The end of our double feature! This was a doozy and next chapter is going to (hopefully) be just as big a doozy!
I just hope not to have lost anyone's attention or patience…
ONWARDS!~
It wasn't long before Itsuki had once more found himself within the Honey Bee Hive, Veladora waiting patiently along with a new honey bee hiding behind her. She looked to be a child herself with an incredible resemblance to the queen.
"You return unharmed," Veladora stated, "Tell me, what is it you have learned?" She asked as she walked up to Itsuki and Co. The sentries guarding them having returned to their normal duties.
"Resources," Itsuki replied, "Neither side has any and thus must steal and kill for any and all. Is that a satisfactory examination of the matter at hand?" He asked as Veladora nodded.
"It is as you say, Bow Hero Itsuki…" The queen replied, "And so, I must now ask. How shall you handle this?"
"Seeds," Itsuki replied readily, surprising most everyone, "I'll need seeds. Enough to plant within the vicinity of both hives."
"Seeds?" Veladora asked, "Is that all?" The question caused Itsuki to blush as he looked away.
"I'll… also need some of your spit…"
"My what?" Veladora asked, visibly scandalized as Itsuki held out his bow. Nodding her head in understanding, the queen drew near, "Itsuki, I shall ask that you and your party close your eyes. A queen must not be seen doing such improper things after all."
Nodding, Itsuki looked to Ryshia and Rino, the two nodding with worry as the trio closed their eyes. Soon, Itsuki felt a familiar moisture fall upon his bow as Veladora groaned.
[Veladora's Nectar Unlocked!]
[Veladora's Nectar Rank: 1/100
Damage: 25
Firing Rate: 3x Arrow P/S
Speed Modifier: x5
Active: Cover a target in aromatic honey
Passive: Farming Skill x50%]
Unlike Vespa's Song, Veladora's Nectar had been a refined, almost liquid like body colored a soft gold, and yet it seemed to carry not only the same stats, but a honey bee's head as well in place of the knocking point.
"Thank you, Queen Veladora…" Itsuki whispered as he marveled at the bow before nodding, "I'll be waiting outside to begin."
"Begin what?" Veladora asked as she watched the child walk away, a bright blue and glowing butterfly adorned bow now in his hands.
"Gardening of course," The declaration was simple, yet felt so very impactful. By the time the queen had prepared the seeds, Itsuki had covered an empty space in blue vines covered in aquatic blue bubbles and fluttering butterflies. With a quick flick of his wrist, the vines had retreated beneath the earth as the land was soaked in shining water. Surprise had been the main reaction of all those around as the earth began to glow blue as if a pulsating soul.
The Bow Hero had yet to finish as a pair of giant honey bees carried over four different pouches each with a different seed. Smiling, Itsuki took the seeds and immediately switched bows to Veladora's Nectar. The vines upon his arm began to glow as if liquid gold before depositing the many seeds into the vines. Itsuki once more enveloped the land in vines, the golden vegetation digging into the land so as to deposit the many seeds evenly.
"One more step…" He whispered to himself as the bow reformed into Vespa's Song. Taking a breath, Itsuki placed his lips upon the back of the hornet's head as a soft song began to fill the world. He soon began to sway and dance to the peaceful melody. He danced as the vineyard around him writhed and settled, crawling along him whilst moving to his very will until he found himself in the middle of the now growing garden.
Golden honey mixed with blue Life Blood as the seeds began to sprout and grow, flowers and crops growing in what had been mere minutes.
"I believe this should solve our problems…" Veladora whispered.
Soon, Itsuki once more found himself traveling towards the Hornet Hive. This time however saw him accompanied by the Honey Bee queen herself along with the child from before, apparently the queen's daughter.
"Your highness," Itsuki sighed, "I understand why you're coming along, but are you sure it's safe for your daughter?" He asked with worry, Ryshia and Rino on high alert with weapons and magic at the ready.
Veladora Only hid her grin behind a hand as she giggled, "Oh please my precious Bow Hero, call me Veladora," She replied teasingly, "And yes, if my daughter is to grow then it would be prudent of her to see to matters such as these with courage. Is that not right, Miel?"
Veladora's daughter, Miel, Only hid herself more behind her mother's back as Itsuki looked to her. Itsuki shrugged it off while Veladora only giggled more.
The hornet tribe of beast folk had been waiting for Itsuki's return, chief among them was Zerradia. The Hornet woman stood proud, arms crossed as she stood before the entrance of the woven hive.
"So, the twerp returns!" She declared with a cocky grin, "And what's this? The Honey Queen and Princess! You here to sacrifice them to us as well?~"
"Zerradia," Veladora spoke as she drew near, the hornet woman flinching the closer the Honey Bee queen walked, "There's no need for hostilities between our two tribes. You know that don't you?"
