The sound of Hornet's footsteps echoed loud and clear in that dark and sinister den. Those were the dungeons, a hidden and very difficult area where Deepnest's worst criminals were kept waiting for their sentences. Actually most of the cells were empty, there were not many ruffians that ended up in that place, most died before. But occasionally some were captured or for some reason they were kept alive, and in those cases the dungeons were used.
Now the spider queen was about to meet the criminal who had attacked her precious eggs. Before having him in front, Hornet took time to breathe deeply and calm down, the rage she felt against that individual could lead her to kill him and she did not want that, she needed to interrogate him, to know if there were more people plotted to eliminate her offspring.
When she felt ready enough, with a signal she told the guard to guide her to the prisoner, and when she had him in front, every murderous eagerness she had had dissipated.
The bug in question was a spider, one that looked extremely hurt, he had three of his eight legs bandaged, there were numerous scratches on his body, but the most impressive was his face. His jaw was broken, or at least it looked like that. Swollen and with terrible wounds.
"Uuuug! Nhhnggg nhhnnnggg!" The spider shouted crawling towards the queen until he hit the bars of his cell.
"For Wyrm! This guy looks awful.." Said Hornet disgusted. "You didn't need to left him like that. It was me who was responsible for deciding his punishment!"
"Believe it or not, we have done nothing but heal his wounds. That's how we captured him, that maid of you was the one who left him like that."
"Ania? She did all this!?"
Hornet was admired, she never expected her personal servant to be capable of such a thing, because at first glance she looked like a typical house spider, more accustomed to housework than fighting powerful opponents. But she assumed that in extreme cases, even the weakest of the creatures are able to draw all their power in order to defend their life, or that of their loved ones.
In truth she was very grateful for having her defending her eggs with such fierceness, but her excess of enthusiasm had proved a problem, because now the prisoner with his broken jaw was unable to articulate any word, he could only emit incomprehensible babble. They could not get no useful information from him in an interrogation.
"Is there no way he can talk again?" Hornet asked the guard.
"Well... The truth is that his prognosis is not very promising. Even taking proper care of his wounds may never speak again, and if he does, doctors say he will take a long time to achieve it. For now, his great challenge is to survive, he cannot chew his food, we have to feed him with ground meat.
A chill ran down the back of the crossbreed. Thanks to Ania this guy was already receiving exemplary punishment, she doubted he wanted to damage defenseless eggs again. But beyond his penance, what mattered to her was to have information from the others involved who wanted to see her offspring desd.
"Can he write?" Asked the monarch. "If at least he can communicate something is enough for me."
"The truth he has some difficulties to take utensils and other things. With his wounded legs as he has not even been able to weave, much less will he be able to take a pencil. But... His limbs have a better prognosis, in a couple of weeks he will recover all his mobility and in that sense, he can have a normal life."
"I see..."
"Nnghghg! GGgnnnngngn!" The prisoner waved his bandaged legs by pulling them out through the grid trying to get Hornet's attention, but she only looked at him with contempt and moved away from the cell.
"Don't beg for mercy, because I won't have it with you. You dared to attack my children and I will never forgive you." After that she turned to the guard. "Keep him locked and try to heal him as quickly as possible, I need he to tell me what he knows."
"Nggngngngng! Ggnnnnhhhh!"
Hornet ignored the pleas and supplications of the criminal and turned away from him just by giving him one last angry look. Then she noticed that the bug was making a somewhat strange gesture, he was bringing two of his legs towards his head and pointing to the top of it.
A bug with a hat? Maybe a headband? Hornet thought to herself. Was he trying to betray his organization? She was quite good at interpreting the mimicry, but now she didn't have time for that, she had an extremely important task to accomplish, another day or later she would try to communicate with him.
...........
Hornet arrived at her house immersed in her thoughts, her concentration was so deep that she almost collided with Ania.
"My queen beware!" The servant shouted holding Hornet to prevent her from falling.
"Eh? Ah! I'm sorry Ania, I didn't see where I was going."
"It doesn't matter, I guess you had important things to think about. How did you do with the prisoner? Did you give him the death he deserved?"
