Okay... First off. I AM SO VERY SORRY! This took longer than I thought it would... I swear it all links up further down the line. Anyway, this will be a double feature as it just sorta... Evolved.
Anyway, ONWARDS!
Somewhere else…
Itsuki was always a patient child, it came with the territory of always being the world's punching bag. However, patience wears thin, and Itsuki's patience had been rendered non-existent.
To and fro he ran. Meetings, press conferences, or the medieval equivalent, monster hunting, bandit hunting… and the paperwork… dear God the paperwork. The village's piled up problems had just burst from out of the woodwork as requisition form after requisition form had been filled out and filed.
It got so bad in fact that the village fort's throne room needed to be demolished and rebuilt into what was practically a mayor's office, Itsuki at it's head while Ryshia and Rino did their best to limit and control the flow of petitioners.
This current day however had been especially terrible, a good fourth of the village having all rushed in at once yelling about bees of all things. The growing crescendo of shouts and cries for action drowned the room in noise. It was this point that every petitioner knew…
"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL YOUR SENSELESS BICKERING AND WHINING!" Itsuki shouted as the room was surrounded in vines.
They fucked up.
A week's worth of insanity had left him in an instant as he slowly walked to each and every frightened petitioner, allowing them to calmly speak their peace before letting them go, the harmless vines that had wrapped around them fading into the floor.
A 'gift' from the White Lady. For it didn't matter what bow he had equipped, the vines of the Hallownest had held tightly onto his arm as more of it was wrapped in the natural phenomena.
As more and more of the petitioners said what they knew and left in a calm orderly fashion, running away screaming that is, Itsuki fully comprehended their plight.
"Bees," He stated firmly as he spoke to his partners.
"Bees…" Ryshia echoed worriedly.
"So, what do we do?" Rino asked.
Taking a moment to breathe, Itsuki folded his hands and rested his elbows atop his desk, "The villagers are all saying the attacks are being instigated by bees, giant honey bees to be exact."
"But?" Ryshia asked with growing curiosity.
"But. They're coordinated," Itsuki replied, "Minimal loss to human life, little to no harm to cattle…"
"But plants and vegetation, as well as grains have been reported stolen," Rino added, "They're being led by someone or some thing."
"Something not entirely malicious," Itsuki continued as he stood up, eyes hardening with focus and determination, "Rino, how good is your cloaking spell?"
"Eh!? Well… ah-ah-I think I can hold it for five minutes now…" The small bunny whimpered, the Bow Hero nodding.
"It'll have to be enough, for now, we prepare…"
Nightfall soon fell, Rino having meandered about the village farmlands in wait for the honey bees with Ryshia and Itsuki close by. Just minutes before the sun fell, a contingent of ten bees had flown in with precision and speed, buzzing about as they had found their way to a pile of bait laid out for them courtesy of the Bow Hero.
Gulping, the bunny girl slowly but surely made her way to the bees, careful not to get too close. When it was decided that the bees would not harm Rino, Itsuki and and Ryshia snuck as close as they could to Rino's side as she cloaked the two, her face scrunching in concentration. Itsuki quickly began to run a hand along her head, calming the girl and tightening her focus.
"It's okay… let your magic flow naturally…" Itsuki whispered, "Motoyasu's going to be so proud of you once you go back to him~"
"Master Motoyasu~" Rino whispered dreamily. Smiling, Itsuki urged the girl forward as he readied his bow. Taking aim at a woven sack, he let go of an arrow right into the large sack and watched as the grain fell.
"Alright everyone," Itsuki whispered, "We have our trail, now let's move!" With a spirited but hushed "Yeah!" the trio followed the hapless bees slowly. It was little more than half an hour, Rino taking moments to rest and recuperate along the trail until they came upon the sound of a low buzzing that had grown into a cacophony, the trio's concern growing ever more.
