Interlude: Hornet

The quiet humming of smaller insects. The rustling of leaves. The dripping of water. The bubbling of acid. Greenpath was alive with the sounds of nature, something the rest of their rotting nation lacked.

'Indeed', she thought, 'one could even forget that the infection exists, here. At least, for a time.'

It was a wistful thought, one she had had many a time before, and one she would likely have many times in the future. But it was also a childish thought she knew better than to entertain. As nice as it would be to just forget, for a while, it wasn't something she could allow herself to do.

The infection had ravaged all of Hallownest. Whether it was apparent on the surface or not., most every being in Greenpath was infected on one level or another. From the smallest crawlers, to the greatest knights. And while many were still alive in spite of this, she had to wonder how much longer that would last.

Her fingers tightened angrily around the handle of her needle at the thought. She wanted to fight something, impale something and grind it's corpse into paste on the ground.

She rose to her feet with a sigh. 'Like that would change anything. If the Infection could be killed with a needle or nail, then . . . ' She stopped that thought where it was. It didn't bare thinking about. Not right now. Not when she still had a job to do.

And so she began to run and parkour her way through the greenery, wind whistling through her horns as her thoughts returned to earlier that day. She'd been wandering the the more easily accessible parts of Greenpath at the time, looking for something softer to eat than the dirt-carvers of her homeland.

It was something she did quite regularly, and she knew the area well. Perhaps it was foolish to drop her guard as much as she had, especially after the incident with the giant, but it was hard not to relax when filled with nostalgia of a better time. And so, when a vessel of all things had came bounding into view, it came as enough of a shock that she had thrown herself backwards in surprise.

'Not that it was a poor decision. That room was to cramped in places for me to use my needle effectively.' She shook her head. 'Not to mention the acid pools. The last thing I need mid battle is to get my string soaked in acid. Retreating was the best choice.'

(Their resemblance to the Hollow Knight had nothing to do with her reaction. Nothing at all)

As much as she enjoyed her time in Greenpath, it was littered with obstacles, and she didn't want to face what was potentially a dangerous opponent in an area that didn't favour her. It was for that reason that she'd doubled back, finding the small vessel wherever they were skulking around, and then running off. Knowing their nature, it was a given that they'd follow her.

The constructs were innately curious, after all. Only knowing that they had a propose, but not what that purpose happened to be. It was no wonder they'd follow any and every lead in pursuit of answers. Still, that left them easily manipulated.

Which was a good thing for her. Many of them were quite skilled warriors. She wouldn't want to face one in an smaller space where their smaller bodies would give them the advantage. And most of Hallownest was made out narrow tunnels.

Hornet's thoughts were interrupted as she realized how close to her destination she was. A large, simple clearing in the upper left edge of Greenpath. On the very edge of the lake where the Higher Being, Unn supposedly slept.

It was a large chamber, with only two visible exits, one of which was higher than most vessels could jump, and the other leading to an acid filled tunnel that was difficult to navigate unless one could cling to walls. Both of which she had blocked off with barred doors set to seal on her command.

Best of all, there was a hidden tunnel in the roof, which was only accessible to those with wings . . . or those with a grapple as convenient as her needle. Even in the event of her defeat, it was unlikely her opponent would be able to strike a killing blow before she could retreat.

'Of course, I haven't done maintenance on either of those gates since my last fight here . . . '

Crouching down in the entrance, she checked over the mechanism for the sliding bars that would block the entrance. Once she was sure that they were still functioning as intended, she moved to do the same with the one on the other entrance/exit. Finally, she pulled herself up to the roof and confirmed that her escape route wasn't blocked off.

Now sure that everything was as it should be, she jumped down to the centre of the room and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This wouldn't be the first Vessel she'd fought since she took up the position of Hallownest's protector. It wouldn't even be the first she'd fought in Greenpath. She knew what kind of threat they posed to the kingdom. And in general combat, really.

Vessels wanted, as much as they could want, to fulfill their unknown purpose, whatever that purpose happened to be. That itself wasn't an issue, not on it's own. However, that purpose was sealing away the infection. And as the infection had already been sealed, however imperfectly, that meant they would, of course, need to be unsealed before they could seal it themselves. And that, she could not allow.