"Dead? No, I need to ask him somethings and for that he must be alive, unfortunately he is so hurt that I will not be able to have any information until he recovers. Ania... I really appreciate you giving yourself completely to the protection of my eggs, my gratitude to you is endless, but you definitely exceeded your actions."
"I... I'm sorry, my lady" Ania gave an expression of deep concern and nervousness, almost as if she was scared. This made Hornet immediately soften her expression. "Calm down, I understand your actions, you will not be punished for this."
"Thanks, my lady, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."
For some reason Hornet's words failed to calm the spider and she sith dejected attitude left the queen alone. Hornet just sighed somewhat worried and turned to her rooms.
When she was in front of the door of her room, she began to listen to a song, it was a calm and cheerful tune, sung with a warm and affectionate voice. The spider smiled, it was Quirrel's lullaby, he was surely singing to his little ones.
She opened the door of the room softly and there she found the pill bug, humming that tune while looking affectionately at the eggs that lay well wrapped in a basket. The bug seemed radiant with happiness, it was not for less, it was the first time he could see his little ones, the nest that Hornet had built for them was so dense that he could not cross it. But now that it had been necessary to remove the eggs to move them, he could finally have them in his arms.
"They are ready?" Asked Hornet, interrupting the insect.
"Ah? Yes, we are ready."
"Are they very firm? The trips in stag cannot be said to be very calm, the excess of movement could hurt them, or affect them in some way..."
"Don't worry, I have them very firm and warm in their basket..."
"Do you think they would be cold? Ah! I heard that the archives are a cold and damp place, maybe I should pack extra blankets." Hornet headed for a piece of furniture where she kept some sheets and blankets.
"Hornet, don't worry so much," her husband tried to reassure her. "The archives are no longer what they were. Maybe before they were wet and full of water tanks everywhere, but that was because the place was conditioned to Monomon's requirements and she was a jellyfish. But since I took care of the place I have remodeled it a lot, now it is dry and fresh. The children will be fine there."
"Even so it won't hurt to make sure."
Hornet had already put the blankets in a huge bag where she was storing all the luggage she considered necessary. Quirrel sighed at the prospect of everything he would have to carry, but he couldn't blame her, she was a first-time mother, she was obviously worried about doing things right and was constantly afraid of doing something that would harm her children. Curiously, the pill bug was quite calm about the care of the eggs, as if he already knew what it was to go through that experience, but obviously that was not possible, was it?
He shook his head, frightening that thought from his head. He refused to accept that possibility, he had been told he was married once before Hornet, but no one mentioned that he had children, and if they did not make it, probably it was because there was none. Because they would never hide information like that, right?
He returned to reality and found the huge bag full of blankets and containers with herbs, the latter had medicinal plants ready to heal any health problem that arose. Quirrel had already told Hornet that he had a very complete first aid kit in the archives, but as always Hornet replied that it was better to make sure.
"Well Quirrel, I think this package is something heavy for you, so I will carry it, you carry the eggs. Carefully please!"
The insect blinked flattered, Hornet trusted him enough to let him carry the babies. Many spiders would never allow that, not even the father of their children.
They left the room and headed to the door of the den, where Ania was waiting for them to receive the relevant instructions while the homeowners were outside. However, when the servant spider saw the pill bug carrying the eggs, she became tense and her face showed a horrified expression.
"What happens Ania? Asked Hornet, looking strangely at the maid's attitude."
"E-e-he is carrying the eggs..."
"Yes, I allowed him to do it. Any problem?"
"But he... He... He is not a spider... How.... What if he does something to them?"
"He is their father, he will not harm them and he himself is a very careful person. In addition Quirrel will be the one who will watch the eggs in the next few weeks until they hatch." Ania had a hard time processing these words.
"What!? He taking care of the eggs!? But my lady... Didn't I do a good job? I protected your children at the expense of my safety."
"And I really appreciate it Ania, but for that reason I take them to a safer place, a place where no one will look for them and they will be safe without the need for anyone to take a risk. That way you just have to make sure the house is clean, aren't you happy?"
"Yes but... Where do you take them? Maybe I can go and help a little once in a while..."
"That's a secret, only Quirrel and I know it. For security reasons it is better that way."
"But if it's a secret, I swear that I won't tell anyone.
