"You've got your mother in a whirl."
Writhing.
She clawed at her throat, falling back into the pavement. In her panic, she made the mistake of gasping for breath, and water flooded her lungs, burning her from the inside out.
She gagged, reflexively trying to cough it up, but only allowed more water to rush down her throat.
Her hand clenched around her gun, the warm grip in her palm feeling like her last lifeline. She held on for dear life.
Shaking, she leveled the barrel of the gun to his head.
He could do nothing but watch helplessly, before his brains were splattered over the pavement.
BANG.
The recoil sent her body flying backwards through the glass, flying,
flying,
falling-
Valleri's eyes shot open, and she gasped for breath, her body jolting, balled fists clenched at the bedsheets, which were drenched in a cold sweat. Her throat felt dry, and she had shivers running through her flesh.
When she saw nothing but darkness, she panicked for a moment, but blinked to let her eyes adjust. Through the shadows, she could make out the shapes of the pale walls that made up her room - her cell - in the White Palace.
She took a few shaky, labored breaths, before she had calmed down sufficiently. A nightmare. Of course.
She punched the air in a fit of frustration, her hand rearing back to grab a random pillow that she chucked across the room. The damn place was big enough that it didn't even reach the wall, only falling to the floor with a soft whump!. Unsatisfying.
White walls, white floors, white ceiling, white sheets, white furniture, snow-white everything. Wasn't there a torture method about this? White room torture or something. They lock you in a soundless white room, white clothes, white food, no shadows, no sound, no sense of touch or taste or anything, until you lose all sense completely…
Or maybe she was just already stir-crazy and being overdramatic because of it.
Sitting up, she pursed her lips together. The room was too damn quiet, and she didn't like it one bit. The streets of the City of Tears always had some late-night pedestrians running around, and the constant pitter-patter of rainfall. Even her old home in L.A. at least had the sounds of traffic speeding past outside.
Home…
She flipped over, grabbing a longer pillow and hugging it like it was a person. She used to have a stuffed animal as a kid; a dirty and worn-out rabbit that she always hugged to sleep, no matter if the night was calm or not. (It usually wasn't.) She tossed it out when she was fifteen because she wanted to "toughen up." It had helped, but secretly, she regretted it almost every other night.
She fumbled over to her other side, reaching over the side of the bed, pawing at the cold ground until she found her jacket. She sat up, throwing the thing on before laying back down and hugging her pillow. It comforted her, but she still doubted she'd find any more sleep tonight.
That reminded her; she'd need to find a fresh change of clothes soon. Or at the very least, she'd need to get hers washed. She wasn't the most hygienic person ever - she didn't have the money for luxuries like that - but wearing the same clothes for a week or two straight? Blegh.
Hopefully her jail had something that basic. If they could keep her in such a lavish bedroom that made most five-star hotels look like decrepit shacks, surely they had a washing machine somewhere.
Jail. There's a difference between "prison" and "jail", y'see, jail is meant to be short-term, and is meant mostly for convicts who are waiting for their trial and sentence. Prison is long-term, for people who have already been sentenced to about a year or longer. Valleri hadn't been tried yet, so she was in jail, not prison.
There's a difference between "prison" and "jail", y'see, jail is meant to be short-term, and is meant mostly for convicts who are waiting for their trial and sentence. Prison is long-term, for people who have already been sentenced to about a year or longer. Valleri hadn't been tried yet, so she was in jail, not prison.
There's a difference between "prison" and "jail", y'see, jail is meant to be short-term, and is meant mostly for convicts who are waiting for their trial and sentence. Prison is long-term, for people who have already been sentenced to about a year or longer. Valleri hadn't been tried yet, so she was in jail, not prison.
(Valleri was hugging the pillow tight, eyes closed, imagining herself explaining the technical difference between "prison" and "jail" to some comic superhero. Forget counting sheep, her way of falling asleep was mentally explaining some weirdly specific topic to a fictional character over and over again in her head.)
There's a difference between "prison" and "jail", y'see, jail is meant to be short-term, and is meant mostly for convicts who are-
Valleri fell asleep.
She awoke in golden clouds.
She blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the light. She was standing on some kind of floating stone platform, a streetlamp hovering nearby, serving seemingly no purpose in this blinding dreamscape.
The sun itself was resting on the horizon - neither rising nor setting, merely resting. It hummed at her presence.
"...Hm? And what are you?"
Valleri stumbled back as a brilliant flash blinded her, like an explosion of pure light, and in its place a massive being floated. Her body was like a cloud, snow-white fur and a puffy round body, supported by two gleaming metal legs, with two massive, soft wings fluttering behind her. Her face was blackened, but had two glowing, orange eyes, and a crown of three points spiked up from her head.
Valleri's eyes widened, taking in the form of this… this goddess. She was beautiful.
"A fresh face… I am unfamiliar with your species, child. Do you hail from Hallownest? Or have you traveled from another distant land…?"
Valleri blinked. Her mind was racing and yet blanking, and her lips were dry, unable to speak.
The goddess of light floated closer. "Another world, then…? I can see it within your mind. 'America'... Such an alien name. And a population so vast…" Her eyes, like headlights, flashed with piqued interest. "Tell me, child, do they worship a god? Or would they, perhaps, be willing to follow a new light…?"