So worried had they been in fact, that they were completely unaware of the encroaching bees behind and around them, "You can come out now," A feminine voice spoke, a rod plunging itself before Rino's face. With an 'eep', Rino had fainted as several humanoid bee soldiers had lances pointed at them.
Gulping, Itsuki slowly raised his hands, "Take us to your leader?"
The honey bee soldiers had not so much separated the three as much as they did keep Ryshia and Rino from Itsuki's side. The Bow Hero had, for the most part, remained calm and collected as he was brought forth to the Queen Bee.
The honey bee hive had been just that… but on a massive scale, the giant comb having been formed along the side of a mountain. The inside of the hive had been covered top to bottom in honey, workers both beastman and monster flitting about carrying larvae, honey, and combs.
The queen herself was… well, the words breathtaking and beautiful came to mind. Flowing hair like honey, four slender arms sprouting from a humanistic hourglass figure hidden by a masterfully woven dress. Pale yellow silken skin, soft black eyes. Sure, she also had a massive thorax sprouting behind her, but…
'I wasn't always into insect girls was I?' Itsuki thought to himself in worry, the queen only giggling to herself. In all honesty, she had a motherly aura befitting a queen such as her.
"I am glad," The Queen's voice echoed along the air, her words sweet and intoxicating, "To think a Hero would find themselves in my home in our hour of need."
Shaking himself from his shock, Itsuki took a breath as he gathered his thoughts, "Your highness, I'm afraid I'm here due to the recent attacks against the village under my protection."
"The settlement at the foot of the large fort, yes?" The queen asked as she neared the Bow Hero, "I regret what we have done, attacking your village and its innocents was not part of our intention."
"Hence why you mentioned your 'Hour of Need'?" He asked, flinching as the queen placed a hand upon his cheek.
"MASTER ITSUKI!" Ryshia shouted, causing the Bow Hero to snap out of the trance the queen had placed him under, "GET AWAY FROM MY ITSUKI YOU HUSSIE!"
The queen had been scandalized, her soldiers digging their spears into Ryshia slowly.
"RYSHIA!" Itsuki called back as he drew his bow.
[Vineyard Arc Rank: 58/75
Damage 118
Firing Speed: 8 Arrows P/S
Speed Modifier: 20
Passive (Mastered): Anti-Venom, negate all poisons
Passive: Climb any surface covered in vines
Active (Mastered): Mark, target loses 50 Defense and critical chance increased by 10%
Active: Ensnare target for ten seconds/Grow vines along any surface]
The arrow's tip began to fracture eight ways, Itsuki already calculating who would fall first.
"Stand down! Stand down!" The queen shouted, "Please… this isn't how I wanted our first meeting to go…" The soldiers begrudgingly dropped their armaments, Ryshia and Itsuki letting go of breaths they didn't know they held. Sighing, the queen gestured to Itsuki with a sad smile, "I apologise, we are… desperate. Tea?"
Sighing, Itsuki only pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'd love some…"
Where the throne room was a grand expanse of space meant to illicit awe and wonder, the small conference room was just that. The combed walls still shined with golden honey, but the room was fairly bare save for a kitchenette of some fashion and a coffee table.
Thankfully, Itsuki was allowed the company of Ryshia and Rino. The girls rubbed their wrists, rope marks from having been manhandled no doubt.
"Now that your soldiers aren't about to kill my party members, why don't we discuss just what it is that has you all so worked up," Itsuki said calmly as he took a sip of the aforementioned tea, eyes lighting up as he smiled, "This is really good!" He exclaimed as he let some of his more childish demeanor loose.
Ryshia and Rino gave him worried glances before trying the tea themselves, the queen giggling lightly as she joined them, "I'm afraid we have been locked into a vicious cycle," The queen muttered sadly, her tea cup drooping slightly as she spoke, "One that you may be able to break."
"A cycle?" Ryshia asked calmly.
"Our rivals, the Hornet Tribe. They have locked us into an unbreakable cycle of violence. They invade during the day, killing our old and devouring our young before claiming any resources they can before we are able to drive them off."