"It's also for your own safety, Ania," Quirrel said. "If they capture you and decide to interrogate you, it won't be pleasant for you."
"Do you think I would betray my loyalty to the queen revealing her secrets? Never! I am absolutely faithful to her and ..."
"I understand it Ania, sorry I didn't mean to offend you." He hurried to calm her down, but the spider just looked at him indignantly.
"Anyway, don't worry about this, babies will be safe." Hornet resumed the word. "We will bring them back when they are born and at least have the ability to hide or flee. I will return at dusk, please keep everything clean and tidy and buy some blue dye, I want to weave a new blanket of that color. Until later, take care."
The servant spider saw both bugs move away with her precious cargo, and a rage settled in her being. She still couldn't understand why Hornet trusted a creature that it wasn't a spider. How was it possible to let him carry the eggs? She was absolutely loyal, cared for her well-being and served her in all she could, but Hornet never allowed her such an honor. But it didn't matter, she would show her that she was trustworthy, that she deserved his recognition, she would strive to achieve it.
.................................................. ..............................
Ze'mer gracefully dodged the movements of the vessel in front of her. Her speed was still higher than that of the little one, but she could clearly see how he was improving with each training, now avoiding his attacks represented a real challenge and there were few opportunities she had to attack.
Suddenly, the knight in training made a maneuver that was not expected, he did a quick jump in one foot, with this he drove to her with his nail ready to go through her head. The lady was in a position where she had no way of responding on time and was doomed to be killed if nobody did anything, then at the last moment she screamed with all her might.
"Stop!"
As soon as they heard the order, the vessel down his weapon and with a somersault landed away from the knight, then he turned to her and stared at her with an empty expression.
"Mai, mai, le'mer improves day by day, there is little left for the day that is better than che. Che scares, sorry to say" The little one kept looking at her without expression "Although sure to le'mer no matter what Che says. Nahlo nahlo, Che feels pity for the little monster without love created by me'hon king."
"I don't think this creature is pitiful," Clover said, walking towards them.
The knight watched the mantis approach cautiously, she felt some tension in her body, as if she was nervous and alert, also noticed certain wounds on her body, especially one of her claws that was hurt.
"This artificial beast is by far the most perfect thing I've ever seen," Clover continued. "There are no feelings or emotions inside, he is powerful, ruthless and does what he should do without questioning anything. What is a shame, is that his lack of mind prevents him from thinking and acting on his own. But a being like this I would respect him."
"wai le'mer says such horrible things, living without love nahlo."
"Love is just a disease that clouds reason and forces insects to perform stupid actions, is weakness and defeat."
"Love is cooperation and help," Ze'mer challenged. "Many bugs survive by supporting each other."
"Weak. A strong insect does not depend on others and does not let themselves be dominated by their feelings... They does not suffer." She brought her healthy hand to a wound in her torso. "They don't care about the contempt of others.
Ze'mer looked at the mantis with pity understanding the situation of her protégé, then sighed regretfully. This poor girl was very wrong on her way in life, her mind was riddled with ridiculous and useless ideas about what strength was, she needed to learn many things and she would take care of that.
"Che already decided. Che trains Le'mer, Che teaches true meaning of strength.
The mantis felt her heart skip. Was she going to train with one of the great five? One of the strongest knights in the kingdom? Surely that would make her very strong, help her improve her position within the tribe and be respected. If she returned as a powerful warrior nobody would question her long absence, she could say she was training, it was perfect. She looked at the insect with a mixture of gratitude and enthusiasm that moved her a lot.
"Le'mer seems happy," said the knight stroking the mantis's head.
"Don't touch me!" Clover shouted in shame with her red face, although she did not deny that for some reason she had liked this show of affection.
............................................
Big sighed at the thought of those buried memories. At the time when those events occurred, he still did not develop his heart and mind, he was a pure vessel, just as his father had designed him. But all the vessels had a defect of design, they could generate feelings and thoughts after living closely with other beings, so it had been with him, with Hollow and with all his siblings.
Perhaps his first glimpses of emotionality began to develop by observing Zemer's interactions and flirting with her apprentice, it could be said that as the young mantis learned to accept her heart, he began to form his own. And in some strange way, it seemed that history was repeating itself, this time with Orchid and with his brother. Would there be any way for this stubborn Lord mantis to be civilized?