A pause. Valleri still couldn't speak.
The goddess floated back, slightly deflating. "I… see. It is complicated, then." She regained her stride quickly, "Then mayhaps, if graced by my true Light, they could turn to follow me, slip into the folds of my Dream… A following of worshippers of that scale, in the billions? I'd be nigh unstoppable. The Wyrm would be powerless before me, and I could finally achieve the perfect Dream…!"
The massive, fluffy goddess leaned into Valleri again. "Well? Do speak up, child, I wish to hear your voice."
Valleri quaked under her gaze, literally shaking in her boots. She blinked, licking her lips and taking a deep breath.
She mumbled something. The goddess leaned closer.
"Hm? I may be able to peer into your mind, but I wish to hear your own words."
Valleri stammered, "B-Big momma~..."
The goddess recoiled. "P-Pardon?"
Valleri's paralyzed face morphed into a smirk. "Ay, ay! What's your name, sugar? Those sweet legs'a yours are metal, ain't they? What's up with the built-in thigh gap, eh?"
The radiant being's shadowy face scrunched up, either in confusion or disgust. "I… T-That is…"
"Hey, no worries, baby~!" Valleri shrugged her leather jacket off, the collar sliding down her bare shoulder suggestively as she batted her eyes at the deity. "I think I can guess what they're for. I could give you a… demonstration, if you'd like~ 3"
Images, very obscene images flashed through Valleri's head, of all the things she could do to this giant, sexy bug woman. The goddess stared down at her judgingly, and she-
...Oh.
Valleri woke up.
The Pale King took a deep breath, and heaved a heavy, tired sigh. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable oncoming migraine from this meeting. Was this anxiety he was feeling? He couldn't tell anymore. The feeling had become frustratingly normal for him.
If only he could cancel, reschedule, anything. But no, he'd put this off long enough as it was. He'd be better off getting this squared away as quickly and painlessly as possible.
He sat up in his throne, trying to make himself look half-presentable before his guests. Dryya and Ze'mer stood at attention on either side of his throne, ready for anything.
"Let her in."
The two royal retainers bowed, turning to the massive doors to heave them open. They'd barely cracked it open, before the doors were flung open by an overwhelming force, sending the retainers flying in either direction as the Queen of Deepnest stormed into the throne room.
"Have you even been reading my messages, Wyrm? Because I know damn well you haven't been responding." She thundered up the hall, a massive hulk charging right at him with no sign of slowing down.
Ze'mere and Dryya hardly blinked. The Pale King just sighed. They'd done this song and dance before.
The other retainers panicked, trying desperately to calm the Beast, only to cower away from fear of being trampled. He couldn't blame them; he wanted to run away too, but for different reasons.
She stopped mere inches from his throne, massive needle in hand, jabbed down into the tiled palace floor. She held it at an angle, pressing the blade closer to his neck. Her shadow fell over him as she leaned closer, glaring, mandibles barred.
The Beast of Deepnest.
"I'll not let this issue sit, Wyrm. You can't ignore your problems forever."
The Pale King sighed, gingerly placing a claw on her blade and pushing it away. He'd been doing a lot of sighing lately. "Can we not be more respectful about this, Herrah?"
It wasn't long after Valleri woke up properly that a guard had come in, and declared she had a visitor.
"The fuck you want?"
Her visitor, a small bee, sat across from Valleri over a small, marble table. The guards wouldn't even let her outside, so they let her guest inside instead. He was short enough that he had to stand on his chair.
Were she in a better mood, it might have been funny.
The bee, perhaps noticing her ire, laughed nervously, scratching at his head. "A-Ahm, we have already met, yet I have failed to properly introduce myself! I am Royal Scholar Hurley of the Hive. A-And your name is?"
She blinked. "...Wait, yeah, I know you! You're the guy from the interrogation room the other day!" Valleri's eyes widened when she realized; she must still be drowsy from her lack of sleep. "Oh, and uh, Valleri," she stated, sticking out her hand to shake.
Hurley grabbed it with both of his small hands (paws?) and shook it with vigor. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Valleri!"
The display brought a small grin to her face. Finally, someone who didn't treat her like shit on the side of the road, nor like an actual terrorist.
"You're probably, like, the sole reason I'm not dead yet," she said. "Hard to believe anyone here actually thinks I'm innocent. Oh, and you're here to talk about that, aren'tcha?"
"Yes, of course. You understand the case against you, yes?"
Valleri paused, looking away awkwardly. "Uhh… they think I killed a guy, or something?" She was drawing a blank; she hadn't been given many clues about what was even going on so far. Was he referring to the petty theft, her squatting, causing a panic, almost killing some Great Knight, or the apparent murder she knew nothing about?
Hurley looked appalled. "You haven't even been briefed on your case?! Goodness, what is Hallownest's legal system coming to?" He sighed, "I suppose it falls on me to explain. To start…"
"Respectful? Hah!"
