I suggest calling a group of vessels a silence.
Journey of Wyrms and Gods (Hollow Knight x Worm crossover)
- Thread starter Lleh
- Start date
- Crossover
Tisaku
Head Chief Thinkomancer
- Location
- Quebec
I mean, Stabby and Co. got a really good name for the group of Siblings but since they're called Vessels in this one... We should try to gather Suggestion and make a Poll.
Oooh!, that is a nice one.
Interlude: One
- Location
- Florida
A people without the knowledge of their past history, ... is like a tree without roots.
-Marcus Garvey
Interlude: One
Stucker
Stucker shifted his weight from one leg to another and back again. His clawed fingers twitched on the pommel of his nail, and his carapace started to itch. Stucker was nervous, no, the young bug was more than just shy.
Stucker would not consider himself a scaredy-grub. He was not possessed of an indomitable spirit, but through his time, Stucker has persevered through pain, doubt, and fear. He'd had to do so to get as far as he did.
Absently, the bug checked the mask that rested on his face, a nervous tic Stucker had developed in the years since the Day of Freedom.
Stucker slapped the side of his head a few times.
"Come on man, you can do this! Just knock on the door, it's not the end of the world."
It was.
For a bug like Stucker, at least.
Sitting in front of the beetle was a hut, a large house enclosed in the vines that grew commonly in Green Path. It was a small and modest home that was hidden well; so concealed it had taken Stucker two days to actually find the. In that time he'd gotten lost three times and was almost eaten three times.
Taking a deep breath, Stucker raised a fist to the door and began the movement to knock. As soon as hist fit touched the wood however the door opened.
Stucker found himself looking at a small, petite figure with blank eyes and two horns. His body moved before his brain had registered the identity of the figure. Stucker could almost hear the voice of his sergeant praising him on his blind instinct.
Of course, Stucker was not thinking of his Mantis Sergeant; Stucker was far too busy panicking. As his squad-mates loved to say, 'the further from the boss, the closer to happiness', and he was half a foot from the boss.
Well, not the 'boss', more accurately, it was his boss's boss; from a certain point of view.
Standing in front of him was one of Them — the Godborn, Voidbrothers, Vessels, Silent-ones, and Siblings. Their list of names was long, and each one more frightening than the last. It was why Stucker rarely went to the Temple. Voidseeker sermons sent shivers down his back each time he listened to one.
"My lord."
Most importantly for Stucker was not the fact that the bug was a demi-god; no, Stucker was currently kneeling in front of a member of the royal family. Not the best position for a grunt like him. Oh, Stucker had seen the royals before….
That first day, five years ago.
Stucker would remember it till the day he died. He was led to Dirtmouth by Knight Musha with hundreds of others. Lost and confused, Stucker had no idea what was going on and was probably on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Then She appeared, the Queen.
She gave direction and hope when there was none.
Since that day, Stucker only ever saw members of the royal family at official events or when they came to Guard training. That had always been at a distance, and now he had practically run into one of them.
He should have expected it in retrospect. It was only natural for living legends to congregate.
"Come in, young grub, stop kneeling on the ground!"
The low voice broke through Stucker's day-dream. Looking up, Stucker found only the open passageway of the hut in front of him. Stucker swept his head around, looking for the little lord but found nothing.
Had he left?
Stucker shook his head and entered the hut. He could worry about that later; he had someone to impress.
Of course, Stucker wasn't precisely expecting what he saw. The interior looked like an absolutely chaotic mess. There were nails, skulls, masks, and all types of painting material lying around. A large… something, beneath a black cloth, sat in the back of the room.
In the center of the space, behind a stand, was his quarry.
The giant red bug was painting? Painting?
"Oh, another little grub has come my way. Does it perhaps wish to learn the way of the brush? Hmm."
To say Stucker was confused would be an understatement. Oh, yes, he had heard the rumors that the Nailmaster Sheo was an artist. Stucker had thought that had been a clever metaphor, but apparently not.
"No? Do you perhaps wish to learn the ways of the nail? You have that bearing behind you: the way you walk, the way you study the environment. It's odd how similar a warrior and artist are."
Stucker knew the moment was now.
"Yes, Master Sheo. I wish to learn from you, to improve my skill with the nail."
Stucker gave a deep bow, trying to keep the stress out of his voice. In response, Sheo laughed.
"I too once, long ago, wished to learn the ways of the Nail Arts. My brothers and I became masters, and I spent my life honing that skill. I grew weary of that life, though. Now I look for other arts here in my sanctuary; the ways of creation. Some have started to call me Paintmaster Sheo. It's a good name."
"So"—Stucker wasn't sure he heard correctly—"you no longer practice the Nail Arts?!"
Sheo did not respond to his outburst directly.
"Tell me, young grub, why do you wish to learn?"
Why? That was an easy question for Stucker.
"I wish to prove myself and become a Knight of Hollownest."
"Why?"
Stucker narrowed his eyes behind his mask. Why did he want to become a knight? His mind went back to that day. The red cloak billowing in the wind, his heart swelling.
"I want to protect the kingdom."
"Why?"
Sheo dipped his brush into the splotch of red on his paint palette and went back to work on the canvas.
Stucker didn't care. Why? Why was he asking this? Stucker had always prided himself on his self-control, but anger was starting to swell in his stomach.
Why?
He saw the white face of the vessel. He saw the black Void, the Void in his dreams.
"I… I owe the Void my life. I want to repay the debt?" Stucker barely registered that his statement sounded more like a question.
"Why?"
"What do you mean? Why? I told you why!"
"Why do you want to be stronger? It's an important question. When master Sly asked me, I told him that I did not truly know. When the little one came to me, I didn't even bother to ask. But you are different, so again, why do you wish to grow stronger?"
Stucker's retort died on his throat. To grow stronger, oh, there was a reason. It was the same as all his comrades, for why they continued on to the Guard after mandatory Militia training. It was the same reason, the damned reason.
Stucker felt rain upon his head, and he looked up into the shroud of falling water. He was no longer in the hut. Stucker was back in the Old City, the City of Tears.
His feet started moving on their own. There was no one else in the city. The lights were on in the various buildings, but Stucker knew that no one was inside. There was not a soul in the city. Stucker continued walking until he came to the Monument of Hollow Knight and the Dreamers, which sat in the city center.
There was someone there, a bug looking up at the statue. Stucker felt an odd sense of familiarity when looking at the mystery bug.
"Hello!"
There was no response. Slowly, Stucker walked forward, still no response.
He was right behind them now. Stucker could tell it was a girl underneath the purple cloak. A very familiar purple garment.
"Excuse me? But-"
The bug turned around, and Stucker found himself looking into a set of sickly golden eyes. It was Lil, his sister's face he was looking at. She showed no emotion and stared vacantly at him. It was as if her soul had been removed.
Stucker grabbed her shoulders, "Sis! Lily! Li-"
His sister opened her mouth and released a soul-shattering roar.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Her hands shot around his neck, surprising Stucker and forcing on to his back. Stucker tried to raise his arms, tried to push her off, but his strength seemed to have left him.
"Lil…No… Snap out of-
"L...et go, Lil-"
It was getting hard to breath. Stucker looked up at his sister, who had stopped screaming. She was going to kill him!
He was going to die!
Her eyes started to flash. The golden light began to grow in intensity.
"No….no, not AGAIN!"
He remembered!
SHE was coming for him. The music started again, in the back of his head. Her voice!
Gold started to envelop his vision when-
SLAM!
Stucker blinked a few times. He looked around to find he was back in Nailmaster Sheo's hut. A shiver ran down the young bug as he thought about the...dream?
He felt something in his hand.
A paintbrush? Stucker couldn't remember taking a brush, and he also couldn't remember when the palette was placed in his other hand.
He looked up to see master Sheo, who was much larger than Stucker would ever be, place canvas in front of him.
"Shall we begin then."
Wiping the tears from his eyes — his mask had disappeared at some point — Stucker shakily responded.
"But… I've never done this before."
"Neither had I."
Silvia
"And so on the Blessed Day, the Ghost reunited with its sister, our Queen. Together they struck a mighty blow upon the Radiance and shattered the chains that bound their oldest sibling, the Hollow Knight. At that moment, the Ghost of Hollownest assumed its rightful place as the God of Gods, The Heart of The Void. Snuffing out the Infection of Old Light and freeing all those that lived in Its Kingdom.
"From whence we come, we shall return. So say we all."
"So say we all!"
Silvia's heart swelled as she replied with the rest of the crowd.
"For those that brought a gift for the Void, we will begin the offerings."
Silva clutched the small bouquet of flowers in her hand, as the Voidseeker motioned for the first circle of the audience. The congregation in the Black Egg Temple were seated in a semi-circle around the dais. It allowed everyone to see the Vessel and hear the Words equally.
It took a few minutes before Silvia was able to make her way to the center from her seat in the back row. Silvia slowly breathed in and out, trying to keep her nerves in check. It was always an experience for her to do this.
Soon, she was there and looking upon the face of a god. Or more accurately, she was looking upon a Vessel's skull. It was right in front of a nail that was embedded into the stone of the podium it rested on. Tied around the hilt of the weapon was a cloak.
Silvia knew what each of the objects was and their holy importance. The Skull was the mortal shell of Ghost. The weapon was the Dream Nail, the most legendary blade created by the Nailsmith, said to be able to enter the dreams of bugs and gods. The black cloak was the Shade Cloak; this garment gave the Ghost godly speed and one of his numerous titles, the Lord of Shades.
Silvia heard once that the positioning of the Void God's remains on the dais was precisely how they'd been on the Blessed Day.
Very slowly, Silvia placed her flowers next to the other gifts. There were a lot of flowers, but also small carvings, small treats, and coins. A smile crossed her face as she spotted a small child's drawing. It was crude, but Silvia could tell that the little kid must have been happy when they made it. It showed two large and two small bugs lined up in a row. The labels indicated them as the kid's family. There was writing underneath, obviously also from the kid.
"Thank you, my Lord," was whispered from her lips as Silvia completed a small prayer.
Standing up, Silva looked for the Voidseker. The tall gold enameled figure was standing at the entrance of the Temple, looking directly at her. Pushing through her creeping feeling of unease and apprehension, she walked towards the preacher. This was the moment she had been waiting for
"Um... Sir?"
The golden helmet shifted slightly.
"You are Silvia. You come to the sermons almost every day. You volunteer at the grey Mansion to take care of the Delicate Flowers."
It was not a question, it was a statement of fact. Like a shopkeeper listing of his inventory from memory. There was also a tinge to the preacher's voice that gave the smaller bug the feeling that Voidkeeper knew what she was about to ask; setting up the question for her.
Yep, Silvia was now truly beyond being nervous and well past creeped out. Silva gave a small prayer to the Void; she was too young to have a heart attack!
"Sir… I wanted to know… well, that is I… How do I… BECOME A VOIDSEEKER!"
There, Silva thought, she said it.
"Go to the Abyss when you are ready."
.
..
…
What!?
"That's it!?"
Instead of responding to the outburst, Voidseeker turned around and walked off.
"Wait! What! I need more than that… and she's gone." The young bug thought it would be harder than this."
Silvia had been working up the courage to ask that question for a year. Out of confusion and disbelief, Silvia didn't leave the Temple. The question of why was going through her mind. The Voidseekers were one of the most secretive tribes in the Kingdom. They wouldn't just let someone in that easily.
"Maybe my dedication to the Void is lacking?"
Silvia shook her head; it was no use to ask why. She was just given a great gift, and she wasn't going to waste it. She would not disappoint the Void!
SHEW!
The alien sound interrupted Silva's step, almost tripping her. On instinct, she turned back around towards the dais and found nothing.
Nothing!
The holy remains sat upon the podium, but all the gifts were gone. Silvia scanned the room, looking for an intruder.
"Wh-What in the Void and Unn's garden is going on!?"
Slowly and hesitantly, Silvia walked back to the podium. On closer inspection, Silva noticed that only one thing remained — the picture. Silva turned the piece of paper around to look back at the kid's drawing.
It was not the kid's drawing.
Silva held the… the masterpiece away from her; She didn't want her tears to stain the picture.
A/N So this is the first interlude. It's a bit small but with work and family events I wanted to get this out there. I'm thinking of adding supplementary omaks/snippets/info on some of the things that won't ever really play a major part in the story or only be mentioned briefly. Tell me what you think in the comments if you so will. Thanks again to the Cauldron discord, any feedback is welcome.
A/N 2: If you want to leave suggestions for titles and names for the members of the royal family + the new Bee Queen, feel free.
-Marcus Garvey
Interlude: One
Stucker
Stucker shifted his weight from one leg to another and back again. His clawed fingers twitched on the pommel of his nail, and his carapace started to itch. Stucker was nervous, no, the young bug was more than just shy.
Stucker would not consider himself a scaredy-grub. He was not possessed of an indomitable spirit, but through his time, Stucker has persevered through pain, doubt, and fear. He'd had to do so to get as far as he did.
Absently, the bug checked the mask that rested on his face, a nervous tic Stucker had developed in the years since the Day of Freedom.
Stucker slapped the side of his head a few times.
"Come on man, you can do this! Just knock on the door, it's not the end of the world."
It was.
For a bug like Stucker, at least.
Sitting in front of the beetle was a hut, a large house enclosed in the vines that grew commonly in Green Path. It was a small and modest home that was hidden well; so concealed it had taken Stucker two days to actually find the. In that time he'd gotten lost three times and was almost eaten three times.
Taking a deep breath, Stucker raised a fist to the door and began the movement to knock. As soon as hist fit touched the wood however the door opened.
