As Whisper squirmed, the bug who had spoken came into view. They had been hiding in a crevice in the wall, and as they crawled into the main cavern Whisper realized that this was the only way she couldn't have seen them.
They were quite large, almost as big as the giant bug that had been guarding that little grub in a jar. While much of their body was wrapped in a long cloak, perhaps in an attempt to make it look more normal, Whisper could see a long, thick armored torso unlike any she'd seen on a bug so far. It was crawling along the wall on four spindly legs, with two more arms gripping onto the stone and another two holding a long weapon with jagged blades on both ends. Their face caught Whisper's interest the most, however. Instead of the two eyes she'd seen on most bugs, this one had six, all of which were focused intently on her.
"Alright, strange one, come so I may strike you down!", declared the new bug, leaping down from the wall and cutting down the web, "This'll get the attention of the protector for sure!"
Whisper readied her scepter, recognizing that this was new. A talking bug who wanted to fight her? That seemed strange. It had only been the ones filled with that horrid light who wanted to fight her…but this bug's eyes were as black as any other.
The opponent spun her weapon around, the blades glittering in the soft light effusing the caverns. She passed it between her four hands and did several unusual movements and flourishes with it. Whisper had no idea what she was doing. There seemed to be no strategic value in it.
So Whisper reacted exactly as she would with any other bug she fought - she charged right at them, scepter swinging.
Except this one knew how to fight back.
As Whisper came at her, the new bug swung her spear around, using the hook on Whisper's scepter to her advantage and flinging Whisper into the cavern wall. Whisper felt her shell vibrate from the impact, as some wisps of black fluttered from her cloak. She rolled away, reassessing her strategy.
So maybe this bug could do new tricks. That didn't matter too much. Whisper was more than capable of defeating her anyway.
Whisper just needed to attack differently, somehow. A new strategy, her mind supplied.
Strategy…that wasn't something she'd ever had to use before. Everything had just been stupid and easy, minus the aspids. Those things deserved to go into the Abyss.
Abyss…Whisper realized she couldn't quite remember what that was. Something was obscuring the memory. She wondered how and why.
Her opponent decided she was tired of waiting, and lunged, spear spinning towards Whisper's mask. Whisper rolled aside, causing her foe to nearly jab the spear into the wall. Whisper sensed instinctively that maybe there was a window here to exploit.
As the bug prepared to strike again, Whisper rolled at her feet and swung out with her scepter. While it could not cut through the legs, it triggered a hiss of pain from her foe and caused them to nearly fall off the wall.
Whisper proceeded to follow up with a swipe at the warrior's face, one that they barely managed to avoid. Still, the very tip managed to leave a scratch across the bug's forehead, and dark blood welled up there. The foe wiped it away, and their eyes narrowed in focus. Clearly Whisper was proving more of a threat than the bug had originally anticipated.
They scurried up higher on the wall, and Whisper knew she wouldn't be able to reach them at this current level. She was going to have to find a way to climb up there.
Looking around the chamber, Whisper spotted several ledges to climb. She leaped up onto the closest one and pulled herself up, and started climbing to a similar level to her opponent.
The bug then acted, spinning her spear. Long white strands flew out from it, attempting to bind Whisper. Without thinking, she swung her scepter out to intercept…and it began to glow with a strange aura, absorbing the white threads into it effortlessly.
The other bug's eyes widened in shock. Whisper herself wasn't sure what had just happened, but she was definitely going to use the opportunity. She leaped across the room, tackling the foe and knocking them off the wall. The two fell to the bottom, and the bug hissed in pain as they crashed on their side, their legs pinned under their body. Whisper readied her scepter for a finishing blow, but then her opponent rolled over and knocked her off against the wall, retrieving their spear and preparing to continue the fight.
Whisper leaped back to her feet and charged again, her scepter clashing against the spear. But the bug spun their weapon around, using one blade to deflect the scepter and the other to pin Whisper to the wall. The blade pierced through the cloak and through Whisper's torso, stabbing into the wall and holding her there. The bug gazed into her hollow eyes with a look of triumph.
Whisper struggled desperately to get free as the enemy released their grip on the weapon, leaving her pinned to the wall. They crawled over to her, their six eyes carefully scanning her body.
"What even are you?", the bug asked curiously, "You look nothing like any other bug I've seen, and you fight like a warrior from the old days. Not to mention the curious properties of your weapon."
Whisper squirmed, but was losing energy. She was stuck here for sure.
"Hmm, you have much potential, and I'd hate to kill such a rare and unusual character. Plus, you do not seem to be affected by the Infection. I shall release you and let you live to fight another day. Perhaps we shall meet again, after you've gotten a bit stronger.", the bug continued.
She grabbed her spear, and yanked it loose, dropping Whisper unceremoniously to the ground. "By the way, my name is Willow. If you end up looking for me, I will most likely be in the green groves to the west. After all, that is where the protector is said to roam."
Then she leaped onto the wall and scurried out of sight, leaving Whisper to stagger to her feet and try to recover her energy.
While she had struggled before, this was the first time she'd actually lost a fight. Whisper knew she had to get stronger, and fast. She had been lucky that Willow had chosen to spare her.
Speaking of which, who was Willow? What was she? What were those threads she had used, and how had the scepter absorbed them? Whisper felt full of questions. And she seemed to feel, deep inside, that she wasn't supposed to have any of them. She was supposed to be empty. She wasn't supposed to be any of these.
