"

The warrior showed towards the lowest ledge. "From the-," she began, before seeing a pair of white eyes staring down from it, quickly joined by several others. A moment later, she heard what sounded like the howling of wind, as the darkness surrounding them once again became more intense, pushing in against the hyu-man's light. She lowered herself, glancing around. Here, they at least stood a chance.

"Sister, why do you flee?" Needle at the ready, Hornet flashed around to see the tendriled figure of Ghost float out of the wall of darkness, staring at them.

"We only wish to aid you," they spoke. "Why do you reject it?"

"Because she's smart enough not to trust a darkness like yours," Lembit replied in the female's stead, to which she nodded, though a tad uneasily.

"Truly? Why can she not say so herself, then," the shade asked, before turning towards her. "Sister, I know you are wise beyond your years. You must see that our Void's is the only way to win. I ask that you show your resolve and accept it, so that it may remake you."

"No, Ghost. There ought to be better means," the warrior argued back, starting to become fed up with her sibling's flattering.

"There aren't. It is already best," the shadow insisted. "I do not want to ask you again, Hornet." Their voice deepened. "Come here!"

Hornet realized there was no chance she'd keep things civil anymore. They could hardly be called so already. She glanced towards the General and gave the slightest nod, quickly getting one in reply. She hoped he did understand her.

"Very well," she then coldly said, before dashing at the shade with the speed of a Mantis. She slashed straight through the inky being, who, to the warrior's surprise, didn't let out another roar or cry.

"So be it," they instead hissed, seemingly unaffected, as two of their tendrils lashed at her. She swiftly parried one, dodging out the other's way, only to suddenly come mask-to-mask with a different shade that promptly struck her in the midsection, the strong blow slamming her backwards, nearly off her feet. Quickly shaking her head to recover, she looked ahead to behold multiple added joining Ghost from the darkness.

Glaring silently, the 'Shade Lord' simply waved a tendril, causing two to break off from the rest and hover towards her. She tightened her grip, as they grew ever closer, until finally lunging at them, piercing one, which this time had the desired outcome. Before she could cut down the other, however, it was slashed in half by a brightly lit greatnail. Hornet looked to see the hyu-man standing beside her, his hand still aglow as well.

"They will return, you know. Void cannot be killed," Ghost taunted, "Even now, you are beyond outnumbered."

"Perhaps. We're yet to see if outmatched," the General replied indifferently, then leaned closer to Hornet, quietly saying: "Distract them as well as you can. I'll focus on securing us a way up."

The warrior nodded, her eyes narrowing at the shades, more of which were floating into view. She lowered her stance, as a greater pack drew closer, before launching forth yet again. She struck with her blade, while avoiding her 'siblings'' own swift, yet evidently powerful blows. Still, they were no match for her speed and soon began to sink back into the ground of shells, only for others to take their place right after, forcing her to keep on the move and fighting.

Amongst the battle, she glimpsed, as her companion swung at three shades, before grabbing one of the broken masks and hurling it at a fourth. He then pointed upward with his nail, suddenly disappearing in a gold flare. Hornet's alarm was cut short by an attacking shade, whom she quickly dodged, then disposed of. Noticing she could still see, the halfling looked up to catch her source of light standing alone on the ledge, waving for her to join him. She glanced angrily at Ghost, before leaping up herself.

"I took it you couldn't do so here," she said indignantly.

"I said I couldn't send us out. This was only short range," the hyu-man replied, looking up. "Now keep after me, will you!" He raised his nail and once again flashed out of sight, his shine reappearing above on the next outcrop. Letting out a huff, Hornet jumped onto the chasm wall to follow.

"You are not leaving here," thundered from below.

The warrior made it to the ledge just as the first of the shades reached her, grasping at her cloak. She stabbed it with the back of her needle and climbed on to rejoin the General, the two finding themselves surrounded already. They fought off a couple more poor attempts of attack, before suddenly being met with the dark figure of Ghost rising to meet them.

"It'd be rather nice if you left us alone already," Lembit shouted, aiming his blade at them, the spiderling following suit.

"We shall consider so once we've claimed that who is ours,"the shade replied, again glaring at the female.

"In your wildest visions," she growled, before darting at them, dealing rapid needle-hits, most of which were swiftly blocked by the Shade Lord's tendrils that quickly forced her back beside the hyu-man.

"It boggles our mind why you struggle like this, Hornet," Ghost spoke up. "Surely you're aware that even if you managed to fell the Pale King on your lonesome, you would have to take his place."

The warrior frowned. Why did they have to bring it up like this? She'd hoped she could forget of it for the time being. "I- I am, yes," she answered. "What of it? It can't be changed."

"Yet it can, if you'd only let us," her sibling insisted. "After all, it is actually I who claimed the King's Brand."

Hornet's eyes widened slightly. They had a point. Perhaps she- No! She couldn't, besides: "You may've, but I no longer sense it on you, nor your Void," she stated. "And I- I'm certain I can handle my responsibilities."

"You are surprisingly naïve today," the Shade Lord uttered. "No matter. You'll soon be better." They roared, prompting the siblings to charge at the two. Shifting to a defensive stance, the female fought off the first few, her companion slashing at them as well.

All of a sudden, she was nearly knocked down by Ghost's tendril, barely managing to parry another. Their owner just stared at her, making her hiss in return, eyes focused on them. Now they'd fight proper.

"Heads up, incoming," she heard suddenly Lembit call, briefly glimpsing more Void beings approach, before being caught off guard yet again, this time from behind.

"Oh, f- Hornet," the hyu-man shouted, blocked off by the attacking shades, as she failed to regain balance and stumbled forward.

"Yes, to me," Ghost hissed, a number of tendrils grabbing hold of her. Despite her struggles, they managed to pull her closer to their lord. "It's best this way," said the once-hero, another inky arm plunging at her face.

For a couple, terrifying moments, Hornet was in cold darkness, unable to breathe, with her mind starting to numb. Then, she felt the hold on her needle-arm loosen slightly, prompting her to thrash it forth, which caused the grasp on her to falter even more. She kicked at the Void, sending her falling out and back to the ledge, somehow onto her feet.

"-rnet. Hornet," she heard Yuss call her, breathing heavily, while simply glaring at Ghost.

"I see."