"G-get away from me!" Zerradia shouted as she readied a spear and scimitar, the rest of her Hive following suit as they prepared for slaughter, "Stay right there! I'm just here to kill you all once you fail! That's all!" Her voice had carried with it untold pain and fear.
"Master Itsuki, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ryshia asked in a hushed tone as she knelt down beside Itsuki, "What if they kill us anyway?"
"You probably haven't noticed," Itsuki replied as he placed a hand upon Ryshia's cheek, the girl's face beginning to burn hotly, "Both queens have made me champion to their people. What I'm about to do… this should save them from extinction," He said with a confident smile before walking away before whispering to himself, "I hope."
As a pair of giant hornets ushered Veladora and Miel into the hive husk, Zerradia had led Itsuki to a bare and incredibly baren patch of land. The very earth cracked and rising as if having been robbed of all nutrients centuries ago, "I'm going to enjoy drinking your blood from your still beating heart," Zerradia taunted as Itsuki grinned.
"Sure, we'll make a day of it," His words caused the irate woman to blush as she growled. Throwing a curse to the wind, Zerradia allowed Itsuki to his work only for her eyes to widen at the butterfly adorned bow that appeared in his hand.
Much like before, Itsuki covered the mass of land in Life Blood, eyes calm and focused as he repeated the process five more times. It wasn't as simple as before, the land had been stubborn against his magic. Thankfully, as Itsuki's vines dug within the earth and soaked the land to its core, he smiled and marveled at his work.
Once more he planted his seeds into the earth, and once more had he filled the world with honeyed song. The garden had been much the same as the first, a good ten feet of land properly cared for. With any luck, the sweetened scents would attract many an outside insect. He hoped…
"Well, this is the best I can do," He muttered as he walked away from the garden's center, the verdant sanctuary slowly growing and reaching out to him as he left.
"This is the best you can do!?~" Zerradia questioned with a wicked smile, sharpened teeth gleaming under the light of the harsh sun, "You think this tiny patch of grass-"
"Will be sufficient," A gravely and aged voice called out causing Zerradia to flinch and quickly turn around. The Honey Bee queen and princess had returned, but there had been another with them. She looked much like Veladora, only that steel mandibles adorned her mouth and she was deathly thin, "I hope that my daughter isn't giving you trouble, dear Child god of the Bow."
"Mom!" Zerradia shouted as she ran up to the elder hornet woman, "What are you doing out of your throne! Why are you walking around like that!? Where the hell is your head!?" The woman, no doubt Queen Vespa, placed a quivering hand upon her daughter's head, the younger hornet growling as she grit her teeth.
Vespa soon withdrew and walked to Itsuki, eyeing the child critically, "And so you have granted us this gift, Child god. Even now I sense the sweet nectar of this garden flowing through the winds, it's allure no doubt drawing many to us in search of its revitalizing divinity."
"Revitalizing? It's just a garden though," Itsuki replied curiously, Vespa chuckling softly at his lost expression. His expression soon turned to confusion as he watched as Vespa slowly made her way to the garden… before her body began to fill out.
Thin and aged limbs had grown and tightened, her weakened body thickened and wings beat with such force… "Ahh~ To feel so young again~" She sang out, a golden and misty aura had surrounded her as she basked in the sweetened garden. Itsuki and Co. had been left speechless as they looked upon the revitalized queen, said queen giggling as she plucked a rather robust lily and drank of its nectar, the liquid colored a honey-like blue.
The haze around her spiraled into her body, coating her form and causing her to glow before the shine faded, "Itsuki Kawasumi," Vespa called out as she walked back to the now gathered group, Veladora joining her side as they both spoke in tandem, "For this gift you have given our people, we name thee Aprilis, Child god of Spring."
Miel seemed to brighten up, her smile widening with wonder as she stared at Itsuki. Zerradia had been much less content however…
"Are you shitting me!?" The hornet woman shouted, "You get a few years taken off and all of a sudden you're making him our god!? Are you listening to yourself!?"
"Zerradia, calm yourself," Vespa demanded as Itsuki had started to unintentionally back away into the garden.
"I mean, I can see her point," Itsuki called out, "Everyone treats me like some kind of god in this world, but that's really only because of this bow. I'm human just like everyone else-"
"THEN DIE LIKE ONE!" Zerradia shouted as she lunged, spear forward and two scimitars at her side. Ryshia and Rino cried out for their leader but hesitated. They were both much too slow to catch her, any magic would harm the garden, and despite his skill and power, Itsuki would be useless in melee combat.
Itsuki had no time to knock back an arrow, let alone focus his vines to restrain her. His life flashed before his eyes as her spear's tip touched the bridge of his nose… and then, nothing. Through closed eyes and clenched teeth he waited for an end that would not come. His eyes opened slowly to find that Zerradia had stopped. Though, it had not been of her own accord.