The Beast barked, but let off. She stepped back, but still held her needle aloft. The King took a glance at the crack it had left on the floor; that'd need to be fixed soon. They could just take out the tile and replace it, right? Did they have spare tiles? Of course they did, they must have. How were they going to remove it without damaging the surrounding tiles? Should he just replace the entire throne room floor? Would the Lady-
"-lost all of my respect when you went silent over a diplomatic incident of such gravity. Surely, in your infinite wisdom, you'd-"
Oh, she was still talking. He blinked himself back into focus.
"We assure you," he interrupted her, "the issue is being looked into and resolved as we speak. The case has made notable breakthroughs as of late, and once settled, reparations will be paid out to the offended parties."
"I don't want your damn reparations. I want to know who did it." She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Luckily for us, we have made some 'breakthroughs' on that front ourselves."
The Pale King tensed up. He hadn't heard of this. "I'm sorry?"
"Oh, come on, Wyrm! Not even you can cover up the madness in the City the other day! It's practically common knowledge at this point." Her smirk curled upwards. "You've found yourself a suspect, haven't you? La-te-ral-ussss~"
The Pale King, Lateralus, stiffened. "...We told you not to use that name."
"I don't take orders from you." She crossed her arms. "...Remind me again the bounty on this killer's head?"
"...Fourty million Geo."
Herrah tsk'd, shaking her head. "Mhmm, that won't do. Make it fifty million."
The Pale King blinked. "What? Why?"
Herrah heaved her massive needle, at least twice his full height, over her back. Weapon sheathed, she crossed her arms. "Think of the list of victims. A royal Hive scholar, a wealthy noble, a suspected crime boss…"
"...and a former Mantis Lord," Lateralus finished for her. "What of it?"
"...The Mantis Tribe, the Hive, and both Hallownest's elite and underworld are all hunting you down, Valleri. Almost every major faction in the land, save for Deepnest, wants your head. And even those uninvolved in the case will still be attracted to such a hefty bounty."
Valleri almost wished she had turned Hurley away at the door. Her head was spinning. She felt sick. She had to prop up her head with her arm, because it suddenly felt too heavy for her neck. She couldn't even comprehend it.
F-Forty million… Forty fucking million…
It didn't feel real.
"Although you're officially being charged with murder, this case holds infinitely more gravity than that. Why, it's practically terrorism! Whoever the true culprit is, if found… would surely be sentenced to dea-"
"Stop."
Hurley paused, staring at her. Valleri held her hands up, desperately fighting an oncoming panic attack. It was a losing battle.
"Just… stop. I'm in deep shit, I get it, I just… Fuck." She didn't know what to say. She took a shaky breath, hands clenched, trying to work out her nervous energy.
Hurley looked down. "F-Forgive me, Valleri. I-I did not mean to cause panic. I-"
"N-No, I'm… Fuck, I'm sorry. You're the only guy actually tellin' me anything. Thanks." She ran her hands down over her face, shaking, before she wrapped her arms across her chest to comfort herself. "...You made it sound like you think I'm innocent."
Hurley perked up, his antennae standing on end. "I know you are innocent! I was there!"
Valleri paused. "Right, you were a… a victim." Even though it was being treated as a murder case, apparently not everyone labeled a victim had actually been killed. Horribly injured, but at least they still had their lives.
The small be nodded solemnly. "My memory is hazy from drinking, but I remember suddenly hearing a single, loud bang! I passed out, and when I came to... I had this." He turned, and Valleri caught sight of his wings on his back. One of them was shredded, nearly torn off.
Valleri cringed. "Jesus. I mean, I don't have wings, but… That's gotta be a bitch. I'm sorry."
Hurley gave her a sad smile. "Worry not, it isn't your fault. ...Really."
"Four victims for fourty mil." Herrah shrugged, grinning. "I'm here to tell you there was a fifth victim. Thus, fifty mil. That's ten million per victim."
The Pale King bit back a comment about her astounding math skills to focus on the important details. "What?!"
Dryya, so still that he'd almost forgotten about her, stepped forward. "We'll not have you attempt to con the White Palace out of our wealth, Beast."
Herrah crossed her arms. "Oh? And have you anything other than muscle to back that claim up?"
Before the Pale King could speak up, Dryya lunged forward, nail in hand. Herrah didn't even move an inch as the Great Knight swung her nail-
-and was caught between two twin blades, the weapons clashing. Dryya startled at the sight of a new figure, one she could've sworn wasn't there a moment ago.
"You have your Great Knights, Wyrm." Herrah hummed. "I have a Knight of my own."
The new figure thrusted forward, forcing Dryya to pull out and back away. "Who-?!" Her eyes looked up and down the weapon of the Beast's Knight; It looked almost like two needles welded together in the middle, allowing them to fold in and out.
"Stand down, Ramones. And put those… 'scissors' of yours away."
The Knight, Ramones, complied wordlessly, and the Pale King got a good look at them. They had four long, sharp legs on a deep blue thorax, and two pairs of black chitinous arms, covered by a short blue cloak over their torso. The neckline of the cloak was lined in a thick, soft fluff, and their face was covered by a pale, yet scarred, six-eyed mask with blue horns sticking out behind it. His resemblance to Herrah was uncanny; if he didn't know any better, he'd assume the Knight was Herrah's son.