"Hornet!" The General grabbed her shoulder, shouting: "Listen only to the sound of my voice, okay! Grab my arm and be ready to climb!"

This brought her back to the moment and she nodded, though confused, taking hold of the hyu-man as asked. Then, before the surrounding shades could make for them again, the female saw a burst of yellow and suddenly found herself in midair by the chasm's side. Latching on, she saw the next ledge just above and swiftly began climbing to it, reaching it ahead of her companion. Having pulled herself up, she caught her breath, looking up to the metal exit platform, which was no longer far. Moments later, Lembit made it on as well.

"Not much more to go," he huffed. "How are you doing, Hornet?"

"I- I am well," she assured.

"Of that, you are mistaken," Ghost declared, catching up to them already, alone. "I see it now. Your mind's been weakened, robbed of years of willpower."

"When'll you see she won't hear your nonsense," the hyu-man retorted.

"Brought back to the youngling's you're now treated as,"the shade continued, ignoring him, "at the mercy of its own feelings. Listen to me, Hornet. If you follow him above now, you will inevitably fail. Stay and I can grant you back your unwavering nature." Their Void tendrils reached towards Hornet, waving as if wanting her to approach them again.

She frowned, the vessel's words resonating with her. In a way, being able to feel more did make her weaker. She couldn't really think herself as ruthless as she'd once been anymore. Then again, did she need to be? Her time as a lone protector was long over.

"I'm not going to trade it for servitude of the Void," she spoke. "I shan't yield, Ghost."

"Why," her sibling snarled. "What have you left other than us?"

The halfling's eyes widened. "What?"

"What have you left, sister?" The shade now sounded smug. "Your mother is dead, as is most of your tribe, the Weavers have left. Even the Hive I know shall soon be done for. And any other bug is lost to the king already."

"I-," Hornet stuttered, unsure of how to reply. They once again spoke the truth, though a far graver one this time. She did have very little left. And while she'd come to terms with her mother's passing, the thought of Vespa fading still harrowed.

"Face it," Ghost went on, "you've nothing but grief up there. Grief only strengthened by your weak mind. Our Void can free you from it, so be wise and give in already! You're all butalone without us!"

"I'm not- You do not know that," the female argued desperately. But were they that much off? Save the Hive and its queen, the only proper acquaintances (or even allies) she had were the General, Adrian and Max. He was a friend, even more in her mind.

"Is that so? Tell me, then, which of those undoubtedly few actually care for you," her sibling asked, "other than as a mere compeer or instrument." They glanced to Lembit.

"I feel baselessly accused," the hyu-man muttered, then saying. "Pay him no mind, Hornet. As I said, it's nonsense."

"Unfortunately for you, she's begun to see the truth."

Indeed, the warrior wasn't at all certain anymore. She might've felt for Max, but still hadn't an idea how the hornet thought of her. Would he miss her that much? "But they're-," she stuttered, hopelessly looking back at the General, whom it didn't amuse.

"Oh, come on," he groaned, "you're really letting him get to you? Hornet, you needn't worryabout Vespa. She's not going anywhere for a good while. And besides, she's not the only bug yearning to see you again."

What? Hornet's eyes widened anew. Did he truly mean-

"Heed not his falsehoods, sister," Ghost hissed, "We are all you-"

"Shut it, I wasn't finished." Lembit snapped, before looking back at her. "Wouldn't you want to give him that, to make him happy?" The female could only stare at him, dumbfound, to which he simply nodded. "Yes, I know you do. Now live up to it!"

He knew. And he liked it. For some good reason, that made her feel relieved, very much so. Encouraged, she nodded back, before facing towards Ghost with a firm glare.

"So you truly have one," they muttered, then shook their head. "Oh, be sensible, sister. A mere pash does not outweigh family. Cease these excuses and accept your fate."

"We are family through blood and naught else," Hornetspoke sternly, "and Max is nothing mere. He is my friend and will be my partner!"

"Hornet, I am warning you," her sibling growled.

"Go ahead," the warrior replied coldly, shifting into a battle stance. "Neither you, nor your Void can daunt me anymore."

"Very well. You've been allowed enough chances," the Shade Lord boomed in a deep tone, as uncountable pairs of white eyes suddenly rose into the darkness around, surrounding the two within moments. "Simply remember, Hornet, that I've bested you twice before."

"Hmm, really," the General asked dismissively, his nail brought up as well. "Hasn't quite felt like it so far."

"He is right, Ghost," Hornet spoke. "You surpassed me as a valiant knight. Now you're no more than another beast."

"Beast? I shall show you a beast," the warped vessel roared, their tendrils reaching out, before slamming back together, causing the swarm of Void to quickly flood inward. Taken aback, the warrior barely angled her blade to parry, yet to no effect. For an instant, everything went black again.

"Back! All of you," the echoing voice of Lembit yelled, the darkness being forced away by a surge of his magic, before more quietly stating: "Okay, so perhaps we understated him a bit. There's a lot of them."

"Agreed," Hornet breathed, slicing through an attacking shade. "How've so many returned already?"

"Well, your little talk may've helped it along," the hyu-man said accusingly, glancing up. "Doesn't matter. We're getting out. I hope you still remember how to dash."

"I do, yes. Why," Hornet asked, felling another, as even more approached.

"Just make sure you land on the d- platform," her companion ordered, before gripping the back of her midsection with his free hand and promptly launching her upwards. Momentarily shocked at flying through the air, the warrior then felt memories of using her old needle spring up and swiftly realigned herself towards the metal ledge, alighting onto it. She'd made it, but alone.

Having caught her breath, she quickly looked back down from the edge and was frightened to find the hyu-man's warm light missing amid the darkness. Then, however, she caught a small flash, closely followed by several others, before, at last, there was an eruption of gold and she saw him flying up. Moments later, he landed beside her.

"That, that was close," he breathed out, resheathing his nail, as his hand's glowing died down. "So, this is the exit?" Hornet was about to affirm, but got interrupted by an angry cry from the Abyss below.

A single, large shade flew up, one Hornet quickly recognized as the vessel's slain together by her and Ghost to end the Infection. She lowered herself, prepared to kill them once more. The Hollow Knight responded in earnest, lunging at her, before being abruptly grabbed and punched by Lembit.

"No! Bad! Away with you," he shouted, dealing another blow, which sent the creature tumbling back down.