Stucker found himself looking at a small, petite figure with blank eyes and two horns. His body moved before his brain had registered the identity of the figure. Stucker could almost hear the voice of his sergeant praising him on his blind instinct.
Of course, Stucker was not thinking of his Mantis Sergeant; Stucker was far too busy panicking. As his squad-mates loved to say, 'the further from the boss, the closer to happiness', and he was half a foot from the boss.
Well, not the 'boss', more accurately, it was his boss's boss; from a certain point of view.
Standing in front of him was one of Them — the Godborn, Voidbrothers, Vessels, Silent-ones, and Siblings. Their list of names was long, and each one more frightening than the last. It was why Stucker rarely went to the Temple. Voidseeker sermons sent shivers down his back each time he listened to one.
"My lord."
Most importantly for Stucker was not the fact that the bug was a demi-god; no, Stucker was currently kneeling in front of a member of the royal family. Not the best position for a grunt like him. Oh, Stucker had seen the royals before….
That first day, five years ago.
Stucker would remember it till the day he died. He was led to Dirtmouth by Knight Musha with hundreds of others. Lost and confused, Stucker had no idea what was going on and was probably on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Then She appeared, the Queen.
She gave direction and hope when there was none.
Since that day, Stucker only ever saw members of the royal family at official events or when they came to Guard training. That had always been at a distance, and now he had practically run into one of them.
He should have expected it in retrospect. It was only natural for living legends to congregate.
"Come in, young grub, stop kneeling on the ground!"
The low voice broke through Stucker's day-dream. Looking up, Stucker found only the open passageway of the hut in front of him. Stucker swept his head around, looking for the little lord but found nothing.
Had he left?
Stucker shook his head and entered the hut. He could worry about that later; he had someone to impress.
Of course, Stucker wasn't precisely expecting what he saw. The interior looked like an absolutely chaotic mess. There were nails, skulls, masks, and all types of painting material lying around. A large… something, beneath a black cloth, sat in the back of the room.
In the center of the space, behind a stand, was his quarry.
The giant red bug was painting? Painting?
"Oh, another little grub has come my way. Does it perhaps wish to learn the way of the brush? Hmm."
To say Stucker was confused would be an understatement. Oh, yes, he had heard the rumors that the Nailmaster Sheo was an artist. Stucker had thought that had been a clever metaphor, but apparently not.
"No? Do you perhaps wish to learn the ways of the nail? You have that bearing behind you: the way you walk, the way you study the environment. It's odd how similar a warrior and artist are."
Stucker knew the moment was now.
"Yes, Master Sheo. I wish to learn from you, to improve my skill with the nail."
Stucker gave a deep bow, trying to keep the stress out of his voice. In response, Sheo laughed.
"I too once, long ago, wished to learn the ways of the Nail Arts. My brothers and I became masters, and I spent my life honing that skill. I grew weary of that life, though. Now I look for other arts here in my sanctuary; the ways of creation. Some have started to call me Paintmaster Sheo. It's a good name."
"So"—Stucker wasn't sure he heard correctly—"you no longer practice the Nail Arts?!"
Sheo did not respond to his outburst directly.
"Tell me, young grub, why do you wish to learn?"
Why? That was an easy question for Stucker.
"I wish to prove myself and become a Knight of Hollownest."
"Why?"
Stucker narrowed his eyes behind his mask. Why did he want to become a knight? His mind went back to that day. The red cloak billowing in the wind, his heart swelling.
"I want to protect the kingdom."
"Why?"
Sheo dipped his brush into the splotch of red on his paint palette and went back to work on the canvas.
Stucker didn't care. Why? Why was he asking this? Stucker had always prided himself on his self-control, but anger was starting to swell in his stomach.
Why?
He saw the white face of the vessel. He saw the black Void, the Void in his dreams.
"I… I owe the Void my life. I want to repay the debt?" Stucker barely registered that his statement sounded more like a question.
"Why?"
"What do you mean? Why? I told you why!"
"Why do you want to be stronger? It's an important question. When master Sly asked me, I told him that I did not truly know. When the little one came to me, I didn't even bother to ask. But you are different, so again, why do you wish to grow stronger?"
Stucker's retort died on his throat. To grow stronger, oh, there was a reason. It was the same as all his comrades, for why they continued on to the Guard after mandatory Militia training. It was the same reason, the damned reason.
Stucker felt rain upon his head, and he looked up into the shroud of falling water. He was no longer in the hut. Stucker was back in the Old City, the City of Tears.
His feet started moving on their own. There was no one else in the city. The lights were on in the various buildings, but Stucker knew that no one was inside. There was not a soul in the city. Stucker continued walking until he came to the Monument of Hollow Knight and the Dreamers, which sat in the city center.
There was someone there, a bug looking up at the statue. Stucker felt an odd sense of familiarity when looking at the mystery bug.
"Hello!"
There was no response. Slowly, Stucker walked forward, still no response.
He was right behind them now. Stucker could tell it was a girl underneath the purple cloak. A very familiar purple garment.
"Excuse me? But-"
The bug turned around, and Stucker found himself looking into a set of sickly golden eyes. It was Lil, his sister's face he was looking at. She showed no emotion and stared vacantly at him. It was as if her soul had been removed.
Stucker grabbed her shoulders, "Sis! Lily! Li-"
His sister opened her mouth and released a soul-shattering roar.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Her hands shot around his neck, surprising Stucker and forcing on to his back. Stucker tried to raise his arms, tried to push her off, but his strength seemed to have left him.
"Lil…No… Snap out of-
"L...et go, Lil-"
It was getting hard to breath. Stucker looked up at his sister, who had stopped screaming. She was going to kill him!
He was going to die!
Her eyes started to flash. The golden light began to grow in intensity.
"No….no, not AGAIN!"
He remembered!
SHE was coming for him. The music started again, in the back of his head. Her voice!
Gold started to envelop his vision when-
SLAM!
Stucker blinked a few times. He looked around to find he was back in Nailmaster Sheo's hut. A shiver ran down the young bug as he thought about the...dream?
He felt something in his hand.
A paintbrush? Stucker couldn't remember taking a brush, and he also couldn't remember when the palette was placed in his other hand.
He looked up to see master Sheo, who was much larger than Stucker would ever be, place canvas in front of him.
"Shall we begin then."
Wiping the tears from his eyes — his mask had disappeared at some point — Stucker shakily responded.
"But… I've never done this before."
"Neither had I."
Silvia
"And so on the Blessed Day, the Ghost reunited with its sister, our Queen. Together they struck a mighty blow upon the Radiance and shattered the chains that bound their oldest sibling, the Hollow Knight. At that moment, the Ghost of Hollownest assumed its rightful place as the God of Gods, The Heart of The Void. Snuffing out the Infection of Old Light and freeing all those that lived in Its Kingdom.
"From whence we come, we shall return. So say we all."
"So say we all!"
Silvia's heart swelled as she replied with the rest of the crowd.
"For those that brought a gift for the Void, we will begin the offerings."
Silva clutched the small bouquet of flowers in her hand, as the Voidseeker motioned for the first circle of the audience. The congregation in the Black Egg Temple were seated in a semi-circle around the dais. It allowed everyone to see the Vessel and hear the Words equally.
It took a few minutes before Silvia was able to make her way to the center from her seat in the back row. Silvia slowly breathed in and out, trying to keep her nerves in check. It was always an experience for her to do this.
Soon, she was there and looking upon the face of a god. Or more accurately, she was looking upon a Vessel's skull. It was right in front of a nail that was embedded into the stone of the podium it rested on. Tied around the hilt of the weapon was a cloak.
Silvia knew what each of the objects was and their holy importance. The Skull was the mortal shell of Ghost. The weapon was the Dream Nail, the most legendary blade created by the Nailsmith, said to be able to enter the dreams of bugs and gods. The black cloak was the Shade Cloak; this garment gave the Ghost godly speed and one of his numerous titles, the Lord of Shades.
Silvia heard once that the positioning of the Void God's remains on the dais was precisely how they'd been on the Blessed Day.
Very slowly, Silvia placed her flowers next to the other gifts. There were a lot of flowers, but also small carvings, small treats, and coins. A smile crossed her face as she spotted a small child's drawing. It was crude, but Silvia could tell that the little kid must have been happy when they made it. It showed two large and two small bugs lined up in a row. The labels indicated them as the kid's family. There was writing underneath, obviously also from the kid.
Hellow Mr Void. My names Bela and I was told to that To giv you a gift by moma. I like drawing so I drew you a picture of my family. Do you like drawing?
"Thank you, my Lord," was whispered from her lips as Silvia completed a small prayer.
Standing up, Silva looked for the Voidseker. The tall gold enameled figure was standing at the entrance of the Temple, looking directly at her. Pushing through her creeping feeling of unease and apprehension, she walked towards the preacher. This was the moment she had been waiting for
"Um... Sir?"
The golden helmet shifted slightly.
"You are Silvia. You come to the sermons almost every day. You volunteer at the grey Mansion to take care of the Delicate Flowers."
It was not a question, it was a statement of fact. Like a shopkeeper listing of his inventory from memory. There was also a tinge to the preacher's voice that gave the smaller bug the feeling that Voidkeeper knew what she was about to ask; setting up the question for her.
Yep, Silvia was now truly beyond being nervous and well past creeped out. Silva gave a small prayer to the Void; she was too young to have a heart attack!
"Sir… I wanted to know… well, that is I… How do I… BECOME A VOIDSEEKER!"
There, Silva thought, she said it.
"Go to the Abyss when you are ready."
.
..
…
What!?
"That's it!?"
Instead of responding to the outburst, Voidseeker turned around and walked off.
"Wait! What! I need more than that… and she's gone." The young bug thought it would be harder than this."
Silvia had been working up the courage to ask that question for a year. Out of confusion and disbelief, Silvia didn't leave the Temple. The question of why was going through her mind. The Voidseekers were one of the most secretive tribes in the Kingdom. They wouldn't just let someone in that easily.
"Maybe my dedication to the Void is lacking?"
Silvia shook her head; it was no use to ask why. She was just given a great gift, and she wasn't going to waste it. She would not disappoint the Void!
SHEW!
The alien sound interrupted Silva's step, almost tripping her. On instinct, she turned back around towards the dais and found nothing.
Nothing!
The holy remains sat upon the podium, but all the gifts were gone. Silvia scanned the room, looking for an intruder.
"Wh-What in the Void and Unn's garden is going on!?"
Slowly and hesitantly, Silvia walked back to the podium. On closer inspection, Silva noticed that only one thing remained — the picture. Silva turned the piece of paper around to look back at the kid's drawing.
It was not the kid's drawing.
Silva held the… the masterpiece away from her; She didn't want her tears to stain the picture.
Hello Bella, I am Self. Drawing is new to me but my friend Sheo likes to paint.
A/N So this is the first interlude. It's a bit small but with work and family events I wanted to get this out there. I'm thinking of adding supplementary omaks/snippets/info on some of the things that won't ever really play a major part in the story or only be mentioned briefly. Tell me what you think in the comments if you so will. Thanks again to the Cauldron discord, any feedback is welcome.
A/N 2: If you want to leave suggestions for titles and names for the members of the royal family + the new Bee Queen, feel free.
- Location
- Internet, The
In enjoy epilogues like that. We need all the fluffiness we can get before the Worm-side of the cross starts.
"find the [missing]."
Voidseeker
Remove the quotation mark at the end.
- Location
- Quebec
...It's been five year already? Man, Hornet must be dead on her feets. What with a sibling obsessed younger sister, Grimm Junior and the Vessels.
- Location
- US
good chapter. 2 main insights:
1) The Mantises (and possibly other bugs) now view Hornet as their queen, despite being separate from Hallownest originally (I think). Interesting. Is the hive also more comfortable interacting with the bugs of Hallownest than they were when the Pale King ruled? It seems so from earlier chapters, but you never know...
2) Ghost hasn't been a consistent presence like the other vessels, though does still interact indirectly with the world. He/It also no longer wields the dream nail (and might not need it anymore to enter dreams). Is he more permanently in the dream or other realms now? Otherwise, why not give the message to the girl herself rather than leaving it on the pile for someone else to see?
Also really looking forward to next chapter!
@Lleh, any chance of marking my prior post of the list of characters as an informational threadmark? I can update it if you need. Note: I didn't add dung defender or Quirrel, because I think their backgrounds were sufficiently explained during their first appearance in this story (no extra expository info needed). I can add them if you want though.
1) The Mantises (and possibly other bugs) now view Hornet as their queen, despite being separate from Hallownest originally (I think). Interesting. Is the hive also more comfortable interacting with the bugs of Hallownest than they were when the Pale King ruled? It seems so from earlier chapters, but you never know...
2) Ghost hasn't been a consistent presence like the other vessels, though does still interact indirectly with the world. He/It also no longer wields the dream nail (and might not need it anymore to enter dreams). Is he more permanently in the dream or other realms now? Otherwise, why not give the message to the girl herself rather than leaving it on the pile for someone else to see?
Also really looking forward to next chapter!
@Lleh, any chance of marking my prior post of the list of characters as an informational threadmark? I can update it if you need. Note: I didn't add dung defender or Quirrel, because I think their backgrounds were sufficiently explained during their first appearance in this story (no extra expository info needed). I can add them if you want though.
- Location
- Florida
1) The answer is a yes but why will be revealed next two chapters.
2) The point of the painting is more than just about what it says. The girl gave him a hand-drawn picture and so he is going to do the same for her.
3) I updated it as an informational post.
- Location
- US
wait... what? Has he forgotten Cornifers lessons? not to mention the drawing of the black hollow knight face, the huts in the spirit glade, the tree in the ancient basin, everything in the abyss, or the i-forget-what-it-was in the royal waterways? was he painting those?