But he knew better. Herrah only ever had one child. That much, he knew for certain.
"Pale Wyrm, it's my honor to introduce my Great Knight, Ramones, to your court. He is our fifth."
"To summarize, I intend to testify in your defense. I can't clear you of all your crimes, but I can save you from the murder charge."
Valleri decided that she loved this little bee scholar.
"Holy fuck," Valleri almost hit her head on the table, deflating in relief. She wanted to cry tears of joy. "You might actually just save my life. I-I can't… I can't thank you enough."
"Don't thank me!" Hurley laughed. "I'll not see an innocent go wrongly punished!"
Valleri shrugged. "Well, mostly innocent, anyway."
They laughed together, and for once, Valleri felt like she wasn't about to die.
Hurley hopped off of the chair. "Well, I must get going, but say, once this is all settled, be sure to pay the Hive a visit! I'll need to get back there myself soon; I'm sure my son is doing well in his training."
"Your son?"
"Hahah, an ambitious one, he is! Training to join the Hive's Royal Guard. He tells me he aspires to be the Queen's personal bodyguard one day!" He laughed again, "And believe me, once he sets his mind on something, consider it done! I'll need to bring him a souvenir from this whole mess."
"I…" God, Valleri didn't know what to say. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Hurley nodded as he was stepping out the door, "Thank me for stopping by sometime! The Hive welcomes you with open arms, Valleri."
Valleri leaned back in her chair, covering her face with her hands as she laughed softly to herself. Maybe things would be okay after all.
Hurley left, the door closing behind him. But with Valleri's hands over her eyes, she didn't notice a small, red blur sneak into her room through the crack at the top of the door, just before it clicked shut.
The King could contain his disbelief no longer, and rose from his throne. So even Deepnest was involved in this mess. What a nightmare. "...It's awfully unlike you, to keep such a thing hidden, Herrah."
"Oh, I know. If it were up to me, I'd have barged in here as soon as I heard the news myself. But Ramones personally requested we keep it hush-hush, at least until now."
For the first time, Ramones spoke up. His voice was low and smooth, yet not gruff, nor was it honeyed in slick lies. "Your Majesty," he addressed the Pale King, bowing in respect, "I had hoped to hunt down the killer myself in secret. If my involvement with the case were made known beforehand, I could not act as freely as I would like to."
He rose from his bow, "However, if a suspect has been caught, then such a thing would be unnecessary. If possible, I'd like to arrange a meeting with them, Sir."
Lateralus blinked, distantly surprised at the spider's courtesy. He was so used to dealing with Herrah's entourage that he'd started to wonder if they even knew their manners. "We… can discuss such a meeting, yes. Though, I ask that you wait until the… festivities are over."
"Pfft, you mean Kingsday?" Herrah laughed. "Sure. Fine. We can wait for you to get yourself off before we resume business." He'd tried to tell Herrah that the festival wasn't even his own idea, but she never listened. Did he stroke his ego that much? It wasn't like the Beast of Deepnest was short on pride herself. She was mortal, but carried herself with the aura of authority one would expect from a Higher Being.
"In the meantime," Herrah waved a hand, "Ramones, order the Guard to search the Palace for the suspect."
The reaction was immediate. Lateralus stepped forward, and Dryya and Ze'mer drew their weapons. The Pale King demanded, "Y-You will do no such thing!" For Herrah to even attempt to hijack a political investigation as dangerous and significant as this, she may as well have just declared war. "I cannot allow you to interfere with such a delicate-!"
"But My Queen," Ramones said, his voice still calm and level, "What of Hornet?"
Herrah and Lateralus both paused. Herrah cocked her head to the side, regarding Ramones. "...What about Hornet?" she asked.
"You left her in the care of the Guard. If they are searching the Palace for the suspect, then who is to be watching her?"
The gears in Herrah's head were turning, before she nearly choked.
"Y- You're supposed to be watching Hornet, not the Guard! Where is she now?! Forget the suspect, search the Palace grounds for my daughter!"
Today was a good day for Valleri Crowes.
Well, it could be better; she could not be in jail, but knowing that Hurley's testimony would likely let her off the hook for a murder charge made her feel the best she'd felt in weeks. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders; like she had just gotten off of a stressful job and was at a vacation resort.
She decided today was Friday, because it felt like a Friday.
Now that she knew she wouldn't die here, her 'jail' suddenly felt a lot more welcoming. Pale and sterile, sure, but not stuffy or dreary. The beds were comfortable, the sheets were clean, and the whole room had a pleasant cool to it, without feeling frigid.
Shefell back into her bed, eyes closed with a pleased smile on her face. She felt good. She couldn't imagine anything ruining this day for her, at least for a little while. She'd just relax and ride out the high as long as she could…
skitterskitter
Valleri jolted, looking around her room. "H-Hello?" Maybe it was just the wind? ...Wait, she was underground, there wasn't any wind down-
skitterskitter
It was closer this time. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but Valleri slowly sat up into a crouching position on her bed. It was probably just a bug, right? ...No, everyone was a bug down here, so that meant-
skitterskitter
Valleri blinked, and she swore she saw a flash of red dart under her bed. It definitely was not the size of a small bug; more like a small dog. She grabbed a nearby pillow and held it close; it wasn't much, but it was all she had on hand for self-defense.