Without another word, the hyu-man then turned back around and began heading for the exit into the Basin, wordlessly motioning for the wordless halfling to follow.


They crossed through the Abyss' gate. To Hornet, the natural darkness of the cave paled in comparison to the chasm's she had just braved. A part of her still couldn't believe she'd done so. Another couldn't believe the things she had learned down there.

"Lembit," she addressed, "excuse my disbelief, but do you honestlymean I'd be able to do something akin to that?" She waved back the way they'd come.

"Most likely," the hyu-man replied, coming to a halt and leaning on the cave wall. "It'll be interesting to explore. However, I don't think it's our most relevant topic right now." He crossed his arms with a strange look. "Come on. You know what I mean."

The female's eyes widened. Then, sighing, she nodded. "Was it truly so obvious?"

"It was, yes. Especially in the palace," the male replied, to which she hung her head. Of course. Her companion noticed it. "You basically admitted it in there, that you loved him. Why'd you act like this just now?"

"Because I've little idea about love, of how it works," she spoke, her tone raised. "Back there, I- I was truly scared Max was-." She sighed again "You get it. Even now, I- I feel uncertain."

"Don't, you're strong enough," Lembit said. "And love's a very good thing."

"That much I know," Hornet affirmed sullenly. "I just know not what I must to do for it, how I should act. Not even Vespa could advise me on it."

"Her species is like that, yes," the General remarked. "Don't worry. I will guide you with it."

She was taken aback. "What know you of love?"

"Enough to teach it to you," the adult replied sternly, sighing. "Though most of it you're going to learn on your own, through him."

The assurance roused another concern in her mind. "Yet how can I even know if he-"

"I think I alluded rather clearly that he does," Lembit interrupted. "He at least cares for you, a lot, so stop doubting and pull yourself together. You're a warrior, the Daughter of Hallownest, aren't you?"

Hornet gave a nod. "But-"

"Aren't you?"

She sighed, glaring at her needle. How in the world was she acting, at a time like this no less? Things much graver than her petty fears were happening. She had responsibilities and a revenge yet untaken! "I am," she declared.

"Good. I nearly thought you'd forgotten," her companion replied with clear sarcasm, standing up "Now, we've a hornet to get back to and an empowered Keeper to plot against, so-" He dug into one of his cloak's pockets, putting back on his hand-garments, before donning his unemotive black mask. "-let's get going."

"A single thing, If you do not," Hornet asked a tad shyly, earning an asking hum. "When I- we- When I see him again, what is the very first thing I should do?"

"Very first," the hyu-man began, his voice once again distorted. "Just hug him. That'll work."

"Hug him?" The only bug that'd ever hugged her was Vespa, years ago.

"Yes," the dark clad General insisted. "Hugs are nice. Now let's move. The way back to the Hive's still not going to be the easy."

Unable to disagree with that, Hornet nodded and the two began through the barren cave, soon reaching the passage up to the rest of the Ancient Basin. With the no doubt heightened guard detail, making it back was indeed going to be harder, although nothing they couldn't manage.

The warrior smiled to herself. While matters were still quite grim, there was someone she could count upon.

She was certain Max and his uncle were safely back at the Hive already, waiting for them.


ADRIAN


Adrian muffled a curse, nearly stumbling on another rock. Although he felt miles better and could walk for himself again, making it through the dark tunnels wasn't easy by a long shot, as there was still very little light and the magic water's glow hadn't carried over to his still-damp clothes.

Not only that, now that they'd left the lit, peaceful cave, all the creepy scutters and other sounds were back in full force, sometimes seeming to come from right beyond his limited view, making him grasp his nephew's shoulder the slightest bit harder. Not that he noticed.

The young hornet hadn't gotten any less eager to trace the 'scent' he'd picked up at the magic pond's cave, which had Adrian a little worried, since he was still quite skeptical that it'd lead to something as good as Max thought. At the very least, it didn't seem the boy was 'hypnotized' or whatever the hell he must've looked like when the Pale King was making him come down to the palace.

The path Max's scent was leading them down mostly went upwards, with short climbs that were thankfully separated by dim tunnels, allowing Adrian much needed breathers. Even now that he was healed, bugs were obviously the better climbers.

As they made their way up the caves, the human started to notice what looked like very large spider webs hanging across a fair few of the rocky walls, only adding to their gloominess. He couldn't help, but shudder at the thought of what could've left them, definitely not in the mood to run into something like that.

Fortunately, despite all the noises, they hadn't actually 'met' anything since the silvery creature Max had killed. Not anything that was alive, at least. Every now and then, Adrian spotted another shell of a clearly dead bug of some sort in a darker corner.

Even Max had been frightened the first time they'd come across one soon after leaving the pool. After a slightly closer look, however, he'd thankfully found that it smelled like it'd been there for a while, meaning its killer probably wasn't near anymore. Now, the hornet just seemed to ignore them entirely, and while Adrian was still a bit wary, even he was becoming desensitized, getting the idea that this was how things went in these wilder caves, freaky as it was.

Soon after, though, as Adrian was slowly making it up another shaft, he heard Max gasp from above. Quickly climbing up the ledge, he was greeted with a wider cave almost fully covered with glowing plants and mushrooms, making it easier to see the cave floor, which he saw was littered with bug corpses.

"Wow," he gasped as well. "What the hell happened here?"

"Not a clue," Max said. He stepped further into the cave, looking around. "It doesn't look like any kinda normal hunt."

"Maybe some sort of battle, then," Adrian suggested.

"Could've been. They're sliced up" the hornet shrugged. "Weird that they don't have nails, though."

"Whatever. At least it got you to slow down for once," the human pointed out, carefully walking over the shells.

"Heh, yeah, sorry 'bout that," Max replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just really sure that we'll find something helpful with this scent."

"How is it going with that," he asked, brow raised. "Anything new-ish?"

"Nah, it's still coming from that way," the changed boy spoke, pointing to the cave's other end, before looking down, "and these poor guys feel newer than the ones from before. We should keep going. I won't rush anymore, I promise."

Adrian rolled his eyes, but agreed (what else could he do) and the two headed for the passage onwards. As they neared it, he accidentally bumped into one of the corpses slumped against the cave wall, surprised it didn't sound very hollow like he'd expected an empty shell to. To his shock, it then started shaking and rattling, before several sets of horns and legs burst out its sides and it stood up, roaring.