Guardsman_Sparky
The Clueless Wonder
- Location
- Virginia
Eh. Time wherever Little Ghost is might be uncertain, or even non-linear compared to the passage of time in Hollownest.
- Location
- Florida
It's still knew to void/knight. Hell that's the first thing he's drawn or painted in five mortal years.
Beta-reader call
- Location
- Florida
Hello all, I'm working on the ISOT arc at the moment. The first chapters will probably drop the next couple of days, given my work schedule. More importantly, I'm looking for some beta readers.
I'm looking for some people with Hollow Knight and/or Worm knowledge that I can bounce plot specifics at before I set things into stone. Obviously this means you'll be given pretty much all the spoilers.
Pm me if you are interested.
I'm looking for some people with Hollow Knight and/or Worm knowledge that I can bounce plot specifics at before I set things into stone. Obviously this means you'll be given pretty much all the spoilers.
Pm me if you are interested.
Collision: Part One
- Location
- Florida
If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
- Frederick Douglass
Collision: Part One
"It's a very uncommon type of statue."
Hornet turned to look upon the owner of the voice. Quirrel, like herself, was lounging against the base of the said statue. His eyes were scanning the endless vista of the Great Wastes, while his right palm rested upon the pommel of his nail. Hornet smiled at her friend; Quirell might be a scholar, inventor, and teacher, but he would never stop being a warrior. He was always prepared and ready for a fight, just like the day they first met.
Hornet rested her head back upon the statue, her horns scraping the knee as she did so. Quirell was right, Hornet mused. Some five years after the death of the Radiance and reconstitution of the Kingdom, the council had decided on a series of cultural projects: parks, waterworks, playhouses, and of course, statues.
One of those was the replacement of the crown statue that Hornet had… removed. The winning design was from Paintmaster Sheo and his apprentice, a rendition of the God of Gods before he had become the Void Heart.
"I do suppose it's a very… relaxed depiction."
It absolutely was; Sitting upon the tallest point of all of Hallownest was the little one. Unlike some statues, he was not standing, nail in hand, staring defiantly into the distance. The stone and marble did not have the somber presence that the old statues conveyed.
Instead, the figure was sitting, one leg raised, and the other hanging over the side of the stone slab that held it up. The statue almost seemed to be resting its weight on the nail tucked under its arm. Lying on its resting leg was a detailed map of Old Hallownest. Not particularly useful today considering the decade of reconstruction.
In his right hand, the last, small detail rested. A carved duplicate of a Delicate Flower.
All in all, not a traditional statue.
"It has an air of power, confidence in itself, and his abilities. Underestimate him at your own peril."
"You could say the same for the kingdom, my Queen."
Hornet nodded at her Master of Knowledge. Most immigrants that wandered out of the Great Wastes would no longer find a ruined corpse waiting beneath the mountain. They would not find broken roads and empty buildings, nor monuments to a long-gone age of wonder.
Hornet turned her gaze down to the bustling and thriving city of Dirtmouth at the base of the Crystal Peak.
Any bug visiting her kingdom would find growing cities and happy families. They would find a safe realm free of infection and servitude. A prosperous land of safety and security… excepting the Colosseum, that was. Hornet reasoned that more maimings than deaths was a good sign and left it at that.
Last and most important, any immigrant, traveler, vagabond that survived the desolate wasteland beyond would not find a vulnerable or weak populace. They would not see the citizens of Hallownest easily swayed. Every capable bug was armed and trained to defend themselves and each other; from both physical and spiritual harm.
A vicious smirk made its way across her face, as Hornet thought about those that learned of the kingdom's strength the hard way.
"I pity whoever earns your ire. They are usually never long for this world."
Hornet laughed. "I'm not that bad!"
"Tell that to the Blood Ants."
"Oh, you are blowing that incident out of proportion."
Quirrel laughed roughly as he pointed to a particularly charred, and pockmarked section of the wastes. Hornet shrugged indifferently; it hadn't been a good day. The Ants' day hadn't turned out to be much better after she'd been through with them. As the members of her Royal Guard liked to say, 'Look for a fight, get a fight.'
Sighing to herself, Hornet decided to change the subject.
"So, my ever so creative Master of Knowledge, anything particularly new or revolutionary coming out of your archives?"
"In fact, yes. Catch!"
Hornet plucked the metallic object out of its falling arc with a deftness of movement honed over many years. Hornet brought the strange object up to her eyes to study. It was made of two distinct parts, an oval tube of greenish liquid enclosed in a burnished metal casing. There were a few small holes on the top of the metal.
It reminded Hornet of the computing machines that had been invented by Monomon. As her finger touched the cold surface of the glass, white runes appeared.
So that was it. Hornet turned to Quirrel.
"You were able to miniaturize the Rune Machine?"
Quirrel nodded before he took out another of the small devices. Hornet cocked her head in confusion as Quirrel typed away at the glass.
Ding!
The noise made Hornet look back down at the device in her hands. The runes had changed, and were now displaying a message.
Oh!
"So not only have you miniaturized the computing machines, but you have somehow made them into communicators? Quirrel, sometimes you are too much."
Quirrel chuckled to himself. "I can't really take the credit for this. The prototype designs were from Teacher. My team and I just had to iron out the problems in Monomon's old work."
Quirrel pressed a rune on his scroll, and the lights dimmed.
A power-off feature? Hornet looked at the device and noticed a small rune at the top of the glass. Her first guess was right.
"Besides, we still have a lot of nuances to work out. It is not ready for mass production."
"So what your saying is-"
"Yes, It's why I showed you first."
Hornet hummed. "You want me to lower the council's expectations because some overachiever went and created a miracle… again."
Hornet laughed as she bent over and flicked her Master of Knowledge in the forehead.
"Come now, my Queen, most of the things the Archive develops, I just give a stamp of approval. Blame your secretary; Spring's the one who's at fault most of the time!"
"Hey now, don't blame Spring! I'd be absolutely disorganized without her. Besides, I haven't agreed to cover for you on this one; Cho is going to have an aneurysm at the possibilities this nifty thing provides the Guard." Hornet stood up as she spoke.
Hornet was only half-joking; Cho was going to be excited at Quirrel's newest invention. As the Master of Arms, Cho was in charge of both the Militia, Guard, and all united Hallownest military operations. She would demand a hundred of the things before the week was out.
It wouldn't stop at the Mantis Lord either; every other council member was going to demand special treatment.
The Queen of Hallownest hauled her friend to his feet. "So, do you have a name for this political trouble magnet?"
"Well, the project name is the Monomon miniature computing and communication tablet device."
Hornet giggled at the ridiculous name. Hooking her arm with the Scholar's arm, she started for the passageway to the Mountain's Crown.
"I don't want to be rude, but… think of something else. Something catchy, like those 'batteries,' or 'flamethrowers'."
"Again, my Queen, not my doing! That was Spring and her-"
"Now, now, Quirrel, blaming others is unbecoming, and"—Hornet lightly punched his shoulder— "that's the third time now. After ten years, I think you're the last council member still addressing me as 'my Queen'. Call me Hornet, at least when we're in private."
"Of course… my Queen."
"I will punch you again. Don't think I won't."
"Our Queen is not bluffing!"
Both bugs looked towards the voice. Standing at the stairway entrance was a small bug donned in heavy red and black armor. A cloak of crimson rested upon his shoulders while his hands thumped the pommels of his twin nails. A cocky smile stretched across his face.
Like many other bugs of his time; this warrior forswore the wearing of a mask. His face and soul was bare to the world. He was Musha of the Storm, youngest knight of the Royal Guard.
And a complete clown.
"The Queen has a short temper indeed; one must be very careful not to become the target of her volatile retribution."
Oh really?
"Thank you, Knight Musha, for volunteering to babysit Arachne and Grimm this month." The knight paused, and Hornet could see a flash of horror spread across her knight's face. It was gone in a moment as he turned to address Quirrel.
"What I meant, Lord Quirrel, was that our Queen is a kind and forgiving Monarch, and you should feel ashamed for drawing her ire."
That was more like it.
"Hmmm, a week."
Hornet could just hear the whisper of 'oh thank the Void'. With a smile, she decided to make it two weeks. She wasn't vindictive; Hornet resented the accusation.
ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump!
As soon as the tapping of running feet was heard over their laughter, Musha had a single nail drown, blocking entry.
"Who goes? The Queen is having a private - Sis!?"
Bursting from the lip of the stairs was the exhausted form of her secretary, Spring. Through her gasping breath, she knelt to one knee and held up a crumpled piece of paper.
"Lady Hornet, there's been a development in the temple of the Black Egg."
"What's going on!?" Hornet felt a skip in her heart as she snatched the paper up.
"The Voidspeakers say that the Void has taken the Dream Nail back."
Hornet's eyes widened at the news, but what she read on the paper almost made her stomach twist and turn.
"This is from-"
"Yes!"
Hornet turned her gaze to her bodyguard.
"Musha, raise the alarm. Put the kingdom in lockdown. GO!"
With a Soul infused dash, the knight disappeared down into the mountain's cave. Quirrel took the paper from her hand and read it. Hornet could hear the hitch in his breath.
Sister, prepare for trouble.
A/N Ok Okay, This is the LAST part without any worm content... The next two parts should be out by tomorrow or early the day after he says Please don't kill me. Big Thanks to Sir Paracelsus, The PUNisher, Nihilo, Gagaking, and Juff from the cauldron discord for there help on this part and the coming arc. any feedback is welcome.
- Frederick Douglass
Collision: Part One
"It's a very uncommon type of statue."
Hornet turned to look upon the owner of the voice. Quirrel, like herself, was lounging against the base of the said statue. His eyes were scanning the endless vista of the Great Wastes, while his right palm rested upon the pommel of his nail. Hornet smiled at her friend; Quirell might be a scholar, inventor, and teacher, but he would never stop being a warrior. He was always prepared and ready for a fight, just like the day they first met.
Hornet rested her head back upon the statue, her horns scraping the knee as she did so. Quirell was right, Hornet mused. Some five years after the death of the Radiance and reconstitution of the Kingdom, the council had decided on a series of cultural projects: parks, waterworks, playhouses, and of course, statues.
One of those was the replacement of the crown statue that Hornet had… removed. The winning design was from Paintmaster Sheo and his apprentice, a rendition of the God of Gods before he had become the Void Heart.
"I do suppose it's a very… relaxed depiction."
It absolutely was; Sitting upon the tallest point of all of Hallownest was the little one. Unlike some statues, he was not standing, nail in hand, staring defiantly into the distance. The stone and marble did not have the somber presence that the old statues conveyed.
Instead, the figure was sitting, one leg raised, and the other hanging over the side of the stone slab that held it up. The statue almost seemed to be resting its weight on the nail tucked under its arm. Lying on its resting leg was a detailed map of Old Hallownest. Not particularly useful today considering the decade of reconstruction.
In his right hand, the last, small detail rested. A carved duplicate of a Delicate Flower.
All in all, not a traditional statue.
"It has an air of power, confidence in itself, and his abilities. Underestimate him at your own peril."
"You could say the same for the kingdom, my Queen."
Hornet nodded at her Master of Knowledge. Most immigrants that wandered out of the Great Wastes would no longer find a ruined corpse waiting beneath the mountain. They would not find broken roads and empty buildings, nor monuments to a long-gone age of wonder.
Hornet turned her gaze down to the bustling and thriving city of Dirtmouth at the base of the Crystal Peak.
Any bug visiting her kingdom would find growing cities and happy families. They would find a safe realm free of infection and servitude. A prosperous land of safety and security… excepting the Colosseum, that was. Hornet reasoned that more maimings than deaths was a good sign and left it at that.
Last and most important, any immigrant, traveler, vagabond that survived the desolate wasteland beyond would not find a vulnerable or weak populace. They would not see the citizens of Hallownest easily swayed. Every capable bug was armed and trained to defend themselves and each other; from both physical and spiritual harm.
A vicious smirk made its way across her face, as Hornet thought about those that learned of the kingdom's strength the hard way.
"I pity whoever earns your ire. They are usually never long for this world."
Hornet laughed. "I'm not that bad!"
"Tell that to the Blood Ants."
"Oh, you are blowing that incident out of proportion."
Quirrel laughed roughly as he pointed to a particularly charred, and pockmarked section of the wastes. Hornet shrugged indifferently; it hadn't been a good day. The Ants' day hadn't turned out to be much better after she'd been through with them. As the members of her Royal Guard liked to say, 'Look for a fight, get a fight.'
Sighing to herself, Hornet decided to change the subject.
"So, my ever so creative Master of Knowledge, anything particularly new or revolutionary coming out of your archives?"
"In fact, yes. Catch!"
Hornet plucked the metallic object out of its falling arc with a deftness of movement honed over many years. Hornet brought the strange object up to her eyes to study. It was made of two distinct parts, an oval tube of greenish liquid enclosed in a burnished metal casing. There were a few small holes on the top of the metal.
It reminded Hornet of the computing machines that had been invented by Monomon. As her finger touched the cold surface of the glass, white runes appeared.
So that was it. Hornet turned to Quirrel.
"You were able to miniaturize the Rune Machine?"
Quirrel nodded before he took out another of the small devices. Hornet cocked her head in confusion as Quirrel typed away at the glass.
Ding!
The noise made Hornet look back down at the device in her hands. The runes had changed, and were now displaying a message.
- Quirrel
- Testing message.
Oh!
"So not only have you miniaturized the computing machines, but you have somehow made them into communicators? Quirrel, sometimes you are too much."
Quirrel chuckled to himself. "I can't really take the credit for this. The prototype designs were from Teacher. My team and I just had to iron out the problems in Monomon's old work."