The sound of an object hitting his desk took him out of his thoughts, then when he looked up he found Hollow trying to get his attention with a pencil. When he finally made himself noticed by his brother, he extended a paper that the monarch read with curiosity.
"So... your vacation request, huh?" Big wasn't too surprised, just something worried.
"(Yes, I thought a lot about what I was told that I can't take care of Orchid properly, so I thought about my vacation, in that way I can spend time with her. Besides, it will only be until the end of the month, after that she will leave. Right?)"
"I see... Well... Although I don't think it's all right that you spend your vacations taking care of that creature, I can't stop you". He pulled out his royal seal with which he proceeded to stamp the document. "During your absence, Myla will take your place, however you must be aware that as a Knight of Hallownest you have sworn allegiance to the kingdom, and in case of emergency your presence will be required. Although we are in peacetime, with some luck you can enjoy your vacation without interruptions."
"(I hope so, I don't want to leave Orchid alone)."
Big looked at his brother in an analytical way, Hollow's behavior worried him a lot. It is true that he had a tendency to help all the unfortunates who ran into his path, but he never got so deeply involved with anyone.
"(Is there something wrong, Big?)" Hollow looked at him curiously at the seriousness he showed.
"Well... You always tend to skip your vacation, even when you take them you keep fluttering around the castle and it seems that you have not left. Why is that mantis so important to you as to spend so much time with her?"
Hollow took a few seconds before answering, he had clear ideas, but it was hard to talk about it.
"(Is that she... She...)" He looked down sadly. "(She reminded me of you)"
"Me?" Big the truth could not think what he would have in common with Orchid.
"(Yes... I saw her try to kill herself, I saw her bury a weapon in her body and bleed for it... She reminded me when you were captive for the infection and during our fight you stabbed yourself... At that moment... Orchid's eyes showed as much hopelessness as yours)"
The king was dumb with the impression. Now his brother's motivation was clearer, as far as he knew, that moment of his life was something that haunted him in his nightmares to this day.
"Hollow... Her situation and mine are different, I had an almighty goddess in my head controlling my mind, I was trapped and saw no way out."
"(She is trapped by a network of silly customs and beliefs and sees no way out either. Nothing is more serious than another if she believes otherwise! Hornet already explained to me the mantis' way of thinking, and now I understand her. I want to show her that things are not as she thinks, I want to show her another way of living, so that she never believes that death is the only way out)."
"I hope your efforts are not in vain, and that she does not get into trouble."
"(Don't worry, she is under my care)"
"That's what worries me."
"(Big!)"
"Well, anyway. You can retire, now you have a date with her, right?"
"(It is not a date, it is an outlet to interact with another mantis that went through the same as her)"
"Of course, whatever you say."
Hollow noticed the hidden mockery in his brother's words, so he gave him an annoyed look and left the room. But before closing the door he managed to hear the laughter that Big had been holding.
He closed the door and snorted bothered, letting out an audible groan, Big could sometimes be very annoying, if he wasn't his older brother and the king he seriously...
Hollow could not continue with his mental complaint. Suddenly he noticed that Soul and Izuri were facing him looking at him expectantly, as if they were waiting for the right moment to tell him something.
"(Do you need something?)" Soul immediately handed Hollow a notebook "(And what is that?)."
"(It's the list of my favorite places to eat in the city)."
"(And this is my list of fun places to visit)" Izuri said, extending a folded paper."
"(And what is all that for?)"
"(What is all this for? It's for your date with Orchid!)" SaidIzuri. He applauded showing his illusion "(Sure if you take her to these places this time you can kiss her)."
"(What!?)."
"(A knight knows when to surrender, so I will leave her heart in your hands)" Soul made an exaggeratedly dramatic gesture.
"(This is not a date!)"
"(A sister-in-law mantis will surely be entertaining)" Izuri seemed to ignore Hollow.
"(Maybe later she can introduce myself to one of her sisters)" And Soul did the same.
Hollow looked at them in a murderous way and wanted to "shout" many things, but there was someone who took the lead. Shadow, the 6-horned vessel appeared behind both boys, placed a hand on top of each of them and with a terrible and frightening expression told them.