"By mother, what is that," he heard Max shout, as the adrenaline kicked in, and he bolted away from the monster, the hornet, thank God, following him instead of trying to fight it.

The cave they ran into proved to be yet another climb. Still, with no time to complain, the human grabbed the rough wall and began pulling himself up, hoping for a few moments that it'd stop the beast from following. Looking down, however, he was horrified to see it dig its legs into the rock, quickly crawling after them.

"It can climb," he shouted.

"Yeah, I can see that," the boy shot back, equally panicked, as they both struggled to climb faster as well.


Not much later, the human glimpsed the ledge just above, scrambling onto it. He was helped to his feet by Max, before they heard a second, angrier roar come from the shaft, to which the two promptly started down the seemingly longer tunnel, Adrian running as fast as he could now that it was dark again. Despite it, he could soon hear thudding from behind and glanced to catch the monster's tall shadow steadily gaining on them.

Still, they kept running. All of a sudden, he saw the cave wall right ahead of them, nearly running into it, as Max stopped beside him, sending him a look. He returned it, desperate and confused. Was it another dead end? There wasn't enough glow around for him to see. Before he even had a chance to ask, there was another loud snarl and the beast appeared from the darkness, looming closer towards them. In response, the hornet stepped in front of the frightened Adrian, pulling out his nail.

"Come on then, beast," he yelled at it, though his own tone was audibly shaky. "You gotta get through me first."

The monster gurgled back, raising a front leg to attack. However, just as it looked about to swipe at him, the ground next to them burst open and the human saw three other beasts crawl out of it, quickly recognizing their silvery glint from before. The creatures hissed angrily at the two bugs, to which both replied in kind, as Max faced towards them as well, now well outnumbered.

Adrian wasn't about to just stand and watch him get killed.

"Like hell you will," he shouted, reaching out and pulling the young hornet back. He aggressively turned to stare at him, before shaking his head.

"Thanks, uncle," he then spoke, seemingly back to his senses. "That was way too much for me!"

"Well, you don't say," the human responded sarcastically. "What were you thinking? And what do we do?"

He pointed at the four beasts tearing into one another feet away in the middle of the tunnel, unable to see any way past. Even if one side won, it'd still come after them next.

"We run! This way," Max shouted, before tugging him into the darkness at their side, which turned out to be another, completely lightless cave. The hornet rushed in, quickly disappearing from sight. Without hesitating, Adrian did the same, following after his nephew's tappy footsteps. High on adrenaline, he didn't care anymore if he stumbled or even where they'd end up, only that it'd be someplace other than these tunnels.

He kept going. At the very least, the glowing weeds soon reappeared, making him slightly less blind. However, after running for a little longer, the man noticed that their path felt like it was leading upwards. The rush starting to wear off, he began to hope Max did have some idea where they were going. Was he still following that smell?

The answer to that came soon enough, when he heard the boy stop ahead. Adrian caught up to him leaning beside a wide gap in the cave wall, panting, which he gladly joined in on, fully drained. A few seconds later, they both stood up again.

"You okay, uncle" the hornet asked, still clearly winded.

"I am, yeah. How're you?"

"Of course." The bug's tone became livelier. "We've made it."

"Huh? Made it where," Adrian asked. "Are you talking about your-"

"The scent, yeah. I never stopped following it," Max replied. "And it's definitely coming from in there." He pointed at the crevice, which had a fair bit of light shining through.

"Hmm," The man looked at it, wary. If something was waiting for them in there, they probably weren't making it back out. However, it was still their only direction and they'd made it this far. "Alright, then. Let's go check it out."

The hornet nodded eagerly, before slipping into the gap. Sighing worriedly, Adrian entered as well, squeezing himself along the crack, which was still fairly narrow for someone his size. Fortunately it wasn't very long and he'd soon made it out again.


Warily looking around the new cave, the human quickly noticed that it was much different than the tunnels outside. For one, there really was much more light (even though anything was a step up right now). The walls were brown and compared to the dark grey rock from before, now looked like they were out of dull treebark than anything else. Most of it was plain, save for, strangely enough, one spot where Adrian made out what looked to be at least fifteen holes clustered neatly together.

The cave itself, although pretty wide, was almost entirely empty. From what the man could see, the only thing actually standing was a rock pedestal with a dull statue of some bug, which stood right in its middle.

"Wow, look at this place," Max gasped, sounding weirdly amazed. "Great, isn't it?"

"Huh, can't really say I see the appeal," Adrian replied, confused. "Just a cave with a statue. Why's it seem so special to you, Max?"

"I- I'm not sure." The boy's tone became slightly puzzled as well. "Something just feels important about it. It- it feels homely."

"Homely?"

"Yeah, safe, like a home should be," the hornet continued. "It's lit, air's nice and cool and it's a bit hidden too. Perfect place for a nest."

The man sighed, shaking his head. The kid was a bug, through and through. Still, what good was a simple nest going be? "So is this everything that 'scent' lead us to," he asked, peeved.

"I think so," Max said. "But most of it's coming from that statue. I think we should check it out."

With no reason not to, the two walked to the lone metal figure. Now closer, Adrian saw that it kind of looked like Max or at least a two-legged hornet, which explained a few things. Other than its threatening pose, he didn't see much else to note.

"Uncle Adrian, look," Max suddenly said, wiping dust off the pedestal. "There's words on here."

Crouching beside him, the human indeed saw rows of scribbles etched into the stone, completely unintelligible to him "Not a bad eye, kid," he stated, eyeing it, "but it seems my charm doesn't extend to text. Guess magic has its limits."

"Hey, it's fine. I can read it" the hornet replied. "This is the same kinda writing that was on those old tablets in the Archive."

"Huh, okay then." The man raised an eyebrow. "What's it say?"

"Let me see." His nephew moved closer, before starting:

"Here stands tall the ageless reminder of our kind, of hornets

the fiercemost hunters and slayers in all lands we tread,

who yield to no lord other than the queen, be they bug or god,

for we are free always, no matter their wrath.

And if so be it that they bring us death and ruin,

our kind shall live on elsewhere still, by virtue of the wisest of all queens,

Acrie the Schemer."

Max stopped, staring back at Adrian, who noticed a tear in his eye. Suddenly, there was an almost thunder-like *crack* and the statue started shaking heavily, the remaining dust on it flying off.