Quirrel pressed a rune on his scroll, and the lights dimmed.
A power-off feature? Hornet looked at the device and noticed a small rune at the top of the glass. Her first guess was right.
"Besides, we still have a lot of nuances to work out. It is not ready for mass production."
"So what your saying is-"
"Yes, It's why I showed you first."
Hornet hummed. "You want me to lower the council's expectations because some overachiever went and created a miracle… again."
Hornet laughed as she bent over and flicked her Master of Knowledge in the forehead.
"Come now, my Queen, most of the things the Archive develops, I just give a stamp of approval. Blame your secretary; Spring's the one who's at fault most of the time!"
"Hey now, don't blame Spring! I'd be absolutely disorganized without her. Besides, I haven't agreed to cover for you on this one; Cho is going to have an aneurysm at the possibilities this nifty thing provides the Guard." Hornet stood up as she spoke.
Hornet was only half-joking; Cho was going to be excited at Quirrel's newest invention. As the Master of Arms, Cho was in charge of both the Militia, Guard, and all united Hallownest military operations. She would demand a hundred of the things before the week was out.
It wouldn't stop at the Mantis Lord either; every other council member was going to demand special treatment.
The Queen of Hallownest hauled her friend to his feet. "So, do you have a name for this political trouble magnet?"
"Well, the project name is the Monomon miniature computing and communication tablet device."
Hornet giggled at the ridiculous name. Hooking her arm with the Scholar's arm, she started for the passageway to the Mountain's Crown.
"I don't want to be rude, but… think of something else. Something catchy, like those 'batteries,' or 'flamethrowers'."
"Again, my Queen, not my doing! That was Spring and her-"
"Now, now, Quirrel, blaming others is unbecoming, and"—Hornet lightly punched his shoulder— "that's the third time now. After ten years, I think you're the last council member still addressing me as 'my Queen'. Call me Hornet, at least when we're in private."
"Of course… my Queen."
"I will punch you again. Don't think I won't."
"Our Queen is not bluffing!"
Both bugs looked towards the voice. Standing at the stairway entrance was a small bug donned in heavy red and black armor. A cloak of crimson rested upon his shoulders while his hands thumped the pommels of his twin nails. A cocky smile stretched across his face.
Like many other bugs of his time; this warrior forswore the wearing of a mask. His face and soul was bare to the world. He was Musha of the Storm, youngest knight of the Royal Guard.
And a complete clown.
"The Queen has a short temper indeed; one must be very careful not to become the target of her volatile retribution."
Oh really?
"Thank you, Knight Musha, for volunteering to babysit Arachne and Grimm this month." The knight paused, and Hornet could see a flash of horror spread across her knight's face. It was gone in a moment as he turned to address Quirrel.
"What I meant, Lord Quirrel, was that our Queen is a kind and forgiving Monarch, and you should feel ashamed for drawing her ire."
That was more like it.
"Hmmm, a week."
Hornet could just hear the whisper of 'oh thank the Void'. With a smile, she decided to make it two weeks. She wasn't vindictive; Hornet resented the accusation.
ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump!
As soon as the tapping of running feet was heard over their laughter, Musha had a single nail drown, blocking entry.
"Who goes? The Queen is having a private - Sis!?"
Bursting from the lip of the stairs was the exhausted form of her secretary, Spring. Through her gasping breath, she knelt to one knee and held up a crumpled piece of paper.
"Lady Hornet, there's been a development in the temple of the Black Egg."
"What's going on!?" Hornet felt a skip in her heart as she snatched the paper up.
"The Voidspeakers say that the Void has taken the Dream Nail back."
Hornet's eyes widened at the news, but what she read on the paper almost made her stomach twist and turn.
"This is from-"
"Yes!"
Hornet turned her gaze to her bodyguard.
"Musha, raise the alarm. Put the kingdom in lockdown. GO!"
With a Soul infused dash, the knight disappeared down into the mountain's cave. Quirrel took the paper from her hand and read it. Hornet could hear the hitch in his breath.
Sister, prepare for trouble.
A/N Ok Okay, This is the LAST part without any worm content... The next two parts should be out by tomorrow or early the day after he says Please don't kill me. Big Thanks to Sir Paracelsus, The PUNisher, Nihilo, Gagaking, and Juff from the cauldron discord for there help on this part and the coming arc. any feedback is welcome.
Awesome setup, and I can perfectly understand why you would want to wait a bit till you add in worm. Kingdom set up takes some time. If it is alright could you give us more info on the kingdom in general? How many bugs are in Dartmouth, and how built up it is? How has hallownest changed city wise or where do most people live now? Is the city of tears still the capital? Questions like that. My kingdom management side is dying to know.
- Location
- Florida
So a lot of that info will come out in the next couple parts through dialogue, council scenes, and the like. That being said I'm also going to add some extra info contained in the form of official notes, battle reports, and side stories in the vein of my Interlude chapter.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Eyyy.
Glad to have been of help, even if it was limited to giving you directions to beta central.
- Location
- Quebec
Great, where the hell are they going to put the Whole Nest? I know a few places that could use the land because of a Leviathan related Landscaping Accident but it could also squish a city or 3 or even float above ground. Also, may the daft idiot who attack Hallownest pray to their god because VGF isn't going to be in a clement mood.
Collision: Part Two
- Location
- Florida
Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out.
- Uncle Iroh, Dragon of The West
Collision: Part Two
Self sat alone in a glade of gold, white, and black flowers. The scenery around him was hazel gold upon white hale and blue sky. Creatures indescribable in shape flocked in multitudes around Honey trees that reached into an unending sky.
In this nowhere place, beyond the mortal plane, a home for Gods and dreams, the Void's embodiment set his gaze to the Kingdom of Hallownest. From the depths of the Abyss, where a piece of his mortal body lay, to the bright star that lit the dark grey world of his birth, Self could see everything.
Through the endless eyes of the Void, Self looked upon Hallownest and smiled. No mortal being could ever fully comprehend the nature of the feelings of Voidself; for what can the nothingness feel? Those Voidseekers that looked after the Abyss could feel a warmth wash over them. A comforting warmth in the near pitch black light of the cold cavern.
Through his meandering mind, Self shifted his gaze to his siblings; the vessels that chose to stay. Self could feel them, their emotions, and their thoughts. Self did not intrude, for it was not his place, but their joy, confusion, and all the other emotions they'd learned burned like the dim star above.
Hollow Knight, the eldest sibling, was not like the others. Too much clouded his soul, a dull orb of melancholic joy, sorrow, and pain. Self felt for his elder but knew there was nothing Voidself could do; well, nothing self was willing to do. Self must allow his siblings' freedom. Self was not Her.
Self would help though. Self liked helping.
Self thought about sending a pleasant dream to his sibling, something nice with no sharp objects that spun at quick speeds!
Self shuddered as he changed his gaze.
Sister Hornet was sitting on the top of the crystal peak with friend Quirrel! Voidself was happy for Sister; her soul felt much like the little sibling's, full of joy. Joy, and other complex emotions that Self didn't know the name of.
Self wasn't sure but he knew that Sister Hornet had to do a lot of complicated things as Queen. Self was glad he was a God and not King. Ruling seemed like a very difficult job to the Voidself.
The little Grimm was like a torch in the darkness. He was playing with his friend, the little Hive Princess. Vespa was always happy to see her child flourish under Hornet's care. The small pale spark burned bright within her.
Friends! Self knew it was nice to have friends and was glad that the child had made many good ones. He was experiencing life in a way he'd never had before. Self wondered what would happen in the future. Even as the Voidself, the future was still the future. However, Self did not worry; the Nightmare Heart would not enslave his friend again. Self would not allow it.
[Are you there, my friend?]
Self 'shifted' his gaze back to his glade. Sliding into view was a new friend or an old friend; Time had taken on new meaning for the young God.
Unn, the Dreaming Goddess of Life. Self and Voidself could always feel a kind nurturing warmth from the old God. 'Grinning,' Self responded.
[Yes?]
[Is Unn well?]
It was more a statement of fact than a real question. Self had helped Unn recover much of her strength since the final battle.
[With each passing day, I regain my strength.]
[I no longer need to hide within myself. Maybe one day, I can once again dream of a real dream.]
[Self is glad, Self will wait for the day.]
Self sent a wave of appreciation to the other God with his 'words.' Self was about to change the subject and ask about all the new life she would create when something came into his senses. Something large and malicious.
[What?]
White branches shot out of the ground between the two Gods. A tree pulled itself out of the earth; it was 'mom', the White Lady. Self could feel worry and fear radiate from the Pale Being.
[Do you feel that?]
[This presence is powerful and multitudinous; how strange?]
[This presence is stronger than my Wyrm, the King, ever was.]
Self looked through the nowhereplace, the Godhome, where they spoke to the cosmic ocean. Voidself peered into the endless sea of stars and planets. The God focused its mind to a point at the edge of the system and Saw It.
[I shall greet this newcomer.]
[Be careful, friend.]
[We will support you as best we can.]
Self shifted a piece of his Void over to the Awakened Dream Nail, the powerful weapon he used in his final fight with the Radiance. It might be useful once again. On the plinth the one the bugs of Hallownest used to give Self gifts, was a small note from friend Bella.
Maybe a warning?
Self jotted down a quick message for Hornet. Self hoped that it would be unnecessary but knew better. The Thing was beyond strange and reason.
It took but a moment for Voidself to appear before the creature. Traveling through the nothingness of the cosmic ocean was nothing for one like itself. Only a few kilometers away, Self saw what a mortal could never hope to fully understand. Yet Self could, and Self did not like what he was seeing.
The creature, if you could call it alive, was not a single entity. It was a hive of crystalline consciousness in the shape of a Great Wyrm. As if a mosaic of glass and light had come to life before Self.
The withering shards of this life-form stopped moving as Self and Void appeared before it. Their minds connected as quickly as Self had communicated with any Higher Being.
[Query?]
Its voice was alien to Self. It communicated with one voice, but something felt... off.
[Self and Void.]
[Void? Self?]
[Data? Exchange?]
Self accepted the offer and reached out a tendril of Void. Self almost immediately regretted it. The exchange was a base level of the nature of each of them. Self had shown the Wyrm the Void, Hallownest, and Self's past.
The Wyrm… had done the same.
Self had not been wrong on his first assessment of the creature. The Wyrm was a hive of tiny minds that swirled together. Unlike Vespa's Hive, they were dominated by a single will, a tyrant. Self had met that type before.
The organism was more than just a hive mind, it was also a destroyer.
[IMPLAUSIBLE!]
The Wyrm began to twist violently.
[IRRATIONAL!]
Self couldn't help but feel pity for the creature. As much as it was a tyrant, it was also a slave. To have such fear that you lose all sense of Self. To fear death, to prolong life, until you become a harbinger; the ultimate selfish act. It was as though Self was looking upon the cosmic equivalent of the Soul Masters. That is what this creature was, a machine of death devoid of individuality, empty of freedom.
To cause so much pain and suffering for a goal so impossible. To give up everything worth living for, and to take that from others it…
It…
It made Voidself wither in an emotion that it had not felt for ages. Voidself felt complete and utter loathing. The hatred was so deep that Self was shocked that it came from Voidself.
Self readied itself for the inevitable. Self tried again, though; this was not a fight that Self or Void would like to have if it could avoid it.
[Unnecessary. Friendship. Exchange?]
There was a wavering in the beast's movements. Self waited, and a part of him hoped.
The shards started to move in increasing erratic patterns. Things were cracking and shattering upon the beast's crystal skin.
Maybe? Self tried again; perhaps the exchange had stirred something in the beast's long distant heart?
[Acceptance?]
Then, as soon as it started, everything stopped.
[Negation!]
[Survival!]
[DATA!]
Voidself attacked, not willing to give the crazed Wyrm the chance to strike first. Before even the entity could react, the Awakened Dream Nail had slammed into its crystalline surface with the force of dozen meteors. The effects of the Nail were… noticeable.
The screams could have shattered planets and swallowed stars.
A/n. Yes this is happening.
- Uncle Iroh, Dragon of The West
Collision: Part Two
Self sat alone in a glade of gold, white, and black flowers. The scenery around him was hazel gold upon white hale and blue sky. Creatures indescribable in shape flocked in multitudes around Honey trees that reached into an unending sky.
In this nowhere place, beyond the mortal plane, a home for Gods and dreams, the Void's embodiment set his gaze to the Kingdom of Hallownest. From the depths of the Abyss, where a piece of his mortal body lay, to the bright star that lit the dark grey world of his birth, Self could see everything.
Through the endless eyes of the Void, Self looked upon Hallownest and smiled. No mortal being could ever fully comprehend the nature of the feelings of Voidself; for what can the nothingness feel? Those Voidseekers that looked after the Abyss could feel a warmth wash over them. A comforting warmth in the near pitch black light of the cold cavern.
Through his meandering mind, Self shifted his gaze to his siblings; the vessels that chose to stay. Self could feel them, their emotions, and their thoughts. Self did not intrude, for it was not his place, but their joy, confusion, and all the other emotions they'd learned burned like the dim star above.
Hollow Knight, the eldest sibling, was not like the others. Too much clouded his soul, a dull orb of melancholic joy, sorrow, and pain. Self felt for his elder but knew there was nothing Voidself could do; well, nothing self was willing to do. Self must allow his siblings' freedom. Self was not Her.
Self would help though. Self liked helping.
Self thought about sending a pleasant dream to his sibling, something nice with no sharp objects that spun at quick speeds!
Self shuddered as he changed his gaze.
Sister Hornet was sitting on the top of the crystal peak with friend Quirrel! Voidself was happy for Sister; her soul felt much like the little sibling's, full of joy. Joy, and other complex emotions that Self didn't know the name of.