If the seals were undone, then the Hollow Knight would be free, and the infections source with it. The only hope then would be that whatever vessel had broken the seals would be able to defeat the Hollow Knight and take their place. And that seemed doubtful.

And so, she would fulfill her duty, and put the vessel down before if could learn of it's purpose and attempt to break the seals.

(The seal in Deepnest most especially . . . )

Unbidden, her eyes moved to the vessel who's corpse sat in the centre of the room, carcass still held aloft by their own nail. A past victim of her resolve, and deadly opponent who had managed to disarm her. The memory of their battle still made her hands hurt where she was was forced to catch their nail. In the end, she had managed to tear it from their hands and turn it against them, but she still bore the scars.

Part of her hoped that this new vessel would pose less of a threat. But something in the pit of her stomach told her that it had more in common with her . . . the Hollow Knight, than just appearance.

She pondered, for the briefest moment, whether or not she should rush home, or too one of her hide-aways and retrieve some of her other weapons. But before she could even properly consider the idea, the pitter patter of small feet warned her she'd run out out of time for preparation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the vessel jump down form the entrance, and took a deep breath. "Come no closer, ghost!" She spoke firmly, an air of authority lacing her words, and pointed her nail at them. "I've seen you creeping through the undergro-"

"AHA! Ghost!" Another voice, this one obnoxiously loud and oozing confidence, interrupted her.

She flinched in surprise, and spun into a defensive crouch. She hadn't heard the other bug approaching.

"Is that their name? I haven't been sure what to call them, seeing as they can't exactly tell me!" The source of the voice continued unbothered by her threatening motions. They were a small bug, who bore some resemblance to the vessel, and even more to the statues found in hot springs. They stood in the entrance of the room, leaning over the edge but not jumping down.

"What?" She asked, having finally registered the small bugs words.

"Their name. The little warrior down there with you. You just called them Ghost. Is that their name or were you just calling them that as a place-holder?" They elaborated in a tone one would normally associate with one speaking to a particularly slow child.

"What? Name? No, they have no name, they are a . . . vessel." She explained, somewhat confused. Only to realize towards the end that her explanation would mean nothing to someone who didn't know what a vessel was.

"Vessel? What in the world is a vessel? And what does it have to do with whether or not they have a name?" The small bug put their hands on their hips and puffed out their chest. "And why do you get to decide that being a vessel means they don't have a name? Everyone should have a name, even if it's only for convenience sake!"

Hornet groaned. "Listen, they are a vessel, and I know that they don't have a name because our father only even chose to name one of them! And he-"

"OUR father?" He cut her off. "I haven't been home in an age, but I think I'd know if I had a sister your age! Unless . . . " They suddenly looked at the vessel, looked back at her, and then began to alternate between the two of them. "Are you siblings!?"

With that declaration, a shudder went down her shell unbidden. "NO! Were not, I mean, were not siblings, yes my father made them, but-my mother-!"

"Ah! Half siblings, then? And your father didn't even bother to give them a name? And I thought I had horrible parent's! I mean, my father tried to keep me on a little farm he'd built and make me spend the rest of my life working and maintaining his legacy!" Hornet put a palm to her face and released a long, tired sigh. "And my mother did everything in her power to make me give up my dream! Never believed in me, no matter how much I needed her to! My parents were awful! But they at least gave me a name! Are they a bastard or something? No, even then-"

"ENOUGH!" She bellowed, triggering to bars to lower. This knocked the strange small bug into the room, and caught their cloak, leaving them dangling by their neck.

"ACK! What the-?! What's the big idea!?" They rocked back and forth, trying to slip free of their cloak.

Hornet, ignored them, turning her focus back towards the vessel."I'm sorry, but I know what you would do if left unhindered, and I cannot allow you free reign of this kingdom." She crouched down, powerful lower-body coiling like a spring, before launching herself into the air. For the briefest moment, she floated, legs once again tensed, before blasting forwards towards the vessel, needle ready. "SHAW!"

AN: So I wanted to write a Hornet interlude. I think it turned out decently, or at least better than the last chapter. Though I'll leave you to decide it's actual quality. Now, review answering.

Yisuslol23: Personally, I'm not a big believer in the "Zote is son of the Pale King" theory. Not opposed to it, just don't find it likely, and will not be using it here. Sorry if that's disappointing for you.