She stood on her bed, looking around the edges, waiting for something to come running out. Holding her pillow close, she made a few cautionary hops, listening to the bed frame squeak under her weight.
Nothing immediately came running out, so she took a deep breath and crouched down near the edge of the bed. Holding her pillow up to her face, she leaned over and took a glance under her bed. It was dark, but she couldn't see anything, dangling upside-down over the edge of her bed.
A few seconds passed, and she sat back up, sighing. "Sheesh. Maybe I'm just paranoid…"
"What doesh 'pair-noid' mean?"
Valleri shrieked, spinning around wildly. She didn't notice before, but there was something on her back.
The red thing hopped away from her startled flailing, with Valleri eventually winding up on her back, propped up by her elbows. Her dark hair fell in front of her eyes, and she pushed it away to see a small figure in a red cloak sitting on her lap like she owned it.
"Are you okay?" it - she, asked. Her face was as white as porcelain, horns curved upwards. Her large, dark eyes bore into Valleri's, who simply sat there confused.
She took a few deep breaths to get her head straight. This was… This was probably a lost child. A kid. "I-I'm fine, sorry. Just… scared me. What're you doin' in here?"
"N-Nuthin. Can I play with you for a bit?" she lisped. Valleri blinked awkwardly, she ought to probe further.
"Uh… Don't you have someone to get back to?" She sat up, and the child hopped off of her and skittered over to the other side of the bed.
"No…" She said, looking down. "My mommy's talking to daddy right now, so I'm alone. A-And the Guard's a buncha meaniesh who never let me play. Suh-So I ran off."
Valleri's brow creased in worry. Her parents should still be able to watch her if they're only talking, right? And the… 'Guard'? Who is this girl? "Uhh… What's your name?"
"I-I'm Hornet!" the girl, Hornet, squealed excitedly. She practically beamed up at Valleri. "A-And you're my loyal subject!"
Huh. She guessed every little girl had fantasies of being a princess. Valleri moved her legs off of the bed and moved to stand up. "Well, your subject really should be taking you back to your parents right about now."
Hornet hissed at her. "N-Nooo! Ah-I wanna play with you!"
"You hardly know me."
"U-Uhm…! W-What's your name, miss?"
Valleri suppressed a laugh. "I'm Valleri. It's good to meetcha, Hornet. Now, let's go meet your mom and dad, huh?"
"N-No no! T-They're so boring and y-you're cool and I won't let you!"
Valleri paused. She turned, looking at Hornet with a straight deadpan. "Is Princess Hornet gonna fight me over it?"
"Y-Yeah! I-I'll fight you if I have to!" Hornet hissed, flaring up like a threatened cat.
Valleri stared, expressionless.
And then her lips curled up into a sly grin. "That's what I wanted to hear," Valleri smiled, petting a confused Hornet on the head.
"A fellow rebel? ...Sure, I'll play along with your little game."
Just then, the door creaked open. Valleri looked up from Hornet, her mind kicking into high-gear. She needed to hide her, now.
"Under the bed!" she whisper-shouted at Hornet, who nodded and darted under. Good to see she knew how to be stealthy, and listen to directions when it really mattered. Valleri tugged at the collar of her jacket and stood to face the door, trying to position her legs to hide Hornet in case she tried to peek out.
She thought she looked presentable enough when a Palace Guard stepped through the door. He peeked around, looking for something.
"Have you seen a small girl in red around here?" he asked. Valleri laughed to herself; she did say she'd play along.
"Hm? No, nope, haven't seen anything," she shrugged. The guard glared at her for a moment; of course he didn't trust her, nobody trusted her around here, she was on trial for murder. But she had no reason to lie about this, surely, right? He shrugged, before he turned to walk out the door.
Halfway out, he suddenly jolted, and froze. Valleri's smile fell.
The guard stumbled and collapsed to the ground, a dart poking from the visor of his helmet.
Valleri's eyes widened in horror, and she stumbled back. Hornet came crawling out from under the bed, climbing up her leg and settling on her shoulder. "W-What's wrong?" she stuttered, and gasped when she saw the body.
From the crack in the doorway, a group of white, round bugs came pouring into the room. The six-eyed bugs all centered on Valleri immediately, who looked around, overwhelmed by the number.
"We found the suspect! A-And Hornet is with her!"
"I-Is she trying to kidnap her?!"
"Don't let her get away!"
Holy fuck, Hornet, who ARE your parents?!
One of them took a blowgun and aimed it at her, before another yanked it out of their hands. "Don't shoot, stupid, she has Hornet! Advance on the target!"
Another guard ran straight at her, leaping over the table to jump at her. Reflexively, Valleri threw a punch right at their face, where they flew backwards and hit the edge of the table, knocking them out cold.
Just as the rest of the six-eyed bugs began to surge forward, Valleri ran towards them. With a strength she didn't know she had, she picked up the table and began running with it as a shield.