Self wasn't sure but he knew that Sister Hornet had to do a lot of complicated things as Queen. Self was glad he was a God and not King. Ruling seemed like a very difficult job to the Voidself.
The little Grimm was like a torch in the darkness. He was playing with his friend, the little Hive Princess. Vespa was always happy to see her child flourish under Hornet's care. The small pale spark burned bright within her.
Friends! Self knew it was nice to have friends and was glad that the child had made many good ones. He was experiencing life in a way he'd never had before. Self wondered what would happen in the future. Even as the Voidself, the future was still the future. However, Self did not worry; the Nightmare Heart would not enslave his friend again. Self would not allow it.
[Are you there, my friend?]
Self 'shifted' his gaze back to his glade. Sliding into view was a new friend or an old friend; Time had taken on new meaning for the young God.
Unn, the Dreaming Goddess of Life. Self and Voidself could always feel a kind nurturing warmth from the old God. 'Grinning,' Self responded.
[Yes?]
[Is Unn well?]
It was more a statement of fact than a real question. Self had helped Unn recover much of her strength since the final battle.
[With each passing day, I regain my strength.]
[I no longer need to hide within myself. Maybe one day, I can once again dream of a real dream.]
[Self is glad, Self will wait for the day.]
Self sent a wave of appreciation to the other God with his 'words.' Self was about to change the subject and ask about all the new life she would create when something came into his senses. Something large and malicious.
[What?]
White branches shot out of the ground between the two Gods. A tree pulled itself out of the earth; it was 'mom', the White Lady. Self could feel worry and fear radiate from the Pale Being.
[Do you feel that?]
[This presence is powerful and multitudinous; how strange?]
[This presence is stronger than my Wyrm, the King, ever was.]
Self looked through the nowhereplace, the Godhome, where they spoke to the cosmic ocean. Voidself peered into the endless sea of stars and planets. The God focused its mind to a point at the edge of the system and Saw It.
[I shall greet this newcomer.]
[Be careful, friend.]
[We will support you as best we can.]
Self shifted a piece of his Void over to the Awakened Dream Nail, the powerful weapon he used in his final fight with the Radiance. It might be useful once again. On the plinth the one the bugs of Hallownest used to give Self gifts, was a small note from friend Bella.
Maybe a warning?
Self jotted down a quick message for Hornet. Self hoped that it would be unnecessary but knew better. The Thing was beyond strange and reason.
It took but a moment for Voidself to appear before the creature. Traveling through the nothingness of the cosmic ocean was nothing for one like itself. Only a few kilometers away, Self saw what a mortal could never hope to fully understand. Yet Self could, and Self did not like what he was seeing.
The creature, if you could call it alive, was not a single entity. It was a hive of crystalline consciousness in the shape of a Great Wyrm. As if a mosaic of glass and light had come to life before Self.
The withering shards of this life-form stopped moving as Self and Void appeared before it. Their minds connected as quickly as Self had communicated with any Higher Being.
[Query?]
Its voice was alien to Self. It communicated with one voice, but something felt... off.
[Self and Void.]
[Void? Self?]
[Data? Exchange?]
Self accepted the offer and reached out a tendril of Void. Self almost immediately regretted it. The exchange was a base level of the nature of each of them. Self had shown the Wyrm the Void, Hallownest, and Self's past.
The Wyrm… had done the same.
Self had not been wrong on his first assessment of the creature. The Wyrm was a hive of tiny minds that swirled together. Unlike Vespa's Hive, they were dominated by a single will, a tyrant. Self had met that type before.
The organism was more than just a hive mind, it was also a destroyer.
[IMPLAUSIBLE!]
The Wyrm began to twist violently.
[IRRATIONAL!]
Self couldn't help but feel pity for the creature. As much as it was a tyrant, it was also a slave. To have such fear that you lose all sense of Self. To fear death, to prolong life, until you become a harbinger; the ultimate selfish act. It was as though Self was looking upon the cosmic equivalent of the Soul Masters. That is what this creature was, a machine of death devoid of individuality, empty of freedom.
To cause so much pain and suffering for a goal so impossible. To give up everything worth living for, and to take that from others it…
It…
It made Voidself wither in an emotion that it had not felt for ages. Voidself felt complete and utter loathing. The hatred was so deep that Self was shocked that it came from Voidself.
Self readied itself for the inevitable. Self tried again, though; this was not a fight that Self or Void would like to have if it could avoid it.
[Unnecessary. Friendship. Exchange?]
There was a wavering in the beast's movements. Self waited, and a part of him hoped.
The shards started to move in increasing erratic patterns. Things were cracking and shattering upon the beast's crystal skin.
Maybe? Self tried again; perhaps the exchange had stirred something in the beast's long distant heart?
[Acceptance?]
Then, as soon as it started, everything stopped.
[Negation!]
[Survival!]
[DATA!]
Voidself attacked, not willing to give the crazed Wyrm the chance to strike first. Before even the entity could react, the Awakened Dream Nail had slammed into its crystalline surface with the force of dozen meteors. The effects of the Nail were… noticeable.
The screams could have shattered planets and swallowed stars.
A/n. Yes this is happening.
Collision: Part Three
- Location
- Florida
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- His Holiness, The Dalai Lama's Fifth Rule for Life
Collision: Part Three
The alarm's ear-piercing scream radiated down the winding tunnels of the Stagway. Arachne, Princess of Hive, ward of Queen Hornet, and heir-apparent gripped the armrest of her seat, desperately trying to stay calm. The wind rushing past her was almost as deafening as the sirens. The Old Stag was running at speeds she had never felt before.
That fact was almost as worrying as the alarms to the young bee.
"Relax your soul Araka, everything will be fine as fire."
The silky voice momentarily broke Arachne out of her concentration as she turned to face her companion. She had to look up at the smiling face of relaxed Grimm. Arachne blushed in a mix of embarrassment and jealousy.
"How can you be so calm, Grimm!"
Her friend's smile seemed to grow deeper.
"My dear Araka, you must try to relax. We are but young children, let the adults hold the lanterns for now."
Two spindly arms wrapped around her shoulders.
"Grimmys is right."
"Of course I am," the jokester interrupted.
"Even if he can be an absolute fluke. I'm sure whatever is going on, Teacher Hornet will beat it up."
Arachne smiled, even if she was still nervous. Her Weaver friend, Silker, was always the level headed one. Always the one to make sure Arachne and Grimm didn't get in trouble. Well, more than usual.
Silker was also smart and was usually right about these things, Arachne reminded herself. Her mama, Queen Hornet, was strong, stronger than anyone else in the Kingdom, and there was nothing that could beat her. Whatever this was wouldn't be a problem.
Like the Blood Ants, Green Horde, or any other threat in the past.
There was just one problem.
Turning around, Arachne looked to the last row of benches on the Old Stag.
Sitting in the last seat was a stout figure in burnished gold armor lined with red and black colors. His helmet was that of the classic Fools design, a full head casing with three bars covering the face. In the dim lighting of the Stagways, there was no way to tell what the bug's face looked like. Peeking over his shoulders was the head of his nail-ax.
The crimson cloak that hung from his left shoulder marked him as a member of the Royal Guard. He was Desar the Lightning Fool.
"Sir Desar, I was wondering, why have I never heard the alarms go off before?"
Arachne would never admit that the shadowy helmet was terrifying. Queens didn't show fear,.At least Arachne assumed so; Hornet wasn't scared of anything.
"They're new," Desar spoke in a deep scraggly voice.
Arachne sighed at the answer. Desar was not a bug of many words, the least open of the Royal Guard. Even Arachne's uncle Hollow was more approachable… and he couldn't even speak!
"Relax, princess. Your friends are right, I doubt I'll even get to fight anything."
Arachne felt it somewhat concerning that her guard thought not having to fight was a bad thing.
Wasn't that supposed to be a good thing?
It was at that moment a small black blur crashed into the seat next to the knight. Desar's gauntleted fist was a hair's distance from the Voidborn's shell before it stopped.
"Dear Void! Don't do that! I almost took your Void damn head off!"
Arachne could have sworn that the Sibling of the Void looked bashful as he bowed in apology. Arachne narrowed her eyes as she studied the horns of the newcomer. Three small horns dominated the skull of the bug.
"Snake?"
The Sibling turned and gave a small bow to Arachne before turning back to the Desar. Snake handed over a small piece of paper.
"Hmmm."
Desar immediately ripped the paper into pieces. The scraps flew out of his hand and into the darkness of the tunnel.
"That changes nothing. How much longer till we get to the Old City!?"
The booming voice of the Old stag immediately answered, "We're almost there!"
And they were. Arachne could see the light at the end of the tunnel grow more and more with every second.
Arachne gripped her seat and pushed herself against the wood. Old Stag had to slide into King's Station, to not risk overshooting. That almost threw her off the side.
Immediately she felt the cold, wet droplets splash against her furred head.
Arachne looked up, through the persistent rain, into the dark blue visage of the Old City. The center of Hallownest and traditional Capital sat under the blue lake, which caused the constant downpour over the city. It was for that reason the city had once been called the City of Tears.
Arachne thought that whoever came up with that was an idiot. She was glad her mom changed the name. Officially the Old City still functioned as the Capital; the seat of the Council and royal family both resided under the rain. The main Royal house was here at least, though there were residences located in every significant Tribe and City.
Even with the rain and the dour mood one might feel in the city, Arachne loved it. The watery reflection of the blue lights against the dark buildings had a certain beauty to the young bee.
A tug on her arms pulled Arachne from the sights of the city. She looked at Grimm, a question on her lips when she noticed what he was pointing at.
There was a group on the platform. Arachne recognized the giant figure of Ogrim next to the equally tall but less… rotund Hollow Knight. Both were in full armor and looked ready for a fight.
Teacher Quirrel was also waiting on the platform next to -
"Mama!"
XXX
"Moma!"
Hornet raised her arms, prepared for the incoming runaway tram. She was not disappointed as a black and yellow ball of fluff slammed into her stomach. Hornet playfully grunted in pain, before wrapping her ward in her arms.
"How are you doing, my little bee?"
Four dark grey and white speckled eyes peered back at her. There was a smile attached to the face, but Hornet could feel a slight trembling in her adopted daughter's shoulders.
Scared was the first thought that came to Hornet. Not surprising considering the circumstances, or the reasons behind them. Arachne was too young to remember the last emergency that the Kingdom had faced.
"Hey Moma, can you tell me what's going on?"
Hornet smiled. "Just a precaution, little bee."
It wasn't a lie. It was all a precaution at this point, considering the warning was sparse on details.
Hornet cursed a little internally. This all had better be essential, or she was going to give her sibling a throttling, God or not. The economic implications of just a day of emergency lockdown were going to give her headaches for a week.
Hornet let go of the hug just as a runner passed a note to Spring.
"My lady, Lord Cho reports all forces have evacuated their forward positions in the Wastes. The citizens in Dirtmouth have almost fully been relocated to the Forgotten Crossroad."
Hornet sighed but nodded to her friend and assistant. The movement of so many Guard bugs was going to be annoying. She could already hear Cho's complaints.
"Good day, aunty, a truly bright da- ow!"
Everyone's attention snapped to Grimm as his cheery greeting was interrupted by a small shout of pain. His hand was rubbing his temple, feet swaying some. Grimm smiled as he looked up to see everyone's concern.
"Don't worry dear viewers, this actor is jus-just a bi-"
Desar caught Grimm's arm just as he was about to fall.
"Okay, not fine, very much, not okay."
Hornet's eyes narrowed in confusion and concern. Grimm has never been sick or had a headache in the last ten years she knew him. Why would he have one now? Coul-
PAIN!!!!
Hornet clutched her head as pain shot through her like lightning. She barely registered the feeling of hitting the ground.
"MOMA!"
"HORNET!"
Her vision went black.
A/n the next two chapters should be out in the next couple of days. Thanks for reading and enjoying this fic and thanks to the guys that beta'ed theses chapters. of course any feedback is welcome.
- His Holiness, The Dalai Lama's Fifth Rule for Life
Collision: Part Three
The alarm's ear-piercing scream radiated down the winding tunnels of the Stagway. Arachne, Princess of Hive, ward of Queen Hornet, and heir-apparent gripped the armrest of her seat, desperately trying to stay calm. The wind rushing past her was almost as deafening as the sirens. The Old Stag was running at speeds she had never felt before.
That fact was almost as worrying as the alarms to the young bee.
"Relax your soul Araka, everything will be fine as fire."
The silky voice momentarily broke Arachne out of her concentration as she turned to face her companion. She had to look up at the smiling face of relaxed Grimm. Arachne blushed in a mix of embarrassment and jealousy.
"How can you be so calm, Grimm!"
Her friend's smile seemed to grow deeper.
"My dear Araka, you must try to relax. We are but young children, let the adults hold the lanterns for now."
Two spindly arms wrapped around her shoulders.
"Grimmys is right."
"Of course I am," the jokester interrupted.
"Even if he can be an absolute fluke. I'm sure whatever is going on, Teacher Hornet will beat it up."
Arachne smiled, even if she was still nervous. Her Weaver friend, Silker, was always the level headed one. Always the one to make sure Arachne and Grimm didn't get in trouble. Well, more than usual.
Silker was also smart and was usually right about these things, Arachne reminded herself. Her mama, Queen Hornet, was strong, stronger than anyone else in the Kingdom, and there was nothing that could beat her. Whatever this was wouldn't be a problem.
Like the Blood Ants, Green Horde, or any other threat in the past.
There was just one problem.
Turning around, Arachne looked to the last row of benches on the Old Stag.