"What the hell is this," the man exclaimed, shielding his face, as he stumbled away from it. "Max, what'd you do?"

"I don't know," the boy cried, "I just read it through!"

Then, as quickly as it'd begun, the quaking stopped. Annoyed and confused, Adrian glared past his arm at the statue, which'd become a lot shinier. However, he then caught sight of a hazy figure now floating above it. Squinting his eyes, he realized they looked quite similar to a certain ghostly bee queen, though much more see-through.

And while queen Vespa just radiated kindness, this one didn't.

She looked pretty scary.


MAX


She looked absolutely gorgeous! Though not in that way.

No, the spectral hornet, though dead, possessed what Max suddenly knew was the perfect form for their kind. She was mostly sleek like him, but her limbs looked way stronger and her shell showed a lot of battle scars. Being a female, her abdomen was also much wider (for obvious reasons), ending with a nice stinger. Still, the most different was her mask, which had a bunch of short, yet threatening horns pointing upward, almost looking like a crown. This regal feel was only added to by the black cape she wore.

But why wouldn't it have been? After all, she was clearly the hornets' queen, his queen.

And Max had no idea what to say to her. He wasn't the only one either.

"W- What do we do," his uncle whispered loudly from the side, "Do we say hello or-"

"I think so, yeah," Max replied just as quietly, not taking his eyes off her, before loudly starting: "Hel-"

"Long have I slept, waiting for this day to come," the ghostly monarch suddenly cut him off, her sharp voice echoy like Vespa's, as she stared down at them, "and now, the fruits of my labor stand before me at last. Greetings, my hornets, I am Acrie, the last of our kind's queens in Hallownest."

Wow. It took a moment for the young warrior to find his voice again. "Uh, hello, my queen," he nervously greeted back. "My name is Maxwell. It's, uhm, a pleasure to meet you."

Queen Acrie replied with a disapproving hum. "Your age is the only excuse for this manner of trepidation, young Maxwell. It does not befit a hornet," she lectured sternly, before turning to Adrian. "And what is it you go by?"

"My name is Adrian Reed, his uncle. And I'm human, not a hornet," Adrian spoke with a firmer tone. "Max was one too before he wound up here, so I don't think you really have the right to speak to him like that." Max looked at him in shock. How could he even speak like that to her?

"One is yet weak and the other is insolence itself," the queen scoffed. "Not only that, Adrian Reed, you are greatly mistaken as well, albeit that at least is understandable." She glanced around the brown cave. "It's truly been a long time, has it not?"

"Yes it has, my queen," Max affirmed, a bit confused, but trying to sound firmer like she'd demanded. "Hive Queen Vespa told me that the hornets living around Hallownest were killed off by the king ages ago."

"Ah, yes, Vespa. Soft like the rest of her kind, yet a fine ruler still," the ghostly ruler muttered, briefly showing an actual smirk, which quickly faded. "She wasn't one for dishonesty either. It is unfortunate things came to such an end here."

Max hung his head and nodded sadly, before noticing Acrie's angry glare, as she started floating down from the statue.

"Cease your brooding, youngling. It is embarrassing," she ordered, reaching him. "Besides, my colony's demise matters no longer. Underwhelming as you two may be, you're here now and that solely is what does." She paused. "Still, I know a great deal of things have occurred in Hallownest during my slumber, if only to bring you to me."

"You're right, my queen, a lot's happened" the young male affirmed, starting to think it was 'story time' again. "If you wish, we could tell you about it."

"You needn't bother. It would merely waste our time," the queen said, waving her hand, before holding it to his shoulder. "Instead, you shall look into my eyes, so I may have what I need."

Despite how weird her last point had sounded, Max obeyed, glancing up at his ruler's stern, spectral eyes. Suddenly, their glare intensified and he realized he couldn't look away anymore. It felt as if she was gazing straight into his mind, almost like the Pale King once had. This time, though, it wasn't cut off. Fortunately, it also didn't hurt as much, even if it didn't feel that pleasant either, as the queen's stare seemed to pry through every single one of his recent memories, which she had every right to.

Max had no idea how long they stood like that, though it couldn't have been more than a minute. When the ghost's glare did finally soften and let him move again, which caused him to stagger backwards, almost losing his balance. Even the queen looked a bit dazed, shaking her head.

"Ugh. So you finally sacrificed enough to rid us of the Old Light, pale beast," he then heard her mutter, before she turned to him again. "You are thanked, Max. That was quite enlightening. Serves to show even runtier ones such as you can benefit the colony."

Before the younger hornet could say anything back, he was grabbed by his shoulders and pulled to the side to face a very concerned Adrian.

"Max? Max, are you okay," the human asked loudly, to which he quickly nodded. Relieved, his uncle turned towards Acrie, angrily shouting: "God damn it, what did you do to him?"

"Do not call for gods here," the queen snapped. "I viewed his memories and manifested a proper hive link betwixt us. It is in my authority as the queen and you shall respect it."

"Like hell I will!" The human looked back at the warrior. "Max, you heard her, she went into your head! You should be angry too."

The live hornet wanted to nod with agreement, but was suddenly confused to find that he didn't, in fact, feel that angry at her, only kind of annoyed (after all, she was the queen.) As he wondered why that was, his eyes widened when he realized he couldn't bring himself to really feel strongly about anything right now.

Adrian noticed it. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I am only making use of our link to quell any overly strong feelings from you for now, Max," the ghost answered to them both. "It is simply necessary with your present discipline. You're to learn a hornet has fury in battle and survival, but not when speaking with their queen. Understood?"

Max nodded slowly. It made sense, though he didn't find it the nicest thing to do. Still, it wasn't the worst thing either. He felt weird!

"So, you are messing with his head," the human accused, "damn tyrant."

"Indeed," the female coldly affirmed. "It's quite regrettable I cannot do the same with you yet."

"What do you mean: yet," the man asked. "I already told you that I'm not a hornet!"

"Yet you are, in calling at least," Acrie insisted. "The spell within you makes that clear."

Both the human and even Max were taken aback at that. "What're you talking about, my queen," the latter asked, kinda surprised just how dull he sounded. "What spell?"

"The same spell that made you of our kind upon wearing that mask," his queen spoke. "One I recognize well, for I myself once crafted it."

