Vessel

Den

The hidden village was awfully quiet. I guess that made sense considering that there was really only one main building and everyone seemed to stay there all the time. Hesitantly, we made our way into the village. The clearly old rope bridges creaked and swung with every step as we walked to the main building.

It seemed like every attempt had been made to make the building seem cozy, but it still felt off, no matter what they did. As we walked in, I noticed that a welcome mat had been added. It read "Welcome Friends!" So they were evil.

Inside, there were many bugs chatting. Their attention quickly turned to the three of us. "Greetings friends, you have taken quite the journey to get here. Stop and rest, it is safe here." Immediately it was clear that resting was not an option. The knight ran forward and sat on the bench.

They tried to get up again, but couldn't. Me and Mala rushed over to free our friend, as the bugs closed in. We couldn't free them before the bugs reached us. They shoved us onto the bench. Now we were also stuck. As you can see, we're great at this.

The bugs shed their disguises, revealing themselves to actually be the last of the weavers. "These three will provide a mighty feast for her. We just need to wait for her next feeding." With that, they picked up the bench. I almost laughed because it looked like they were going to do the coffin dance.

They carried us for about half an hour, only stopping once because they all tripped at the same time. They definitely weren't doing the coffin dance. They strung up the bench with some nearby webbing, apparently saving us for later, before they left.

The knight managed to grab their nail and free themself from the bench. After falling to the ground, they threw their nail at the webs holding the bench. Eventually it fell, causing me and Mala to land on our faces. The knight cut us free from the bench and we were on our way.

There were fewer creatures in this area, but they were as ferocious as ever. We now had to deal with infected weavers. They jumped out at random, catching us by surprise. They were little to no threat, but they were terrifying. Such a proud race of weavers, reduced to slobbering infected maniacs.

Even the young weavers weren't spared. They scuttled along the walls, occasionally spitting infection at us. We left them alone. Before long, we encountered the only other threat in this area. A stalking devout was poised in a tunnel, blocking the path.

It backed up, prompting us to follow it. Whenever we got close to it, it would back up further. Finally, it stopped. It's mask opened up, revealing it's one weak spot. This was also how it attacked. I panicked and shadow dashed through it. On the other side, I was greeted by a wide open room.

There wasn't much in the room, besides a small table, which held Herrah. Sitting beside the table, was Hornet. "Vessel? Why are you here alone?" The stalking devout let out several screeches before dropping to the ground. Mala and the knight climbed over it. "Oh, you're not alone."

Well this was going to be awkward. The knight walked over to Herrah and took out the dreamnail. An idiot could have predicted their intentions, and Hornet was no idiot. Yet, she did nothing as the knight slashed, falling unconscious. Something was very off with this whole scene.

"I know what must be done. Herrah may be my mother, but her fate is that of the other dreamers." Hornet seemed to believe what she was saying, even if she also seemed like she didn't want to believe it. She looked over at the knight, yet her eyes no longer held pity. They held bitter hatred.

She seemed ready to strike them down herself. "I cannot do this anymore." Hornet leapt up from where she sat, needle drawn. She attempted to slash clean through the defenseless body of the knight, on the floor in front of her. There was a clang of metal on metal.

Underneath Hornet's needle, was my nail, pushing back. "Vessel." She started. "Remove your nail. And I may let you live." Mala drew their pin. This was getting wildly out of hand. I needed to do something before someone snapped and someone ended up hurt.

And so, I risked my life. I lunged forward and hugged Hornet. Hornet started shouting, mostly insults and threats. "RELEASE ME!!! I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN MYSELF!!!" Yet she never acted on her threats. Slowly, Hornet lowered and dropped her needle. she was sobbing slightly. She had probably been alone for a long time, but she had been alone emotionally since she was born.

Mala sheathed their pin. Herrah faded from existence as I released Hornet. She said nothing as the knight awoke and stood. The knight turned to leave. Mala followed. "I may be harsh, but I'm not heartless. I do feel sadness in my mother's demise, though I hardly knew her."

Me and Hornet left after the other vessels together. "Should you speak one word of what happened, I will personally impale you and hang you up for decoration." Aaaand the old Hornet was back.

As I left the room, Hornet looked back at the room, one last time, her eyes fixing on the final resting place of her mother. "Forgive me for my failure mother, but I will make your sacrifice worthwhile." Hornet turned and followed us. All three dreamers were gone. There was only one obstacle left.

That's it for this chapter! I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. The story is coming to a close, after nearly SIX MONTHS of production. Next up is the finale, and I can't wait to get it written and send it out to you! I'll see you in the next chapter!

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