The bugs screamed as she plowed them over, before she burst through the door, the table shattering in two as she did. Now standing out in the hall, Valleri felt her heart racing, glancing in either direction to get her bearings.
Further down the hall to her right, a group of more six-eyed bugs were charging at her. She took Hornet in her arms, who giggled at having way too much fun, and dead sprinted to her left.
Just at an intersection, two taller bugs ran into view from either side, blocking her path. She had to get through, or the group behind her would catch up.
Hornet scrambled up to her back while Valleri threw a punch at one of the bugs, while the second drew a long sword with a circle on the end. A needle?
She quickly grabbed the second bug's arm and slammed down on it; not enough to break, but enough to debilitate. Their needle clattered to the floor while she grabbed onto the neck of their cloak and backhanded them with a fist, sending them to the floor too.
The first bug grabbed her from behind by the shoulders, but she elbowed them in the side. When they let go, she spun around and kicked them in the gut, where they hit the wall and slid down in pain.
Shit, that group was catching up again. Sweat running down her brow, Valleri picked a random direction and started running.
At the end of a hall, she slammed open a pair of double doors, looking around to find herself on a spiral staircase in a tower. She hopped in place for a minute before she decided to sprint upwards.
Not far behind her, the small army of six-eyed bugs were crawling on the walls and ceiling, making their way up to her.
And not far ahead, a second group was making their way down.
Valleri stopped at a small platform in front of a window. The next door was too far away, and the last door was already covered by her pursuers.
One of them leapt at her face, and without thinking, she grabbed them and threw them out of the window, before jumping out herself.
Instead of falling to her death, she slid down a long, slanted roof. For a moment, she could witness the awe of the White Palace from above, Hornet laughing in her arms while she screamed in terror.
Spikes lined the roof on either side of them, and Valleri had to control her fall as best as she could before the roof came to an end. Valleri was in free-fall for just a second before she fell through a glass ceiling, holding Hornet close in her arms to protect her.
The glass shattered, and Valleri had enough forward momentum to fall into a curtain on the wall, slamming into it before instinct took over and she grabbed onto the cloth, sliding down it to relative safety.
Her legs wobbled as she tried to stand. She was beat, but she doubted even that was enough to shake them. She'd made such a ruckus, they were bound to find her again soon.
As she staggered down the hallway, Hornet was rolling with laughter in her arms. "A-A-Again, again!"
"Let's absolutely not do that again, you little-"
"Who's there?!"
Valleri froze, standing in the middle of the hall. Right across from her was another six-eyed bug, alone, in blue. A giant pair of scissors were strapped across his back, and he had two blue horns curling out from either side of his head. Four arms and four legs came treading over to her, silently.
Four arms and four legs… Wait, are these guys spiders?
Hornet leaned into her ear and whispered, "H-His name's Ramones, he's suuuper boring." If those other guards were 'boring', then someone being 'super boring' probably translated into 'super strong'. She needed to be careful here.
The figure, Ramones, put one leg-thing after another. He was looking straight at Valleri, she was basically caught.
Except something as off.
"...Is anyone there? Hello? I heard something break!" he called again.
Ramones was looking at her… Yet, also through her. His eyes were unfocused and grey. As he got closer, Valleri could see thin, pink scars along his face, especially running along his eyes.
This guy… Ramones… he's totally blind!
Valleri silently took a gulp of breath and held it as best as she could, inching over juuuust to the side so Ramones could keep walking without bumping into her. She felt bad taking advantage of a blind guy, but she kind of needed to survive right now.
Just as she had hoped, Ramones stalked past without even a glance in her direction. Every little twitch made her heart stop as he whisked right in front of her face. After he was a good few paces away, Valleri quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to walk away, when she stepped on a piece of broken glass, the shard cracking under her shoe.
Ramones turned his head, and Valleri only blinked before she was pinned against a wall, stuck between either blade from that giant pair of scissors, embedded into the wall behind her. If she tried to break out of here now, she'd be split in two.
"Who are you? Identify yourself!" Ramones shouted at her. Valleri backed up as far against the wall as she could, eyeing the massive swords on either side of her torso.
"I-I, Erhmm…!" Oh God, if she fucked up here, she was actually dead. She could tell Ramones was leagues beyond those clowns she toppled earlier. She could only punch her way out of so much.
Suddenly, Hornet hopped up. "M-Mister 'Mones! P-Please don't hurt Miss Valleri!"
Ramones froze. "H...Hornet…?"
Valleri took the opportunity to toss Hornet high up in the air. Hornet cheered in joy while Ramones looked like his heart stopped.
"H-Hornet-!" While he was reaching up with all four arms to try and catch her, Valleri dropped straight to the ground until she was out of the blade's path, the scissors still embedded in the wall.
She tackled Ramones from below, shoving him a good few paces away to the ground. At the last second, Valleri reached up and caught Hornet, who was giggling so hard she risked getting hiccups.
Valleri smiled down at her. But she looked up, and stepped back just in time to dodge a fist from Ramones, who had gotten back up. She stumbled away, giving the spider time to grab his scissors from the wall and yank them out.
...Well, now she HAD to punch her way out! There WAS no other option here!