"Okay, now you're definitely lying," Adrian said. "Neither of us haven't even seen real magic before this. I've never gone that close to the mountains and Max's lived in Phoenix his whole life."

"That changes nothing," Acrie argued. "The magic is in you, undoubtedly inherited, yet still. I made certain it wouldn't decay in descendants."

"And how did we inherit it, then, huh," the man pressed her. "Don't tell me some ancestor of ours was a hornet you sent from here."

"Never in my years would I have thought of something so simply revolting," the queen stated, her voice raised. "My scheme was most honorable. It was what earned me my title." She motioned to the statue behind her.

Adrian crossed his arms. "You still haven't explained why we're connected to it. Not even what it was."

The dead female huffed. "Very well. I suppose it is best if you heard of that," she admitted, glancing over him and Max, who was as curious as he could be.

"I began devising the spell and the manner it'd be used shortly after it became clear the Wyrm would soon no longer tolerate our kind's nature, nor our defiant ways," she began. "It came from us hornets' very essence, with the purpose of granting it to other beings. Once within them, it was to remain dormant, through the generations if need be, until one with it found and wore a bug's mask, becoming one of us in form and mind. So that it stayed hidden until awoken, I ensured none, but our queens would be able to sense it.

Once it was finished at last, I had a number of my fiercest tribalbugs carry it beyond the cliffs and onto a race similar enough to ours. Never did they return, yet the last feelings they sent through our hive were of relief and success. They had done it. Not soon after, I perished myself, knowing our kind would be safe from that pale tyrant's grasp. Knowing him, He likely didn't wait much longer with our tribe's decimation."

Finished, the queen let out a sigh. "Do you now grasp how important you are," she then asked with a bit more emotion, glaring at the baffled males.

"Uncle, how long has our family lived in Arizona," Max enquired, looking towards the human.

"I- I'm not-," he stuttered back, then looked at the ghost. "I don't believe you."

"It matters to me not what you think," the queen spoke woodenly, "The truth is the same regardless: You carry my spell."

"And what if we do," Adrian said with a snide tone. "You messed with Max's head, you know the Pale King is still around, powerful too. We may as well be killed just like your tribe was. Honestly, the way you act, I think I see why he did it."

At that, Acrie's mask filled with fury. "How dare you, wretch," she growled, as Max too felt an abrupt burst of anger toward the human.

"Yeah, you watch your mouth," he snapped, even feeling his nail-hand tense up. His uncle glanced at him, eyes wide with shock, to which the sudden whim quickly faded, "Sorry, but they're my tribe too," he continued, "And the only thing they did 'wrong' was not giving that devil their caves."

"Okay, you're right, kid. That was too much. Sorry 'bout it," the man apologized, hands raised, getting a forgiving nod from the young bug, as a huff escaped his queen.

"I can tell that defending these nests wasn't our sole fault in the Wyrm's eyes," she then spoke, calmer as well, "although it does come off as something Vespa would presume. I never managed to tell her, after all. That our natural ability was a true threat to him."

"Huh, how come," Adrian asked with disbelief. "The statue's writing said you were good fighters, but I doubt you'd have been able to take on a monster like him."

"Respect, Adrian Reed, lest we need to get angry again," the ghost threatened, then looked towards the younger male. "I did not mean our skills in battle, but another of our abilities that I shall have to tell you of, albeit it is quite disappointing you haven't yet thought of it."
As she'd said it, the memory of leaping in front of the king's magic blast flashed in the boys mind, making him (kinda)curious again.

"I survived that thing because I'm a hornet?"

"Quite so," the elder said. "I've no clue whence it came to us, yet as far back as I knew of, our kind bore a strong resistance to the power the higher beings have lorded over Hallownest with. Their magic weakened against us and our minds didn't submit to their will like the other tribes did, even our cousins. It is what made us truly free. Unfortunately, it didn't protect from bugs under their influence, of which the king had armies too great for even us to face."

Max let out a silent 'whoa'. Even under her suppression, this power he evidently did have seemed pretty cool and would definitely come in handy if they were going up against the Pale King again sometime.

"Indeed, it would," The queen affirmed to his (mild) surprise. "Even now with this apparent power of his, under my proper guidance, our ability could prove a great tool against him."

"What real difference would we make," Adrian spoke up from the side. "Max's clearly the only one who has it and he's changed, I'm not. Or do you expect me to willingly wear one of those damn masks."

"That is quite possibly the first sensible thing I've heard out of you, Adrian," Acrie said, "although I'd be pleased if you seemed more eager. It is your calling to be one of us, after all."

"Are you serious," the man shouted in disbelief. "Like hell it is! I'm not just going to reject my humanity like that."

"But you must," the spectral hornet replied, now angered as well. "If not to fight the Pale King, then simply to grow our numbers. It's your responsibility!"

"There'd still be only two of us here! It's pointless," the human argued, as Max watched on, wanting to take his uncle's side, but also seeing a bit of his queen's point. And something else in his mind was telling him how nice it'd be to have a pack with another of his kind-

"Bah! I refuse to argue of this any longer," the female said, pointing at Adrian. "If you won't accept your place, then you shall be taught it!" For a single moment, Max caught her black stinger-area turning less transparent, before she suddenly dashed through his uncle, somehow knocking him to the ground. The young hornet's eyes widened, as the human let out a pained groan, clutching his side, prompting him to start towards him.

"Stay where you are, youngling," the queen ordered harshly between deeper breaths, making him halt on the spot. "You will not aid him. If he's to learn his lesson, he'll get up himself."

"But- he's-" Max found he couldn't say anything else, only look on without enough regret, as the hurt man hissed, slowly getting to his knees. The novice warrior now wanted to get angry at the queen. Their tribe's culture ways might've been about toughness, but that didn't make it okay to attack Adrian, nor take his feelings for that matter. He managed a small huff. So much for 'free always'.

"Don't think that you know better than we did, Maxwell" Acrie said sternly. "We're free of the higher beings, but not nature. And it is simply nature that the queen be highest." She paused, as Adrian finally stood up. "Do you understand that now, Adrian," she asked him smugly.

"You witch! How'd you- What'd you do to me," the human groaned back. "Why's this hurt so much?" He slowly raised his hands from his side to reveal a sickly dark spot visible through the broken shirt.

"W- Wow, that doesn't look good," Max stated, staring at the wound, seriously starting to wish he could emote more.