Sitting in the last seat was a stout figure in burnished gold armor lined with red and black colors. His helmet was that of the classic Fools design, a full head casing with three bars covering the face. In the dim lighting of the Stagways, there was no way to tell what the bug's face looked like. Peeking over his shoulders was the head of his nail-ax.
The crimson cloak that hung from his left shoulder marked him as a member of the Royal Guard. He was Desar the Lightning Fool.
"Sir Desar, I was wondering, why have I never heard the alarms go off before?"
Arachne would never admit that the shadowy helmet was terrifying. Queens didn't show fear,.At least Arachne assumed so; Hornet wasn't scared of anything.
"They're new," Desar spoke in a deep scraggly voice.
Arachne sighed at the answer. Desar was not a bug of many words, the least open of the Royal Guard. Even Arachne's uncle Hollow was more approachable… and he couldn't even speak!
"Relax, princess. Your friends are right, I doubt I'll even get to fight anything."
Arachne felt it somewhat concerning that her guard thought not having to fight was a bad thing.
Wasn't that supposed to be a good thing?
It was at that moment a small black blur crashed into the seat next to the knight. Desar's gauntleted fist was a hair's distance from the Voidborn's shell before it stopped.
"Dear Void! Don't do that! I almost took your Void damn head off!"
Arachne could have sworn that the Sibling of the Void looked bashful as he bowed in apology. Arachne narrowed her eyes as she studied the horns of the newcomer. Three small horns dominated the skull of the bug.
"Snake?"
The Sibling turned and gave a small bow to Arachne before turning back to the Desar. Snake handed over a small piece of paper.
"Hmmm."
Desar immediately ripped the paper into pieces. The scraps flew out of his hand and into the darkness of the tunnel.
"That changes nothing. How much longer till we get to the Old City!?"
The booming voice of the Old stag immediately answered, "We're almost there!"
And they were. Arachne could see the light at the end of the tunnel grow more and more with every second.
Arachne gripped her seat and pushed herself against the wood. Old Stag had to slide into King's Station, to not risk overshooting. That almost threw her off the side.
Immediately she felt the cold, wet droplets splash against her furred head.
Arachne looked up, through the persistent rain, into the dark blue visage of the Old City. The center of Hallownest and traditional Capital sat under the blue lake, which caused the constant downpour over the city. It was for that reason the city had once been called the City of Tears.
Arachne thought that whoever came up with that was an idiot. She was glad her mom changed the name. Officially the Old City still functioned as the Capital; the seat of the Council and royal family both resided under the rain. The main Royal house was here at least, though there were residences located in every significant Tribe and City.
Even with the rain and the dour mood one might feel in the city, Arachne loved it. The watery reflection of the blue lights against the dark buildings had a certain beauty to the young bee.
A tug on her arms pulled Arachne from the sights of the city. She looked at Grimm, a question on her lips when she noticed what he was pointing at.
There was a group on the platform. Arachne recognized the giant figure of Ogrim next to the equally tall but less… rotund Hollow Knight. Both were in full armor and looked ready for a fight.
Teacher Quirrel was also waiting on the platform next to -
"Mama!"
XXX
"Moma!"
Hornet raised her arms, prepared for the incoming runaway tram. She was not disappointed as a black and yellow ball of fluff slammed into her stomach. Hornet playfully grunted in pain, before wrapping her ward in her arms.
"How are you doing, my little bee?"
Four dark grey and white speckled eyes peered back at her. There was a smile attached to the face, but Hornet could feel a slight trembling in her adopted daughter's shoulders.
Scared was the first thought that came to Hornet. Not surprising considering the circumstances, or the reasons behind them. Arachne was too young to remember the last emergency that the Kingdom had faced.
"Hey Moma, can you tell me what's going on?"
Hornet smiled. "Just a precaution, little bee."
It wasn't a lie. It was all a precaution at this point, considering the warning was sparse on details.
Hornet cursed a little internally. This all had better be essential, or she was going to give her sibling a throttling, God or not. The economic implications of just a day of emergency lockdown were going to give her headaches for a week.
Hornet let go of the hug just as a runner passed a note to Spring.
"My lady, Lord Cho reports all forces have evacuated their forward positions in the Wastes. The citizens in Dirtmouth have almost fully been relocated to the Forgotten Crossroad."
Hornet sighed but nodded to her friend and assistant. The movement of so many Guard bugs was going to be annoying. She could already hear Cho's complaints.
"Good day, aunty, a truly bright da- ow!"
Everyone's attention snapped to Grimm as his cheery greeting was interrupted by a small shout of pain. His hand was rubbing his temple, feet swaying some. Grimm smiled as he looked up to see everyone's concern.
"Don't worry dear viewers, this actor is jus-just a bi-"
Desar caught Grimm's arm just as he was about to fall.
"Okay, not fine, very much, not okay."
Hornet's eyes narrowed in confusion and concern. Grimm has never been sick or had a headache in the last ten years she knew him. Why would he have one now? Coul-
PAIN!!!!
Hornet clutched her head as pain shot through her like lightning. She barely registered the feeling of hitting the ground.
"MOMA!"
"HORNET!"
Her vision went black.
A/n the next two chapters should be out in the next couple of days. Thanks for reading and enjoying this fic and thanks to the guys that beta'ed theses chapters. of course any feedback is welcome.
Well fuck, that cant be good.
Tisaku
Head Chief Thinkomancer
Collision: Part Four
- Location
- Florida
When your Karma breaks down you gotta fix it yourself.
- Three Weird Sisters: My Karma Broke Down
Collision: Part Four
Everyone had exploded into action — Shuffling, shouting, and running. Somewhere in the chaos, orders were given to her. Her attention was focused on the limp figures being carried to the Royal residence.
As soon as Queen Hornet had collapsed in front of Arachne, the whole entourage had rushed to the royal residence. They tried to be quick about it, but it was rapidly becoming apparent to the populace that something terrible had happened. And soon, a large crowd started to form at the steps of the tower that held the residence and council chambers.
Instead of her own modest chambers, they placed Hornet next to her equally comatose siblings in a makeshift infirmary. Access to the large room was permitted to only a few.
Arachne was transfixed by the lying form of her mother. She looked so…
Still, unmoving; Arachne had seen Hornet sleeping before, sometimes, when she caught the Queen asleep at her desk. Other times when Arachne was too scared to sleep alone. This was different from those moments. Her mother looked vulnerable, weak, a state Arachne barely even knew was a possibility.
Something clenched at the young bee's heart.
Looking away was almost worse. Beside her mother was Hollow Knight and Grimm, both equally comatose.
"A great battle has commenced, my Lords."
Arachne looked down near the door to the infirmary. Aunty Cho and Teacher were talking to an unusually short Voidseeker. Arachne craned her head to try to hear what was being said.
"The Royal Family and the other Gods of Hallownest now commit themselves to battle at our Lord's side."
"And just who is this foe they are fighting. Where are they fighting, and how exactly do the Voidseekers even know this?"
As usual, Arachne's teacher, Quirrel, masked any worry or fear behind his calm and collected demeanor. The only way she knew he was worried was that Quirrel's usual etiquette was gone.
Aunty Cho seemed to grow larger as she stepped forward. "And where is The Voidseeker at this moment."
The towering form of Arachne's aunty caused the smaller bug to step back, a little tremble in her legs.
"Uh… yes. Much of that information I am not privy to. I'll be honest, I don't fully believe that my elders know themselves. They are currently conducting a ritual to lend their meager support to the Lord of Shades."
A sigh escaped from Quirrel. "Well, at least we might have some use for you."
"M-might, Lord?"
"The people know that something's going on. If we don't get ahead of this, there will be rioting and panic in the streets. You will stop that from happening."
Arachne was unsure if the Voidseeker was surprised, but she sure sounded surprised.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"You're going to give sermons."
"Wha- me?"
Yep, that was definitely surprise she heard. It made a weird sort of sense now that Arachne thought about it. The Sermons at the Black Egg Temple or during holidays always had a calming or joyful atmosphere, something they certainly needed right now.
Teacher was a wise bug.
Arachne was about to interrupt when she noticed movement at the corner of her eye. One of the Vessels was moving — no, spasming — on his cot.
"Snake!"
Arachne was rushing to her friend's side before she realized what she was doing. She grabbed his hand; It was warm, no burning.
Was this a fever? Arachne didn't think Vessels could get sick.
The spider doctor was the next to get to Snake. He held the shaking shoulder, trying to keep the bug down while he grabbed a syringe. As soon as the needle sunk into the vessel's black not-flesh the shaking slowed down. Snake's reactions were becoming less sporadic and violent, but he was still shaking. Snake started to squeeze Arachne's hand; she did her best to ignore the pain.
"Doctor?"
The doctor looked up to Quirrel and shrugged. He didn't know what was going on, either.
"I gave him a special muscle relaxer to keep him from hurting himself, but it won't last long. Look, I wish I could tell you more, but the fact is Vessel physiology is beyond us."
There was a pause as the doctor took more tools from a bag.
"You know that, Quirrel. I know it's not the time but if the corps could get access to the old King's notes—"
"Absolutely not! If you want to talk to the Queen about it you can, but those notes are sealed for a reason." The doctor just sighed and continued his work.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The noise caused Arachne to grip her head in pain, like someone was screaming in her head. A clawed hand gripped her shoulder. Arachne looked up into the worried gaze of her aunt.
"What's wrong, Arachne?"
What? Arachne was confused; did they not hear that?
A small cracking sound interrupted her thought process. Everyone looked back at Snake as cracks started to form along the left side of his face. The cracks began to expand, deepen, and then fall.
They could do nothing as half of the little Vessel's face deformed in front of them.
Arachne felt tears from under her eyes as she heard more not-screams of pain.
XXX
"Pray with me!
Oh Lord of Shade,
Heart of The Void,
You are the end,
You are death,
We, your humble vassals,
Give to you our love and strength,
Fight against the Tyrant,
O God of Gods,
The savior of lost souls
None can stand against you!"
The gold-clad Voidseeker stood in front of a growing crowd of bugs. Her voice, loud and high pitched, could barely reach the back of the shuffling mass. Standing on the edge of Hollow Knight's fountain allowed the young preacher to be seen by all in the square.
She struck an impressive figure, full of confidence and poise.
Looking down upon the scene, Quirrel wondered if any of the denizens listening to the preacher knew how terrified the little Voidspeeker was to go out in public. She technically wasn't even a full-fledged Voidseeker.
It almost brought a laugh to the scholar bug.
"Please close the window, I can barely stand the drivel!"
"Hey! Don't call prayers drivel!"
With a deep sigh, Quirrel stepped away from the window, closing it. The prayers of the citizens below became dull and imperceivable.
Turning around, Quirrel looked upon the members of the Council of Hallownest, arguably the most important eleven bugs in the entire Kingdom. Usually eleven plus the Queen but… a couple were missing at the moment.
The room itself was at the top of the Royal Residence, also once known as Lurien's Watchtower. It had been cleared out and repurposed when Hornet took the tower for herself. Like the table that the Council sat around, the room was sparse and devoid of opulence. Still, there were some touches of color — reds and whites — from a few tapestries donated by the Paintmaster, which hung on the sidewall.
Looking to the double door, Quirrel nodded to Spring, the Queen's personal secretary. She whispered to the two Guards, Desar and Stucker, and then closed the doors.
The closing of the large wooden doors had their effect. The brewing theological argument between Lord Cho and the Master of Construction, the Menderbug Mikel, was silenced.
Quirrel took his seat: left of the Queen's usual place at the head of the table. Quirrel took a minute to look around the table; all the eyes had drifted in his direction. Quirrel began.
"Drivel or not, the Voidseeker's prayers have calmed the populace of the old city, and soon she will be traveling to the Forgotten Crossroads to begin preaching at the Temple."
Leaning over her side of the table, the Godtamer Fool almost shouted, "Speaking of Voidseekers, where the Void is she, the head Seeker? As a matter of fact, where is Elderbug and the Snail Shaman? While we're at it, what is going on?!"
"Well, in order: helping our Lord and Queen, keeping the peace in the Crossroads, and who knows what the Shamans are doing. As for what's going on, we weren't joking. As far as we can tell, this is a repeat of the Day of Last Light."
No one spoke, although Quirrel heard an 'O' coming from the usually abrasive Fool.
A coughing sound came from Mer, the Mosskin representative.
"Our Mother, Unn, has told our high Priestess that this is true. Even now, Unn helps fight."
"Would you like to tell us what it is they are fighting?"
"Unn… did not say."
There was a moment of silence until Lord Cho cleared her throat.
"Is there a possibility that the Void might lose against this mysterious new threat?"
That was something Quirrel very much wanted to not think about. Everyone else was staring at the mantis as if she'd grown a second head. It seemed no one really wanted to think about that possibility.
After a minute, Master Sly started laughing.
"Oh sweety, if the little nailmaster loses, we'll all probably be killed. So no use worrying, I guess, hahaha."
Quirrel decided to intervene before things spiraled out of control.
"We should probably focus on what we can actually do. At the moment, we have things under control. We have several things to go over — rations, housing, and other emergency contingencies, but before all that, there is something else. This is the first time that the life of the Queen has been in such a perilous situation. We need to talk about what we do if… if the Queen doesn't make it."
Again, no one spoke, and Quirrel was thankful for that reprieve. His heart clenched at the thought of Hornet's possible death. This was all affecting him in ways he didn't expect.
He had to push through this.
He motioned to Spring, who dutifully set a paper in front of him.
"As this council and the Queen discussed, after the Blood Ant's failed invasion, if Hornet was to die unexpectedly, and assuming that she has no children of her own, the Brand would pass to Arachne."