Hornet crawled up to her shoulder, freeing both of her arms for combat. Ramones lunged forward, and Valleri had to side-step before delivering a quick jab to his face.
He swung to the side, and Valleri jumped back. His blade just barely scraped across her belly, tearing her shirt and leaving a small gash. Valleri seethed; those fucking things were bladed on both the inside AND the outside. Even when closed, they weren't safe.
When he opened his scissors again to cut her in two, Valleri rolled to the side, before jumping up and tackling him again. Fuck, this guy's a tank, she thought. I'm only startling him at best; if he weren't blind, I'd already be dead for sure. Do I just have to make a break for it?
Ramones took to being thrown aside much better this time, rolling across the ground before using his scissors to slide himself in an upright position.
Valleri rolled her shoulders, readying herself. She looked around, trying to find anything she might be able to use. On a nearby table, she spied a large, decorative vase that looked good for smashing.
Ramones came charging at her, and she sprinted right back at him. But what he didn't expect was for her to jump up and dropkick him in the chest, sending him stumbling again.
Checking to make sure Hornet was still holding on alright - she was, somehow - Valleri scrambled to her feet and ran for the vase.
Just as she grabbed the rim of it, Ramones caught up from behind and plunged his scissors into it, shattering the vase. Luckily, the bottom half was still mostly intact, so Valleri grabbed that just as Ramones grabbed onto her jacket.
She hissed at the broken ceramic digging into her palms, but smashed the broken vase into the side of Ramones' head. He stumbled backwards, cradling his injured head with his hand, so Valleri took advantage of his moment of weakness.
Running up, she slugged him in the face again, sending two more punches to his gut. Ramones reached out and caught one of her hands, so she reached out and caught one of his. She grinned, before a third hand flew out and struck her in the face.
F-Fuck, I wish I had four arms..!
They both staggered away from each other, injured, but Valleri was the first to recover.
She hit him in the cheek. He stumbled away.
She hit him in the other cheek. He dropped his scissors to the floor.
Valleri bent down and charged, grabbing his torso to tackle him again, running until she slammed into a massive set of doors that burst open from the force.
She dropped Ramones into the new room, who went tumbling across the floor. She cracked her knuckles, walking forward to continue the fight-
And then she realized exactly what room she had just burst into.
Two entire armies were standing off against each other in the White Palace's throne room, with the entire room and their two leaders turning to face her. One one side were hordes of the six-eyed spiders she'd been running away from, armed with spears and needles, led by a giant spider with long, blue horns covered by a blue cloth. On the other side were legions of pale-armored soldiers, armed with scythes and nails, and they were led by…
"Valleri!", shouted the Pale King.
"Hornet!", shouted the beastly spider.
Simultaneously, both armies forgot about one another to all turn on Valleri. They rushed forward, and within a second, dozens of needles, scythes, nails and spears were all pointed at her in unison.
…
The sudden hostility of having two whole armies aim their weapons at you took Valleri's breath away. She couldn't even stammer out anything to say. Everywhere she looked, there were glares. Wordlessly, she held Hornet closer to her chest, who-
-who was still fucking giggling.
Valleri blinked, looking down at the inconsolable child. Even the armies surrounding her faltered; the throne room was so dead-quiet, and Hornet's giggles echoed off of the walls for all to hear clearly.
"...H-Hornet, what-"
The massive beast of a spider turned to the King. "She's your suspect, isn't she, Lateralus? Hmph. She certainly looks the part."
The Pale King - Lateralus? - waved an arm. "Herrah!" he bellowed, his voice gritty. "Don't you dare do anything foolish while she's holding our daughter!"
Something clicked in Valleri's brain, and the gears started turning. She looked down at Hornet. "Wait. 'Our'...?"
It seemed the beast, Herrah, had begun to understand as well, as she howled with laughter. "Let me guess, little morsel. You were 'defending' her from my Guard as you made your way down here, weren't you?"
Valleri only sputtered, still struggling to understand. (Did she just call her a fucking morsel?!) Herrah continued.
"They were under my orders to locate and secure Hornet - my daughter. Beyond ensuring her safety, they wouldn't dare lay a claw on her. You were defending her from nothing."
Valleri looked down at the little red bundle in her arms, who only giggled at her bewilderment. Hornet laughed, "Y-You're my subject!"
Her mind blanked for a moment. Slowly, a grin made its way on Valleri's features.
"...You played me like a fiddle," she said, holding Hornet closer, who giggled harder, nuzzling into her embrace.
The Pale King - was his name really Lateralus? - sighed. "Valleri… perhaps I ought to introduce you. This is Queen Herrah of Deepnest, and the child in your arms is Princess Hornet. She is… our daughter, as part of an agreement."
Herrah tsk'd. "Don't be so cold about your own daughter, you colorless coward." Her armies parted to make way for her as she approached Valleri, and wow, was the Spider Queen so much taller up close.
She regarded Ramones' fallen form with… surprise? "You fought off my highest Guard for my child's games? ...Interesting. Handicapped as he may be without his vision, Ramones is still no force to trifle with."
Valleri looked at the warrior, who looked unconscious. Sheesh, did she hit that hard? "He was scarred along his eyes… what blinded him?"