And Whisper felt some crushing weight inside her, something that seemed to slow her movements and hurt her chest. Something that suggested she didn't deserve to live.
That was an unusual feeling that she didn't want to have.
She looked back to her map. Thankfully, the fighting had not damaged it. She noticed she was close to that tough bug now. She wondered if she would fare better there.
She started climbing higher up the room, navigating around the white bugs slowly crawling up and around the walls. Whisper then spotted an unusual doorway in the wall ahead. It was very spacious and reinforced with metal, clear shimmering doors hanging wide open inside it. A sign hung over it, an image of an unusual bug's face hanging above it.
Whisper looked at her map. This place didn't seem to be recorded there. She wondered if it would be worth investigating. It didn't seem like there was much there to see anyway. It wouldn't take long.
She leaped across the chasm, nimbly landing on the other side. She looked around for any hostile bugs, before slipping into the room.
Inside, it was rather empty looking. Metal weaved across the walls, reinforcing the chamber and giving it a calming air. There were benches lined up against the walls, and at the end of the room was a long passageway stretching impossibly far in both directions. A cool damp breeze wafted from it, coming from where Whisper did not know.
Beside the passageway was an iron pole with a box on top of it, with a lever on the side and a tray to deposit Geo in. A small glowing sign showed the required cost. Whisper noticed it was considerably higher than Cornifer's map had been. She wondered if she had enough to activate it.
Digging through that mysterious pouch, she counted out what she hoped was enough and tucked them into the tray. She leaped back in shock as the tray slammed closed with a loud rattle, and the post sank into the ground. With a clang and a ding, another post popped up, topped with a shining bell instead.
Whisper stared at it curiously. What could this be for? It didn't seem like much of anything.
Carefully, she poked it, and it made a soft ding. Whisper felt a sudden burst of excited warmth. This…was this more music?
She poked it again, making a louder ding. Excitedly, she started poking it more, causing it to ring louder and louder, echoing down the tunnels ahead.
Then Whisper froze, as she sensed a deep rumbling start echoing back. The ground started shaking, and she stepped back warily, wondering if the music had done something.
Charging out of the tunnel on the right was a truly massive bug, its shell worn with age and long hair growing off its face and legs. A strange leather casing had been strapped to its spiked back, for what purpose Whisper couldn't guess. She realized with a start its face matched the one on the sign, albeit the sign hadn't featured the hair.
The tremendous beast came to a stop by the platform, and it spoke with a deep rumbling voice, rasping with age.
"Greetings, little one!", it said, "It's been an age since I last heard the ringing of a station bell. It echoed down the stagways and called me to you. I've grown stiff and tired over these many years and I've forgotten much, but the sound of the bell will always call me back."
Whisper wasn't sure how to react, and gazed up at it quizzically.
"Ah, of course. A young bug like you would not remember the old days, especially as sad and lonely the kingdom has become.", the stag said, "These stagways stretch the depths of Hallownest. If you want to travel them, simply hail me from the platform. I will take you where you need to go."
He looked around at the old station (another word that had come from the darkness, a word which Whisper realized was very important) with a deep sigh. "It was a long time ago, but I remember when these highways and crossroads pulsed with life. These are the paths I first carried passengers through when I was young. Those travellers are long gone, yet still I remain. Now it seems it's just you and I and the furtive creatures scratching and squirming all around us."
Whisper sensed that perhaps she could learn much from this bug. He had clearly been around for a very long time, and knew these places far better than her. She slipped out her map, wondering if he knew about anything marked upon it.
The stag looked curiously at the paper. "A map? It seems you still have much to fill in on there. Not even my station is marked. Alas, I had hoped perhaps such a thing would jog my memory. It has been so long I forgot where most of the stations lie. Perhaps as you explore, you could help me find my way back again?"
Whisper wasn't sure how to react. Was this bug…requesting her assistance? That was something new. All the bugs she had met so far had either tried to kill her or had just simply talked at her. This was the first time she had ever received an actual request from one.
Her mind suggested she nod her mask to signify if she was willing to partake in the task. So she did.
"Thank you, little one. I would be most grateful. Any time you find a station, do ring the bell for me. I will be able to transport you down any path you remind me of. It will make your travels much simpler.", the stag said, his voice lighter. Whisper wondered if that meant he was happy.
The two stood there for some time. "You are quite odd, little one.", commented the stag, "I don't think I've ever encountered one as silent as yourself. It is as if you have no voice."
Whisper felt that horrible sadness coming on again. She fought it off, and pointed to the face on her map in an attempt to think of something else.
"I was never quite knowledgeable about the rooms beyond the stations. But I believe that was a worker's quarters, where the maggots would sleep between jobs. I don't think they ever got much rest, however. They were the backbone of Hallownest's industry and were always working. I sometimes felt sorry for the poor things.", the stag explained, "That face marked there I know nothing about. It seems to be vaguely familiar, but I do not recall why that is. I presume you're on your way to find out?"
Whisper nodded. The stag gave a rumbling sigh. "I wish you luck on your future travels.", he said, "Do not forget, I will always be the ringing of a bell away. I look forward to seeing you again."
He sat down with a loud creaking of his joints, his weary eyes staring down the tunnel ahead of him. Whisper turned and walked back to the entrance, wondering when she'd next see the stag. It was quite clear he would be of great aid in the future.
But first, she had a room to investigate.*