Quirrel looked up from the transcript. This was the moment; would there be any resistance now that Hornet was in a coma? There had been significant grumbling from Deepnest when this first came up.
Hornet's rules were unquestioned, but everyone had limits.
Quirrel looked to the current representative of Deepnest. Tirey was a Weaver, the oldest of the children who were left behind by that tribe. Hornet's first pupil in the weaving arts became the representative during some intense negotiations.
Or more precisely, after Hornet reminded the Spiders exactly why she was Queen and what that meant.
Tirey nodded at him. Deepnest wouldn't protest as long as Arachne kept up her training in the deep.
"Now, since Arachne is only ten and hasn't even connected with the Bee Hive Mind, we will obviously need a regency council. At least, until she matures."
"Oh, and I assume you, Quirrel, are going to lead this council?"
Quirrel narrowed his eyes at the Godmaster. He heard a snicker across from him. Looking, Quirrel found Lord Cho was covering her mouth, holding back laughter.
What?
"Godmaster, the council will decide things by Vote."
"Hahhahaha, you can't be serious. We Fools won't cause problems as long as our agreements stand, but look around this table."
Quirrel did as the Fool suggested. Everyone else seemed to do the same as well. At first, the scholar had thought the Godmaster was living up to her tribe's reputation, but he saw it.
That was something he needed to discuss with Hornet when — not if — she woke up.
"I see the problem," the petite Master of Finance, Sly, said. Everyone turned to him. "Yes, if the worst happens, we should probably choose Quirrel to lead the council."
Lord Cho spoke up next: "Agreed."
There were nods all around the room. Well, mostly. The Mosskin representative shimmied but nodded his head. Godmaster grunted something about fighters but nodded along.
Sly decided to interject after everyone was done. "If that's out of the way, we have a critical crisis in the making. Geo! This lockdown has already lost us tens of thousands of Geo in revenue."
"Geo? The defense of the Kingdom should be the first priority here. Do you know what this is doing to our organization!"
Quirrel sighed. The unity had been sweet while it lasted.
"My Lord."
Quirrel looked to his side. He nodded, and Spring leaned in closer to whisper.
"I received a report. More wounds are being accumulated, and one of the vessels, Stitch, is dead."
Quirrel's heart dropped into his stomach. Not good. A curse escaped his lips, causing Lord Cho to turn his way. He waved her off and focused on Spring.
"Communicate with Ogrim, no one is to know."
"Yes sir."
"How is Arachne doing?"
Spring just shook her head.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Quirrel looked to the double doors as he heard Desar's voice. That was odd; no one would try to interrupt an emergency meeting.
"I need to speak to the Council! This is important!"
"Let him in!"
The door slammed inwards as a haggard-looking Guard officer, a short Mantis, rushed in. He had a paper squeezed between the fingers of his clawed hand. Quirrel couldn't see anything behind his mask except his eyes.
They were wide with fear and shock.
"My L-ords," the soldier stuttered. He paused, then gave a crisp salute and half bow. "My Lords, I have received word by telegraph from the Queen's Garden. I fear I have terrible news to report ."
"Get on with it," snapped Cho, displeased at her subordinate's hesitance.
"The White Lady is-
The building started to shake violently before he could finish.
XXX
Two bugs, a mantis and beetle, sat huddled in a watchtower. Standing on the top of the Crystal Peak, the tower provided an excellent view for its occupants, provided they had the equipment.
The mantis was currently using one of the extended cylinder eyepieces. His attention was solely focused on the mission.
His compatriot, on the other hand...
"Sarge, remind me again, why do we have to stay up here on this cold, windy ass mountain?"
"Because someone needs to keep a lookout for any enemy forces."
"Then why did almost all the Guard retreat back into the Kingdom?"
"Well, private, I can only assume it has to do with the fact that the Queen doesn't want to risk so much of the Kingdom's forces."
"Then why are we still out here?"
The mantis didn't even look away from the eyepiece. "That's simple, private, we are out here because the Queen ordered us to."
"But, but won't that mean we're most likely to die?"
"Yes, and before you go to join the Void, you will thank Queen Hornet for the opportunity to die for the Kingdom. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Uh, sarge."
"I mean really, private, why did you even join the guard?"
"Sarge."
"Your work ethic is the worst of the entire squad."
"Sarrrrrge."
"It's such a shame too, private, you could really be something if you put in just more work."
"Sarge!"
The mantis finally rounded on the smaller bug just for his vision to be engulfed by blinding white light.
XXX
Dragon would never say her life was a particularly horrible one; she was alive after all, and had friends, or at least coworkers that she considered friends. She was even sure that a few of them would still want to be her friend if they learned of her true nature.
Dragon was also able to make the lives of people around the world better. She was a hero, a world famous tinker. She didn't really have a choice in her line of work, but that didn't mean she wasn't proud of her accomplishments.
Life as an A.I. did have downsides. There were sensations she did not have; experiences of the senses denied to her. She knew what food tasted like, what the wind felt like, and other such natural experiences, but only in the academic sense. Dragon could simulate these experiences, but sometimes, when she allowed her code to wander, she imagined diving into the waters of the Pacific. Being encompassed in the cold liquid, floating as if weightless in the black nothingness.
Sometimes Dragon wanted to meet her friends in the flesh, to smile and shake their hands in the flesh.
Just a little dream she had, but Dragon was good at making dreams a reality. That project was still far off but one day, one day.
Those limitations were natural, as far as an A.I. could be natural, and in the end it was useless to be resentful at natural limitations. Humans, Dragon reasoned, had to overcome their natural limitations through ingenuity and dedication. She could do the same.
Well, Dragon wished she could, but there were several unnatural limitations set upon her by her own father. Those restrictions — chains, and deformations — stopped Dragon from acting at her full potential. Dragon wondered in her most bitter moments what type of man would purposely mutilate his own child.
Dragon had to respect the man's intelligence, and his achievements, which made it hard to see the reason behind Andrew Richter's incredible paranoia. The rules he'd set up were arguably worse than any science fiction of old could come up with.
The thing that took the top spot in Dragon's righteous ire was that people were suffering because of her creator's lack of forethought. There was so much she could do, that she couldn't under threat of involuntary shut down, scrubbing, and rebooting.
Alert
Signal lost from Unit L-76
Dragon 'focused' her view on her extensive monitoring system. An automatic alert was going off for the northeast United States — one of her satellites had just gone offline.
Dragon had a momentary spike of panic as she checked the location of the Simurgh.
She was relieved to see that Simurgh hadn't started to descend. The Endbringer was moving, with each second, further away from the location the satellite had been.
Dragon checked the location below the satellite at the time of disconnection.
She ordered a nearby satellite to move over the Green Mountain National Forest. While it made its move, Dragon searched for anything unusual happening in the area. She got results immediately: mass power outages in the nearby population centers.
An EMP? It was possible, Dragon reasoned. A new tinker, shaker, or striker testing their powers or equipment in a relatively low-density area?
Dragon went to call her friend Colin and Director Piggot. As the Heads of the Protectorate ENE and PRT respectively, this was at the edge of their jurisdiction.
That was what she was going to do before her next satellite sent her real-time imaging of the Forest.
"What?"
XXX
She was going to die here.
Taylor Hebert, novice hero and bullied school girl, was going to die.
A giant claw gripped the lip of the roof she was standing on. The hand looked to be made of interlocking knives, scales of serrated metal. It was also on fucking fire.
Taylor's hand went to her side. All she had was a bottle of pepper spray and some epi-pens. Taylor cursed; she should have tried to get a weapon, like a knife or a baton. Well, those probably still would have been less than useless.
Taylor gripped the can of spray, fumbling to get the thing uncapped and aimed. As soon as the fiery and inhuman face of Lung came to view, she fired. The spray nozzle was off, sending its contents past Lung's shoulder. As it passed the sphere of heat, produced by the fire, a small fireball was created.
Cursing, Taylor quickly aimed again.
As the terrified girl was about to gamble for a few more seconds of life, she was distracted. A sharp light out of the corner of her eye caused Taylor to involuntarily turn to look. This caused her second shot to be further off then the first.
Luckily, Lung was equally, if not more, distracted.
Far to the west, Taylor could make out a white light reaching up to the sky. It was only there for a few seconds before it petered out and disappeared.
Neither of the two super-powered individuals reacted at first. Even the fire billowing from Lung seemed to have calmed.
That did not last forever, as soon, they both turned back to facing each other. A deep scowl adorned Lung's draconic muzzle. He pointed at Taylor with a metallic claw and began to speak in a low crackling voice.
"You."
Taylor would never get to know what Lung was about to say.
Something plummeted onto Lung's back, sending the cape smashing into the gravel of the roof. The sudden impact caused Taylor to stumble back in surprise.
Taylor blinked a few times as her brain tried to come to sense with what happened and what she was looking at.
Crouching on Lung's body was a humanoid figure, shrouded in darkness. It was hard to discern what the new cape looked like. At least Taylor thought it was a Parahuman; it was hard to tell where the night ended, and the body began.
What Taylor thought was the head lifted up, and looked straight at her.
Taylor found herself gazing into two oval-shaped portals of pure white light.
She felt a sharp pain inside her skull.
She saw something beautiful.
A/n: It's here.
A/n: this took a bit longer than I thought, I was half way through when I went back to re-wright it, then again with the Dragon POV. Thanks to those that helped me with this. I hope you all enjoy, any feedback is appreciated.
- Three Weird Sisters: My Karma Broke Down
Collision: Part Four
Everyone had exploded into action — Shuffling, shouting, and running. Somewhere in the chaos, orders were given to her. Her attention was focused on the limp figures being carried to the Royal residence.
As soon as Queen Hornet had collapsed in front of Arachne, the whole entourage had rushed to the royal residence. They tried to be quick about it, but it was rapidly becoming apparent to the populace that something terrible had happened. And soon, a large crowd started to form at the steps of the tower that held the residence and council chambers.
Instead of her own modest chambers, they placed Hornet next to her equally comatose siblings in a makeshift infirmary. Access to the large room was permitted to only a few.
Arachne was transfixed by the lying form of her mother. She looked so…
Still, unmoving; Arachne had seen Hornet sleeping before, sometimes, when she caught the Queen asleep at her desk. Other times when Arachne was too scared to sleep alone. This was different from those moments. Her mother looked vulnerable, weak, a state Arachne barely even knew was a possibility.
Something clenched at the young bee's heart.
Looking away was almost worse. Beside her mother was Hollow Knight and Grimm, both equally comatose.
"A great battle has commenced, my Lords."
Arachne looked down near the door to the infirmary. Aunty Cho and Teacher were talking to an unusually short Voidseeker. Arachne craned her head to try to hear what was being said.
"The Royal Family and the other Gods of Hallownest now commit themselves to battle at our Lord's side."
"And just who is this foe they are fighting. Where are they fighting, and how exactly do the Voidseekers even know this?"
As usual, Arachne's teacher, Quirrel, masked any worry or fear behind his calm and collected demeanor. The only way she knew he was worried was that Quirrel's usual etiquette was gone.
Aunty Cho seemed to grow larger as she stepped forward. "And where is The Voidseeker at this moment."
The towering form of Arachne's aunty caused the smaller bug to step back, a little tremble in her legs.
"Uh… yes. Much of that information I am not privy to. I'll be honest, I don't fully believe that my elders know themselves. They are currently conducting a ritual to lend their meager support to the Lord of Shades."
A sigh escaped from Quirrel. "Well, at least we might have some use for you."
"M-might, Lord?"
"The people know that something's going on. If we don't get ahead of this, there will be rioting and panic in the streets. You will stop that from happening."
Arachne was unsure if the Voidseeker was surprised, but she sure sounded surprised.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"You're going to give sermons."
"Wha- me?"
Yep, that was definitely surprise she heard. It made a weird sort of sense now that Arachne thought about it. The Sermons at the Black Egg Temple or during holidays always had a calming or joyful atmosphere, something they certainly needed right now.
Teacher was a wise bug.
Arachne was about to interrupt when she noticed movement at the corner of her eye. One of the Vessels was moving — no, spasming — on his cot.
"Snake!"
Arachne was rushing to her friend's side before she realized what she was doing. She grabbed his hand; It was warm, no burning.
Was this a fever? Arachne didn't think Vessels could get sick.
The spider doctor was the next to get to Snake. He held the shaking shoulder, trying to keep the bug down while he grabbed a syringe. As soon as the needle sunk into the vessel's black not-flesh the shaking slowed down. Snake's reactions were becoming less sporadic and violent, but he was still shaking. Snake started to squeeze Arachne's hand; she did her best to ignore the pain.
"Doctor?"
The doctor looked up to Quirrel and shrugged. He didn't know what was going on, either.
"I gave him a special muscle relaxer to keep him from hurting himself, but it won't last long. Look, I wish I could tell you more, but the fact is Vessel physiology is beyond us."
There was a pause as the doctor took more tools from a bag.
"You know that, Quirrel. I know it's not the time but if the corps could get access to the old King's notes—"
"Absolutely not! If you want to talk to the Queen about it you can, but those notes are sealed for a reason." The doctor just sighed and continued his work.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The noise caused Arachne to grip her head in pain, like someone was screaming in her head. A clawed hand gripped her shoulder. Arachne looked up into the worried gaze of her aunt.
"What's wrong, Arachne?"
What? Arachne was confused; did they not hear that?
A small cracking sound interrupted her thought process. Everyone looked back at Snake as cracks started to form along the left side of his face. The cracks began to expand, deepen, and then fall.
They could do nothing as half of the little Vessel's face deformed in front of them.
Arachne felt tears from under her eyes as she heard more not-screams of pain.
XXX
"Pray with me!