"Let… go…" The angry hornet growled, several vines having wrapped around her body while thorns slowly dug into her, "I'm… seriously going to kill you…"
"We will not..." A feminine voice called out from within the garden, everyone now on high alert as eight massive flowers had started to rustle and move, "Allow you…" Another voice spoke up as the flowers began to spiral outwards in bloom, "To harm…" Eight teenaged girls with overflowing hair had emerged from the flowers, their eyes glaring daggers at Zerradia as more and more flowers began to grow and bloom, "OUR FATHER!" The girls all shouted.
Itsuki of course did the only thing he knew to do… he fainted.
…
Itsuki had opened his eyes once more within the Queen's Gardens of Hallownest, flinching as he had awoken next to the fallen guardian of the White Lady, "Here again…" He whispered to himself before sighing. Quickly standing, he dusted off the strange cloak he had found himself in when he first found himself within the Nest.
The white Lady had been as radiantly breath taking as the first time he laid eyes upon her, almond shaped eyes looking back at him with great focus, "You have returned, little bug~" She cooed as he drew near, "Tell me, have you had a chance to utilize my gift to you?"
"If by 'gift' you mean the ability to make gardens wherever and whenever I wanted?" Itsuki asked with a bit of mirth despite it feeling as if he could not properly form facial expressions, "Then yes, yes I have used your gift…"
"Was there a complication?" The White Lady asked with worry.
"That's…" Itsuki looked away and felt his cheeks burn, "The second garden I made… I think I messed up. Pretty badly too," He replied with worry. The White Lady's eyes only sparkled with curiosity as he sighed, "Okay… this is going to sound insane, but I think the flowers I made gave birth…"
"Splendid~" The White Lady cheered, eyes smiling brightly as Itsuki flinched, "Then my gift has most certainly served you well!~"
Lost for words, Itsuki instead decided to slam his bow onto his face… repeatedly, "You knew…" He groaned, "I can't believe you knew and didn't tell me…"
The White Lady giggled giddily, "Tell me, little bug, for whom or what have you spread your seed?"
Groaning, Itsuki continued to cause himself bodily harm with his weapon, "Do you need to say it like that?" Sighing, he sat down, sighed once more, looked at his bow, and sighed once more and conked himself again for good measure, "Two different bee tribes, honey and hornet."
She closed her eyes and hummed happily, her pale almond shaped eyes quickly opening as if to let out all the excitement she felt, "You shall be a fine father, little bug~ Though… you mentioned bees, yes?"
Itsuki gave a slow nod, "Yeah… why? Is there a bee tribe here as well?" Giggling, the White Lady allowed herself a bit of freedom as a white vine once more reached out to Itsuki. However, what followed the blinding light that struck him had not been his world, but another cavern… one holding a massive honey comb, "Didn't even warn me…" Sighing, Itsuki took a few steps before crying out and falling off a ledge.
Thankfully, he had reacted quickly enough and latched on to another ledge further away with a vine. Unfortunately, he was unprepared for the momentum as he swung back and forth, shouting to no one as he attempted to stabilize himself. Hyperventilating, Itsuki waited until his vine stopped swinging so as to climb up without the thought of falling to his untimely demise.
A massive and rotund fly with a cat like mask for a face had been buzzing about behind him, the insect paying him no mind thankfully. Aside from the massive bug, there had been a lone, almost ball shaped honey bee… but it looked ill and lifeless. Surprising Itsuki further was the fact that the bee perked up as best it could before flying towards the Bow Hero. Itsuki could only stare as the weakened bee bumped into his chest face first before losing all strength.
Sighing, Itsuki had caught the bug in his hands before looking around, "You must have been out here too long," He whispered to himself before spotting a gaping hole in the comb. With a nod of conviction, Itsuki made his way into the hive as the bee in his grasp fluttered its wings weakly.
Unlike Veladora's home, this hive had been as dark in the inside as it was on the out, Itsuki having switched to his Vineyard Bow so his vines would be able to properly illuminate the dark caverns… to his absolute horror. Strewn across the halls of the hive had been many a bee both large and small in various stages of decay. Someone or something with a sharpened blade had seen fit to slay them.
The further he explored, the greater his sadness and grief had become. There had been no honey within the hive to speak of, its walls and cells having decayed from what looked to be years of neglect, "Is this… Is this really your hive?" Itsuki asked of the tiny bee, said bee whimpering sadly. Sighing, the Bow Hero followed the path set for him by the bee in his possession.
More and more had the dread set in, death and decay an absolute in the fallen hive. More and more Itsuki realized that all was not as he was led to believe… Things had finally come to a head when he found himself in what he had believed to be the hive's main chamber. What he found broke the bee in his care.
Before them, held in stasis was the decayed form of a massive honey bee, no doubt the queen of this hive.
"No… why?" Itsuki asked as he fell to his knees. His only answer came in the form of the dying bee in his care whimpering its last.