"And out of desperation, you attack human settlements in the hopes they have supplies to pilfer," Itsuki said harshly, smile quickly returning as he enjoyed the honeyed tea.
"It is as you say. Please, Bow Hero…" The queen placed her hands on Itsuki's shoulders, pleading eyes staring into his own, "Will you not help us to end this circle of violence?"
Though he did wish to answer her plight, Itsuki still had one burning question, "You keep calling it a cycle… the villages you've taken from. Have they-"
"I can take you to the mercenaries sent to attack us," The queen quickly replied, "No doubt that the Hornet tribe have their own prisoners," Shrugging, Itsuki and Co. followed the queen further into her Hive. It may have just been the glowing honey, but even the Hive's prison looked rather glamorous.
Behind bars and guarded by four spear wielding bee sentries. Although, Itsuki couldn't help but want to call them Needles.
'More of the White Lady's influence?' He thought to himself as he walked up to the ten man group.
"Well well… color me surprised…" The mercenary leader mused, "Never expected a Cardinal Hero, but judging by that bitch queen behind you, ya ain't exactly here to save us."
"As you can see," The queen said with a sigh, "He and his ilk had come here with… less than kind intention."
"He was here to kill you all," Itsuki stated more than asked as he stared down the mercenary leader with cold eyes, cold eyes which actually managed to cause the grizzled man to flinch, "So what do you want me to do about him? I can't allow someone like him and his mercs into my party. I need loyalists with a strong sense of justice."
"Hah? Justice?" The mercenary leader asked having managed to reclaim his nerve, "You hear that, boys!? We have a real hero in our midst!" His teasing hadn't inspired the greatest confidence, the mercenaries giving half heart chuckles as Itsuki continued to glare. Of course, they were looking less at his eyes and more at the writhing vines upon his arm that threatened painful and humiliating violence against them.
"Although… if the Hornets are as bloodthirsty as I think they are…" Itsuki mused as the queen flashed a saccharine sweet and vicious smile.
The band of mercenaries was led away from their cells, bound tightly by Itsuki's vines and covered head to toe in aromatic honey. The group of ten had practically been paraded through the hive as they were struck with even more globs of honey, blinding some and silencing others.
Itsuki and Co. had finally reached the entrance, the queen still guiding them as Itsuki began to speak, "You know… you have us doing this job for you and you even know our names now..."
"And yet I have yet to give my own, is that what you're about to say?" The queen asked with a teasing smile, "Veladora. You may call me Veladora." Nodding, the queen's place was taken by a pair of honey bee sentries as the chain gang continued its dread march.
"Kid, come on! You can't do this to us! Those hornets will kill us!" The merc leader shouted as he fought against his vineyard bindings, "We're human! We're on the same side damn it!"
Itsuki so badly wanted to shout in his face, call him a senseless murderer. To tell this man and his brigands that he was a Hero of Justice… but that would have done nothing. Instead… "Miss? Did either of you hear something?" He asked of the honey bees.
"Forty-One, did you hear anything?" The rightmost guard asked of her partner.
"Must have been the buzzing of our wings, One-Hundred-Eighty-Three," The leftmost guard replied.
The honey covered chain gang only started shaking in their boots, some breaking down in sobs at what was to happen to them, others fell deathly silent, "THIS IS BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT!", The leader shouted in desperation, "STOP FUCKING WITH US, KID! WHY ARE YOU EVEN THINKING ABOUT HELPING THESE FUCKING BUGS!?"
His cries fell on deaf ears however, though it was obvious Ryshia and Rino were more than unsettled by their current standing. Dawn had soon broken, and with it came the sight of a massive woven husk nestled deep within a hollow canyon. Where the Honey Bee Hive was a magnificent construct of finely shaped geometric gold, the Hornet's Nest was a malformed and oddly shaped woven mass.