"Indeed, it isn't," the queen affirmed callously. "That was a hornet's sting I gave you. We are fairly venomous when need be."

The other hornet's eyes widened, as did Adrian's. "Y- You poisoned me?"

"Yes, although not very heavily," the ghost replied. "Nevertheless, I managed it potent enough that it shall still kill you in a couple days' time." She chuckled arrogantly. "Fortunately, a hornet is immune to another's venom. A fitting compromise in my eyes."

Max looked at her, his lack of shock letting him quickly realize what she meant by that, as his uncle spoke up: "Even if so, where could I-"

"The Mask Makers nest lays not far," the female interrupted, pointing towards the crevice they'd come in from, before glancing at Max, "and I shall gladly guide you to it. However, I'd rather if you got going soon. Or will you let it hurt him further?"

The disdain the younger bug wanted to have for her was overshadowed by a strong fear for his relative and he gave a nervous nod, then quickly turned to the gap leading back into Deepnest, waving for the human to follow.

"Max, wait," he called in reply, "What about Hornet and the General?"

"I- I don't know," the hornet spoke back. "But you heard her. That venom's going to kill you."

"We can't be sure of that," his uncle argued, though uneasily. "Besides, even if this is serious, Juss could just fix me again." Max paused at that. Though he didn't doubt the queen had been serious with the venom, the other human did heal Adrian before. What if he could do it again?"

"Forget about it," came the female's stern voice. "In fact, I'd prefer you forgot about thementirely. We will not ally with those damned half-gods." Her tone became scornful. "Truthfully, I am baffled Herrah ever agreed to mother his child."

That struck (a bit of) a cord with Max. "Sorry, my queen, but Hornet's still a skilled and honorable fighter," he talked back, "and she hates the Pale King as much as we do."

Acrie rolled her eyes. "She may, but it doesn't make her any less a mongrel, nor the Wyrm's heir, so you're better to just abandon these measly feelings you have for her." The novice's eyes widened, as Adrian shot him an asking look. She'd even read that from his mind? "I did," the female then said, "and I say if you two are to ever meet again it shall be in battle when she inevitably takes his place!"

Max's breath hitched. He couldn't believe it. Her strict ways aside, he'd seriously hoped the ancient queen would help them. But now, she'd told him to hurt Hornet. That was it.

He broke through her hold.

"No it won't," he yelled furiously. "I would never lay a claw on her! I love her!" For a second, his eyes widened. He had really just said that, loudly too.

Even the queen seemed momentarily taken aback, before scowling again, hissing: "Foolish youngling. You don't even know if-"

"I don't care if she doesn't!" The live horned stepped up to her, seething. "I do her and we're going to get back to her and then we'll fight the Wyrm together! So you can-!"

Suddenly, however, he was forced to stop by his anger being cut off, as the female regained control. "Will you, now," she asked, her voice a bit strained. "Tell me, Maxwell, will you truly let away a chance to bring back more of our tribe for a halfling?"

His mind entirely clear, Max had a short moment of doubt, quickly cleared by the still-present feelings she hadn't gotten to. "Yes, my queen, I will," he replied dryly, but firmly, "now show us how to get back."

Acrie let out an echoy growl. "Very well, have it this way," she then said, before pointing towards what the younger bug just now noticed was another passage out of the cave. "That entrance shall lead you to the Wastes. You may carry on eastward to the Hive from there."

"Thank you," Max managed (barely). He looked at Adrian, who nodded back and the two started towards the gap, though the human had a visible limp now. Despite it, he was insistent on entering first.

"So long, hornets," the ghostly queen called after him. "I shall be waiting for when you inevitably come crawling back to me, if you survive that is"

The young warrior just ignored her, squeezing himself into the gap. The eastern passage proved to be much longer than the one from Deepnest and took them quite a bit to get through. Thankfully, there seemed to be light on the other end, though he also caught wind of some kind of awful scent getting stronger. Soon, the human in front of him finally reached it, stepping out.


When he followed into the dim-looking cave, though, Max suddenly felt Acrie's suppression on his mind disappear entirely, making him feel like himself again, as everything she'd dampened was fully present again, including the anger that'd been cut off and was now even fiercer.

The hornet's breaths got more rapid and he clenched his fists, barely paying mind to his uncle's concerned look.

That undead monster! He knew the queen was the tribe's leader and core and had wanted to idolize her, but she went too far. She'd treated them like doma, messed with his head, insulted his Hornet and worst of all, stung Adrian with their kind's poison. It wasn't fair! They'd just gotten him fixed up!

And she'd been so smug about it too. Oh, he was going to show her 'crawling back'! He was gonna do it right now!

The hornet spun around on the spot, intent on getting back into the colony. However, he then found that he couldn't, though there was nothing in the way. She wasn't letting him.

Letting out an angry shout, the bug drew his nail, hitting at the stone around the gap.

"Let me in," he yelled furiously between blows, the edges his vision turning orange.

"Why? You made your choice, youngling."

Growling, Max opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped by a hand grasping his shoulder.

"Max, stop," Adrian said in a strict tone, staring straight at him. "Please. You're going to alert something 'round here."

"But she-," the boy tried loudly, before being silenced by his uncle's look. "She hurt you," he whimpered, starting to calm down.

"And you know we're going to fix that," the human replied, "So let's get moving." He turned towards the small path ahead. "J- Just try to ignore the smell. I know your nose's better than mine."


True to his word, the bad scent only got worse the further they made it into the brownish cave, with the air turning thicker as well. Neither of the two were in very high spirits, as Max and Adrian silently followed the path. At least the human could limp on his own now. After a little while, the narrow tunnel ended, leading into a wider cave, which the smell seemed to be coming from.

Setting foot in it, Max could immediately see why. The walls and even the ground were entirely covered with numerous dotted bulbs, with smaller stalks growing out from between them. The unbearably warm air was filled with yellowish 'dust' clouds. The boy returned his uncle's nauseous glance. It was pretty obvious they were in those 'mushroom caves' Hornet had mentioned to him.

They kept to the path, trying their best to tolerate the noxious place. The cave was mostly empty, apart from a tall stone statue depicting some chubbier bug striking a pose, which they passed by with short, uninterested looks.

"Damn," Max heard the human mutter, as they sullenly walked on, "what a bitch."