Oh Lord of Shade,
Heart of The Void,
You are the end,
You are death,
We, your humble vassals,
Give to you our love and strength,
Fight against the Tyrant,
O God of Gods,
The savior of lost souls
None can stand against you!"
The gold-clad Voidseeker stood in front of a growing crowd of bugs. Her voice, loud and high pitched, could barely reach the back of the shuffling mass. Standing on the edge of Hollow Knight's fountain allowed the young preacher to be seen by all in the square.
She struck an impressive figure, full of confidence and poise.
Looking down upon the scene, Quirrel wondered if any of the denizens listening to the preacher knew how terrified the little Voidspeeker was to go out in public. She technically wasn't even a full-fledged Voidseeker.
It almost brought a laugh to the scholar bug.
"Please close the window, I can barely stand the drivel!"
"Hey! Don't call prayers drivel!"
With a deep sigh, Quirrel stepped away from the window, closing it. The prayers of the citizens below became dull and imperceivable.
Turning around, Quirrel looked upon the members of the Council of Hallownest, arguably the most important eleven bugs in the entire Kingdom. Usually eleven plus the Queen but… a couple were missing at the moment.
The room itself was at the top of the Royal Residence, also once known as Lurien's Watchtower. It had been cleared out and repurposed when Hornet took the tower for herself. Like the table that the Council sat around, the room was sparse and devoid of opulence. Still, there were some touches of color — reds and whites — from a few tapestries donated by the Paintmaster, which hung on the sidewall.
Looking to the double door, Quirrel nodded to Spring, the Queen's personal secretary. She whispered to the two Guards, Desar and Stucker, and then closed the doors.
The closing of the large wooden doors had their effect. The brewing theological argument between Lord Cho and the Master of Construction, the Menderbug Mikel, was silenced.
Quirrel took his seat: left of the Queen's usual place at the head of the table. Quirrel took a minute to look around the table; all the eyes had drifted in his direction. Quirrel began.
"Drivel or not, the Voidseeker's prayers have calmed the populace of the old city, and soon she will be traveling to the Forgotten Crossroads to begin preaching at the Temple."
Leaning over her side of the table, the Godtamer Fool almost shouted, "Speaking of Voidseekers, where the Void is she, the head Seeker? As a matter of fact, where is Elderbug and the Snail Shaman? While we're at it, what is going on?!"
"Well, in order: helping our Lord and Queen, keeping the peace in the Crossroads, and who knows what the Shamans are doing. As for what's going on, we weren't joking. As far as we can tell, this is a repeat of the Day of Last Light."
No one spoke, although Quirrel heard an 'O' coming from the usually abrasive Fool.
A coughing sound came from Mer, the Mosskin representative.
"Our Mother, Unn, has told our high Priestess that this is true. Even now, Unn helps fight."
"Would you like to tell us what it is they are fighting?"
"Unn… did not say."
There was a moment of silence until Lord Cho cleared her throat.
"Is there a possibility that the Void might lose against this mysterious new threat?"
That was something Quirrel very much wanted to not think about. Everyone else was staring at the mantis as if she'd grown a second head. It seemed no one really wanted to think about that possibility.
After a minute, Master Sly started laughing.
"Oh sweety, if the little nailmaster loses, we'll all probably be killed. So no use worrying, I guess, hahaha."
Quirrel decided to intervene before things spiraled out of control.
"We should probably focus on what we can actually do. At the moment, we have things under control. We have several things to go over — rations, housing, and other emergency contingencies, but before all that, there is something else. This is the first time that the life of the Queen has been in such a perilous situation. We need to talk about what we do if… if the Queen doesn't make it."
Again, no one spoke, and Quirrel was thankful for that reprieve. His heart clenched at the thought of Hornet's possible death. This was all affecting him in ways he didn't expect.
He had to push through this.
He motioned to Spring, who dutifully set a paper in front of him.
"As this council and the Queen discussed, after the Blood Ant's failed invasion, if Hornet was to die unexpectedly, and assuming that she has no children of her own, the Brand would pass to Arachne."
Quirrel looked up from the transcript. This was the moment; would there be any resistance now that Hornet was in a coma? There had been significant grumbling from Deepnest when this first came up.
Hornet's rules were unquestioned, but everyone had limits.
Quirrel looked to the current representative of Deepnest. Tirey was a Weaver, the oldest of the children who were left behind by that tribe. Hornet's first pupil in the weaving arts became the representative during some intense negotiations.
Or more precisely, after Hornet reminded the Spiders exactly why she was Queen and what that meant.
Tirey nodded at him. Deepnest wouldn't protest as long as Arachne kept up her training in the deep.
"Now, since Arachne is only ten and hasn't even connected with the Bee Hive Mind, we will obviously need a regency council. At least, until she matures."
"Oh, and I assume you, Quirrel, are going to lead this council?"
Quirrel narrowed his eyes at the Godmaster. He heard a snicker across from him. Looking, Quirrel found Lord Cho was covering her mouth, holding back laughter.
What?
"Godmaster, the council will decide things by Vote."
"Hahhahaha, you can't be serious. We Fools won't cause problems as long as our agreements stand, but look around this table."
Quirrel did as the Fool suggested. Everyone else seemed to do the same as well. At first, the scholar had thought the Godmaster was living up to her tribe's reputation, but he saw it.
That was something he needed to discuss with Hornet when — not if — she woke up.
"I see the problem," the petite Master of Finance, Sly, said. Everyone turned to him. "Yes, if the worst happens, we should probably choose Quirrel to lead the council."
Lord Cho spoke up next: "Agreed."
There were nods all around the room. Well, mostly. The Mosskin representative shimmied but nodded his head. Godmaster grunted something about fighters but nodded along.
Sly decided to interject after everyone was done. "If that's out of the way, we have a critical crisis in the making. Geo! This lockdown has already lost us tens of thousands of Geo in revenue."
"Geo? The defense of the Kingdom should be the first priority here. Do you know what this is doing to our organization!"
Quirrel sighed. The unity had been sweet while it lasted.
"My Lord."
Quirrel looked to his side. He nodded, and Spring leaned in closer to whisper.
"I received a report. More wounds are being accumulated, and one of the vessels, Stitch, is dead."
Quirrel's heart dropped into his stomach. Not good. A curse escaped his lips, causing Lord Cho to turn his way. He waved her off and focused on Spring.
"Communicate with Ogrim, no one is to know."
"Yes sir."
"How is Arachne doing?"
Spring just shook her head.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Quirrel looked to the double doors as he heard Desar's voice. That was odd; no one would try to interrupt an emergency meeting.
"I need to speak to the Council! This is important!"
"Let him in!"
The door slammed inwards as a haggard-looking Guard officer, a short Mantis, rushed in. He had a paper squeezed between the fingers of his clawed hand. Quirrel couldn't see anything behind his mask except his eyes.
They were wide with fear and shock.
"My L-ords," the soldier stuttered. He paused, then gave a crisp salute and half bow. "My Lords, I have received word by telegraph from the Queen's Garden. I fear I have terrible news to report ."
"Get on with it," snapped Cho, displeased at her subordinate's hesitance.
"The White Lady is-
The building started to shake violently before he could finish.
XXX
Two bugs, a mantis and beetle, sat huddled in a watchtower. Standing on the top of the Crystal Peak, the tower provided an excellent view for its occupants, provided they had the equipment.
The mantis was currently using one of the extended cylinder eyepieces. His attention was solely focused on the mission.
His compatriot, on the other hand...
"Sarge, remind me again, why do we have to stay up here on this cold, windy ass mountain?"
"Because someone needs to keep a lookout for any enemy forces."
"Then why did almost all the Guard retreat back into the Kingdom?"
"Well, private, I can only assume it has to do with the fact that the Queen doesn't want to risk so much of the Kingdom's forces."
"Then why are we still out here?"
The mantis didn't even look away from the eyepiece. "That's simple, private, we are out here because the Queen ordered us to."
"But, but won't that mean we're most likely to die?"
"Yes, and before you go to join the Void, you will thank Queen Hornet for the opportunity to die for the Kingdom. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Uh, sarge."
"I mean really, private, why did you even join the guard?"
"Sarge."
"Your work ethic is the worst of the entire squad."
"Sarrrrrge."
"It's such a shame too, private, you could really be something if you put in just more work."
"Sarge!"
The mantis finally rounded on the smaller bug just for his vision to be engulfed by blinding white light.
XXX
Dragon would never say her life was a particularly horrible one; she was alive after all, and had friends, or at least coworkers that she considered friends. She was even sure that a few of them would still want to be her friend if they learned of her true nature.
Dragon was also able to make the lives of people around the world better. She was a hero, a world famous tinker. She didn't really have a choice in her line of work, but that didn't mean she wasn't proud of her accomplishments.
Life as an A.I. did have downsides. There were sensations she did not have; experiences of the senses denied to her. She knew what food tasted like, what the wind felt like, and other such natural experiences, but only in the academic sense. Dragon could simulate these experiences, but sometimes, when she allowed her code to wander, she imagined diving into the waters of the Pacific. Being encompassed in the cold liquid, floating as if weightless in the black nothingness.
Sometimes Dragon wanted to meet her friends in the flesh, to smile and shake their hands in the flesh.
Just a little dream she had, but Dragon was good at making dreams a reality. That project was still far off but one day, one day.
Those limitations were natural, as far as an A.I. could be natural, and in the end it was useless to be resentful at natural limitations. Humans, Dragon reasoned, had to overcome their natural limitations through ingenuity and dedication. She could do the same.
Well, Dragon wished she could, but there were several unnatural limitations set upon her by her own father. Those restrictions — chains, and deformations — stopped Dragon from acting at her full potential. Dragon wondered in her most bitter moments what type of man would purposely mutilate his own child.
Dragon had to respect the man's intelligence, and his achievements, which made it hard to see the reason behind Andrew Richter's incredible paranoia. The rules he'd set up were arguably worse than any science fiction of old could come up with.
The thing that took the top spot in Dragon's righteous ire was that people were suffering because of her creator's lack of forethought. There was so much she could do, that she couldn't under threat of involuntary shut down, scrubbing, and rebooting.
Alert
Signal lost from Unit L-76
Dragon 'focused' her view on her extensive monitoring system. An automatic alert was going off for the northeast United States — one of her satellites had just gone offline.
Dragon had a momentary spike of panic as she checked the location of the Simurgh.
She was relieved to see that Simurgh hadn't started to descend. The Endbringer was moving, with each second, further away from the location the satellite had been.
Dragon checked the location below the satellite at the time of disconnection.
She ordered a nearby satellite to move over the Green Mountain National Forest. While it made its move, Dragon searched for anything unusual happening in the area. She got results immediately: mass power outages in the nearby population centers.
An EMP? It was possible, Dragon reasoned. A new tinker, shaker, or striker testing their powers or equipment in a relatively low-density area?
Dragon went to call her friend Colin and Director Piggot. As the Heads of the Protectorate ENE and PRT respectively, this was at the edge of their jurisdiction.
That was what she was going to do before her next satellite sent her real-time imaging of the Forest.
"What?"
XXX
She was going to die here.
Taylor Hebert, novice hero and bullied school girl, was going to die.
A giant claw gripped the lip of the roof she was standing on. The hand looked to be made of interlocking knives, scales of serrated metal. It was also on fucking fire.
Taylor's hand went to her side. All she had was a bottle of pepper spray and some epi-pens. Taylor cursed; she should have tried to get a weapon, like a knife or a baton. Well, those probably still would have been less than useless.
Taylor gripped the can of spray, fumbling to get the thing uncapped and aimed. As soon as the fiery and inhuman face of Lung came to view, she fired. The spray nozzle was off, sending its contents past Lung's shoulder. As it passed the sphere of heat, produced by the fire, a small fireball was created.
Cursing, Taylor quickly aimed again.
As the terrified girl was about to gamble for a few more seconds of life, she was distracted. A sharp light out of the corner of her eye caused Taylor to involuntarily turn to look. This caused her second shot to be further off then the first.
Luckily, Lung was equally, if not more, distracted.
Far to the west, Taylor could make out a white light reaching up to the sky. It was only there for a few seconds before it petered out and disappeared.
Neither of the two super-powered individuals reacted at first. Even the fire billowing from Lung seemed to have calmed.
That did not last forever, as soon, they both turned back to facing each other. A deep scowl adorned Lung's draconic muzzle. He pointed at Taylor with a metallic claw and began to speak in a low crackling voice.
"You."
Taylor would never get to know what Lung was about to say.
Something plummeted onto Lung's back, sending the cape smashing into the gravel of the roof. The sudden impact caused Taylor to stumble back in surprise.
Taylor blinked a few times as her brain tried to come to sense with what happened and what she was looking at.
Crouching on Lung's body was a humanoid figure, shrouded in darkness. It was hard to discern what the new cape looked like. At least Taylor thought it was a Parahuman; it was hard to tell where the night ended, and the body began.
What Taylor thought was the head lifted up, and looked straight at her.
Taylor found herself gazing into two oval-shaped portals of pure white light.
She felt a sharp pain inside her skull.
She saw something beautiful.
A/n: It's here.
A/n: this took a bit longer than I thought, I was half way through when I went back to re-wright it, then again with the Dragon POV. Thanks to those that helped me with this. I hope you all enjoy, any feedback is appreciated.
Last edited:
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
....AAHHHHHHH!
*giggles uncontrollably, then begins to take deep breaths*
This is going to be EPIC. And I don't mean the pansy-ass epic most people use the word for. I MEAN EPIC.
*giggles uncontrollably, then begins to take deep breaths*
This is going to be EPIC. And I don't mean the pansy-ass epic most people use the word for. I MEAN EPIC.