It had still been early morning, and thus Itsuki and Co. had held the stealth advantage…
"Does anyone else hear that?" Ryshia asked worriedly.
Or so they thought. Where the collective honey bee wing beats seemed almost melodic, the hornet's wings carried with it malice, hatred… an angry and spiteful death knoll. Before they knew it, a fleet of one hundred giant hornets, twenty humanoid hornet warriors wielding scimitars and bows, and one especially threatening hornet woman with a spear on her back, and two scimitars on her waist.
The woman wore a vicious grin hidden by deathly sharpened mandibles. Where the Honey Queen looked motherly and wore a woven dress, this woman had been bare, allowing her naturally formed carapace to hide her form. Her arms held power, finely toned muscles adorning her four arms and legs.
"Well well well… what do we have here?" The lead hornet asked as she neared Itsuki, the bee warriors at his side readying their spears as she approached, "You don't look like you're here to attack, does he girls!?"
The hornet warriors all began to laugh tauntingly at Itsuki and Co. yet the child held fast against their jeers.
"We've come to parlay!" He declared, causing the hornets to pause, "Did… did I say that right?"
"Parlay…" The lead hornet woman growled out as she unsheathed a blade, placing the flat of her blade upon his chin, "You're here to parlay?" Itsuki did not falter as he nodded, the woman giving a harsh 'tsk' as she looked away, unnerved that a human had matched her gaze.
"I am the Bow Hero, called here to action with my party on behest of the Honey Bee Hive," Itsuki stated as he motioned to a frightened and shaking Ryshia and a frozen Rino.
"And the honey line?" The lead hornet asked as she gave a wicked smile while looking at the chain gang, "They your 'party' too?"
"They're a gift to your tribe," Itsuki replied without skipping a beat, unnerving the hornet woman even more, "You do take prisoners, don't you?"
Growling, the hornet woman swallowed a curse and grinned, "Alright… I'll play your game, kid! But first, I'm going to need all of you to disarm!"
The honey bees didn't take too kindly to this, the rightmost guard growling as she raised her spear, "We will not negotiate with-"
"We will agree to disarm," Itsuki stated calmly as he bid Ryshia and Rino to drop their swords. The honey bees begrudgingly followed. Smiling, the hornets led them into the husk.
Its interior had been much like he expected, shadowed and oppressive. The little light that was allowed entry did nothing to fully illuminate the husk for the three non-Beastmen as Itsuki began to focus a skill through his vines… of course because of this, the hornet woman was put on edge.
"Didn't I tell you to disarm!?" She shouted, putting the Hornet Hive on high alert. Growling, she immediately took hold of Itsuki's arm and pulled him close, the light illuminating and accentuating her surprisingly refined figure.
"Wait, don't… you'll hurt yourself…" Itsuki stammered out, the redness of his face thankfully well hidden by the darkness all while the hornet woman attempted to pry off the vines.
"What the hell is this!?" She yelled, "It's like it's attached!"
"Because it is…" Itsuki replied with a sigh, "It's part of my Legendary Bow…" This answer, though not satisfactory, did well to placate the angered woman. With a low growl, she swat the Bow Hero's arm away and continued her path.
"Master Itsuki…" Ryshia whispered in fright, "Are you hurt?"
"I can still heal you, I think…" Rino mumbled as she huddled up to the duo. Itsuki sighed and gave a soft smile before gently patting the bunny girl's head.
"Thanks, but I'm okay. Let's just get out of this alive," Itsuki muttered in reassurance. The oppressive buzzing within the ever darkening nest only served to flat the group's nerves even more, the chain gang actually whimpering and crying as they were led to what was no doubt a slow and painful demise.
"Hey MOM!" The hornet woman shouted after what seemed like an eternity, an immense wind having kicked up from even greater buzzing. What little light Itsuki could afford allowed his lessened sight to behold a hill sized hornet, it's massive and blade adorned head craning down to look upon Itsuki and Co.
"WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT TO ME THIS DAY, ZERRADIA?" The massive insect questioned, her voice booming throughout the hive itself.
The hornet woman, Zerradia, grinned at this question in spite of no one actually able to notice as she placed her hands upon her hips in victory, "The Legendary Bow Hero has brought us an offering in parlay!" She declared, "On behalf of the Honey Bees no less!"
"PARLAY? FOR WHAT WOULD A HUMAN… NAY, A MORTAL GOD WISH TO SPEAK OF WITH US?" The Hornet Queen asked, though, from the sheer volume, one could say she had demanded an answer.
Gulping and taking several breaths, Itsuki built up his nerve and stepped forth with a hand upon his chest, "I WISH TO UNDERSTAND!" He shouted, surprising everyone, even himself, as he addressed the queen. The honey bee sentries had started to sweat as did Rino and Ryshia while the hornets prepared to assault the Bow Hero. It was luck or divine providence that ensured that he was not smite where he stood as he continued, "PLEASE! SHARE WITH ME YOUR PLIGHT SO I… SO WE MAY UNDERSTAND!"
The hornets both big and small, humanoid and beast, stepped away and parted as their queen neared the Bow Hero, saliva dripping from her grinder like maw and shining upon her steel like mandibles… before chuckling. Blinking in surprise, Itsuki as well as everyone else had become flabbergasted as the low chuckle had grown into a spirited laugh.
"YOU! YOU INSOLENT CHILD~ FOR THE GIFT YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME, I SHALL ACQUIESCE YOUR REQUEST!" She declared with audible mirth, "ZERRADIA. TAKE OUR NEW PRISONERS SO THEY MAY BE HARVESTED OF THEIR LIFE ENERGY," Nodding, her daughter had done just that, the chain gang crying and struggling all throughout, "AND YOU, CHILD GOD OF THE BOW. FOR YOUR GIFT, I SHALL TELL YOU OF OUR PLIGHT!~"
There had been audible excitement in her voice. Without warning, the queen had taken Itsuki in one of her spined limbs, the Bow Hero struggling as fear set in.
"MASTER ITSUKI!" Ryshia and Rino shouted in tandem as the hornets kept them and the two honey bees at bay.
Closing his eyes, Itsuki waited for an end that would not come. Saliva fell upon him, drenching his body and bow…
[Vespa's Song Unlocked!]
"For ages long passed, we lived as guardians," A voice within Itsuki's mind echoed, "Our warriors hunted and foraged against the demons and beasts that had plagued our lands. We held status and honor as saviors, and yet when the world no longer needed us, they turned against us," Fire filled Itsuki's mind as his eyes opened to the sight of a roaring, blackened inferno, "When we did not yield, we became the beasts you see before you, and so for ages past we had become the hunted-
Even our own cousins refused us their aid, a lack of resources they claimed. I can not blame them, for their fate was twofold our own… we hunt them for our survival. We hunt them out of anger. There is not a day that goes by that I do not wish for the peace of my great grandmother's time. When our world had been filled with honeyed song…"
Tears invaded Itsuki's face, his breath heavy as he allowed himself to be deposited once more with his own group, "Honeyed Song…" He whispered to himself as he grit his teeth and clenched his fists.
"HONEYED SONG…" Queen Vespa replied, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND US, CHILD GOD OF THE BOW? UNDERSTAND WHY WE CAN NOT CEASE OUR HUNT?"
"I understand!" Itsuki shouted in reply, "And I have a solution! I DO!" He shouted as he raised Vespa's Song
[Vespa's Song Rank: 1/100
Damage: 25
Firing Speed: 3x Arrow P/S
Speed Modifier: x5
Active: Create a peace inducing field
Passive: Gain .1% damage per second]
The bow was a harsh black and yellow with vicious mandibles upon the edges of the bow adorning two thoraxes connected by the head of a hornet, "WILL YOU GIVE ME A CHANCE!?" Itsuki pleaded, "PLEASE… please…"