"Yeah, no kidding," he agreed sullenly, warily eyeing the adult, starting to wonder when he would bring up what he'd yelled about Hornet.

"At least she let us go. Not without leaving a mark, though," Adrian finished, letting out a pained hiss.

The next cave was up made of a steep, rocky slope leading upwards, which meant they had to climb yet again. Despite his stung side, the human was thankfully still able to pull himself up, though it helped that they were going a bit slower in order to best avoid the small cascades of eerily fizzling, greenish water flowing down that didn't look very different from the acid near the Hive. Making it up, they passed by a cave going into the rock with what looked like the entrance to a giant pipe, seemingly tall enough to fit them both.

Eventually, the two reached the cliff's top, where, above a pool of the uninviting liquid, they saw a small, but nicely built stone structure. As it didn't seem like anyone was there, they decided to peek inside, the smell instantly becoming less bad. Strangely, the only things in the room were a bright lamp and a metal bench, which Adrian sat into, groaning with relief.

"Come, let's sit down, relax a bit," he called at Max, who quickly got beside him. They did need a break after all that. "Now," his uncle spoke, "I think there's some things we should probably talk about."

Oh, doma! The hornet's eyes widened for a moment. Then, he nodded, sighing heavily. "Uh-huh," he hummed, head hung.

"Huh, why so down," the human asked. "You admitted you loved Hornet and stuck it to her in the process. Though, you do love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Max replied, feeling more and more embarrassed. "From when I woke up as a hornet."

"Heh, knew it," Adrian chuckled to his shock. "Sorry, kid, but it was quite obvious the way you talked 'bout her. Though, I still can't see why you're so blue about it now. She's a good girl and this is a great thing."

"No it isn't," Max snapped, annoyed. "It's weird and I have no idea what to do a- and I don't even know if she likes me back." Saying he didn't care had seriously come from the heat of the moment.

"Jeeze, calm down," the man said, taken aback. "Didn't want to insult you. I know this stuff can be hard, especially 'round your age." The boy rolled his eyes, though it was true. "But I also know that when needed, it comes naturally to humans and I'm sure bugs as well."

"Even then," Max replied, still unsure, "we have now clue if Hornet's even slightly interested in me. What if she thinks it's weird or disgusting or something?"

"Just don't take it too harshly," Adrian spoke. "Besides, I have this hunch that says she's pretty into you too." The hornet's eyes went wide again. "And if it turns out I'm wrong, hopefully, you'll stay friends. The way things are right now, you'll kinda have to."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that." The bug sighed. "Still, what 'm I gonna do when we get back to her?"

"You'll confess how you feel to her and let things go from there," his relative explained, "Maybe even hug if she lets you."

Max had to smile at that. "I'll try. Thanks, uncle," he said, encouraged.

"I'm here to help Max," the adult replied, "Although I'm a bit confused why you didn't tell me about these feelings back in the Hive."

The bug felt embarrassed again. "I- I wasn't that sure yet," he spoke, "and I didn't think you'd be much help, cause I knew you've never been with someone."

"Actually, I have," Adrian stated, then recalling: "It wasn't for long, but some two years ago, Mary and I tried getting together. Took us a month to realize it wasn't working out. It was kind of awkward for a week or two, then we got over it and look, we're doing fine now."

"Whoa." Max was surprised. "I had no idea that happened. When did it?"

"Around early spring," his uncle said, before chuckling. "Life back here still goes on when you're not around, you know."
Mentally facepalming, the boy nodded. It made too much sense.

The two fell silent. For a bit, they just sat, listening to the green water hissing outside. Pretty soon, though, the hornet felt that he'd had enough and stood up.

"Come on, we should get going," he called.

"I'd agree," the human responded, "but where to?"

Max was about to answer, but realized his point. The story Hornet had told of her scouting trip here made it clear there were sentries around and he didn't want to risk any more Adrian by taking them on. Still, they had to move on someway. Going back to her was out of the question.

Then, he recalled the pipe and what it probably lead to.

"Yes! Uncle, do you remember the pipe on the climb up here," he asked, before shortly explaining how Hornet and he had made it out of the city through the waterways. Those didn't have guards, now did they?

"Alright, let's try there, then," his uncle agreed, starting to get to his feet, before abruptly sitting back down. "Could you, uhm, help me up?"

A bit confused, Max obliged, walking next to him. As they pulled him to stand, the human let out a sudden, loud hiss.

"Sunuva- My side," he cried, hastily lifting his shirt. Looking worriedly, the bug was horrified to see the veins around the sting-wound had turned the same dirty black tone as it.

"Holy- That ghost wasn't lying," the man continued. "Bah, this is what I get for resting. We've got to get back to Juss!" That went without saying.

The young warrior and human hurried back outside, the latter limping even more now, though luckily still on his own. Despite it, Max had to support him when they started down the slope. Fortunately, the climb was only half as long this time and they soon reached the pipe's gaping entrance.

The hornet taking the lead, they stepped forth into the dark metallic tunnel, paying no mind to the ankle-deep water, as the air got more humid and scentless. Then, having not even made it that far in, Max suddenly heard and glimpsed something ahead, approaching them. Tensing up, his hand immediately snapped to his nail, the other going in front of Adrian.

Then, however, he saw who was there. Specifically, a familiar red coat under a mask with long, gorgeous horns, a taller, less visible figure right behind her.

Max couldn't believe it.

"Hornet!"


So here it is. Some three missed deadlines later. Sorry it took so long.

Also sorry to the Ghost fans, but Void is still seen as the opposite extreme to the Radiance. Though I think he came out a bit too shallow here.

I'll be honest, this is my least favourite chapter so far and I'm sure it's obvious to you all why. I'm sorry, it's way too long, among many other problems with pace and dialouge. Let's face it, Adrian's part doesn't need to be that long. Too bad I realised that too late into writing to revise.

I am also never going to write these things out of order again. It may not feel obvious, but Hornet's part was written last.

I'm rambling. Just sad that it came out this way.

I need your feedback on this. Should I split the chapter in two for future readers? Let me know, seriously. The 'review' button is right there and I'm pretty sure you don't even need an account to leave one. Your opinion and contribution matters. I'm going to take a few days break, so the next one will hopefully be better (and shorter).

I hope you could tolerate this one for the good parts. R&R