Herrah shrugged. "You did."
Valleri spun around to rebuke her, before Herrah casually strolled aside.
"...Well. Allegedly, anyway."
Valleri sputtered, before she shouted, "Christ, is there any crime I'm NOT 'allegedly' guilty of?! This is insane!"
Herrah narrowed her eyes. "Well, attacking a monarch isn't on the list yet. Would you like to add it?"
(On the other side of the room, the Pale King looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it.)
"Wh- Screw you! I'm sick of this, I haven't killed anyone! I've been framed, y'hear me, old lady?!" The armies glanced at one another at the insult; this 'Valleri' was dead for sure now.
The Queen of Deepnest drew her greatneedle from her back. The whole room tensed, but instead of going on the attack, Herrah held the needle delicately, nudging Valleri around with its tip, examining her.
"Hm… Willing to raise her voice at a Queen… Willing and able to fight a Great Knight… Rebellious, spunky, and with a fondness for children…" Herrah tsk'd again. She seemed to have a habit of that.
She leaned down, and Valleri was face-to-face with all six eyes of the Beast of Deepnest, boring into her very soul. "Killer or not, you've piqued my interest… Valleri."
The Pale King stepped forward. "Herrah, what are you plotting?! I'll not have you interfere in our internal affairs any further!"
Herrah scoffed. "'Internal'? Really, Wyrm. I'd hardly call this mess 'internal' at any rate."
Hornet suddenly reached up, squealing. "M-Mommy!"
Herrah turned her eyes to Hornet, her eternal glare softening. "Oh, my dearest, you've dragged this poor girl through so much, haven't you? Come here, my little one." She picked Hornet out of Valleri's arms and held her close, Hornet hugging her mother's massive form as much as she could.
Herrah motioned for a group of guards to take away Ramones' unconscious body. She walked past Valleri to leave, but before she did, she turned to her one last time.
"Valleri… You understand tomorrow is Kingsday, yes? One of the greater festivals in Hallownest. Keep your wits about you, for I feel that you and I shall be meeting again quite soon."
And with that, she turned away, the Beast and her army marched out of the White Palace throne room, without so much as a spat exchanged between the two armies that looked ready to go to war not a minute ago.
Over Herrah's shoulder, Hornet waved goodbye to Valleri. Valleri gave a soft smile, waving back to her.
That sly little devil… I do hope I see her again soon, actually.
...
"Situation is clear! Seize the suspect!"
Suddenly, armored hands grabbed at her arms, restraining her. "H-Hey, what the fuck?!" Valleri shouted as the Pale King's army surrounded her.
Lateralus sighed, slouching down in his throne. If today's meeting made him feel anxiety, then the events of tomorrow made him feel nothing short of absolute dread.
…
...
"I'm sorry to intrude."
He sighed, flipping the bar's sign on the door to 'Closed'. "It's nothing," he said. "You're always welcome here, you know."
Lady Isma sighed, swirling her drink in its glass. "I still owe you more than I could ever repay, and you still let me ask favors like this." She took a small sip; it was just a light, sweet mix. She didn't want alcohol for this conversation. "How's your daughter, anyway?"
"Sylvia? She's doing well. ...Better than I am, if I'm being honest."
"...They caught a suspect."
He tensed. He knew she meant that she caught a suspect. "...So I've heard."
"...Do you think that…? I mean…"
His claws balled into nervous fists. "...I don't know." He sighed. The conversation came to an uncomfortable lull. "...You oughtn't stress yourself out over it," he added, blurting it out.
Isma looked up. "Why would I be stressed? You're the one who should be worried about this."
They were both lying to each other again. They both knew it.
They both did it anyway.
Isma sat up straight. "Oh… that meeting from Deepnest was going to happen today, wasn't it? I should... probably be getting back."
She reached for a Geo pouch, but he waved his hand. "Forget it." Isma looked reluctant, but put her money away, turning for the door.
Before she walked out, she paused, giving the bartender a backwards glance.
"Thanks for the drink... Caesar."
"...Anytime."
Chapter name and summary are a reference to Rebel Rebel by David Bowie.
Other musical references in this chapter include:
Latertalus by TOOL
Ramones (Artist)
Caesar by Ty Segall
i mentioned the name Caesar in the last chapter of the main Ethno fic but I forgot to add it to the music list so I'll add it here
finally revealed more details about the crime Valleri is being accused of! how big does Hallownest's economy have to be for a 50 mil bounty to be viable? do they even have 50 mil in circulation? whatever, if i want to inflate Geo into worthlessness then i will. 1800 for a fuckin lantern in-game doesn't paint any pretty pictures about the actual value of Geo
also i cant tell you how long i've been waiting to write Baby Hornet in. i hope i did her justice :D
Anyway this came out WAYY ahead of schedule and I'm really happy about it. Only took like 2 weeks instead of a full month this time! If I'm pushing my luck, maybe we can get the next chapter of Ethno out before the end of the month, too! We'll be going back to the main fic for the next chap, so please leave a comment and we'll see you then!
EDIT: i mixed up "jail" and "prison". this unforgivable oversight has been fixed.