"(I think someone here needs discipline)."
Izuri and Soul felt a chill run down their backs and as soon as they saw Shadow they ran away terrified. Hollow thanked his brother for the help, but he downplayed him.
"(Those clowns need discipline)". Shadow always disapproves of the childish and playful behavior of his siblings. "(They are always causing trouble around and talking about messes ...)" He look at Hollow with a hard expression "(I hope you don't get into any I don't want to have to save your ass later)."
After saying this he walked away down the hall.
Hollow smiled at this behavior. He knew Shadow, and knew that although he always acted as if they were all a nuisance, he always cared for them and wanted to protect them.
The young knight went to find his own magic board in his room (Big had given him one) and then went to the mantis chambers. Having already learned from previous experiences, he knocked on the door and waited patiently for her to open. When Orchid finally appeared, she looked at him with a stony expression and simply said.
"Let's go."
Hollow sighed overwhelmed, he had never had to deal with such a complicated person.
For the first time in weeks, Orchid was able to leave the White Palace. Guided by Hollow, she realized that wandering around the place was not complicated if she knew where to walk and what secret mechanisms to press to avoid the saws, the bad thing is that enough memory was required for that, and she was not going to learn that at once . She sighed defeated, for now she would still depend on these bugs.
She could try to escape during this outing but they went to a place she didn't know, she would be lost and the idea of asking for directions embarrassed her. However, she soon forgot the idea of escape, because other things grabbed her attention.
The first time she arrived at the White Palace she could not fully appreciate it because her circumstances were very precarious, she was dizzy from anemia and too overwhelmed by everything that had just happened to see where he was walking. She managed to distinguish an impressive construction that left her astonished. But now she had the time to contemplate the details, the ornaments, the sculptures, each brick of that castle was a piece of art. She entertained several minutes in that.
Hollow noticed that the mantis posture looked somewhat more humble. Sure she was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the construction, if she even looked more relaxed. He wanted to get her attention and put his hand on her back. As soon as she felt Hollow's touch, the mantis immediately reacted violently by throwing her claws towards the knight, he of course blocked the blow with ease.
"Don't touch me". The insect hissed.
Hollow nodded calmly and they both separated. After that they walked towards the stag station. Hollow was meditating on his actions and intending to be more careful with Orchid, while she was trying to hide the fiery fantasies that had arisen in her mind. How she hated being in heat, everything made her think about "that", especially Hollow. He had a nice, soft and warm touch, she would really like to be caressed by him.
At least all of her lustful thoughts vanished when she climbed into the stag.
Orchid's curiosity then took control of her mind. When they went to the palace the first time, they also rode a stag, but at that time she didn't payed attention to it, now she could analyze the creature in detail.
He had beautiful horns and strong legs, in addition to bright and curious eyes. He was a magnificent being, surely hunting one of these would be an experience. Yes, knowing this being, the first thing she thought about was his potential as a dam, but when she saw how tame he was and his use as a transport she changed her mind. In reality they were much better alive than dead. If there were one in the tribe they could use him to carry heavy prey instead of having to go a large group of mantis for that purpose.
Of course, she thought that would be unfeasible, in the tribe they would never want a weak being, even if they were useful. It was a shame. During the trip to the City of Tears, the mantis thought a lot about how she could convince her sisters to admit a stag into the territory, and then she ended up angry with herself. How did she think of such madness? Were these damn bugs polluting her mind?
The stag trip ended before Orchid realized. Hollow got off the bug first and then offered a hand to help her down. Of course Orchid rejected him, this time not to despise his gesture, but because she was afraid of being stimulated again by his touch. At least Hollow took it with philosophy and just sighed.
Finally they arrived at the City of Tears and Orchid was speechless at what she saw.
It was a huge city, the largest insect settlement she had ever seen, she couldn't believe it. It was hundreds of buildings made of stone and metal, not as beautiful as the white palace, but still impressive. However, the most incredible of all was the eternal rain. Now she understood where the name came from.
She stayed for several minutes under the water feeling the drops fall through her body, she was overwhelmed, she never imagined that there were wonders like this in the world, and for the first time she felt grateful to have abandoned her little piece of world in Fungal Wastes.
A metallic noise pulled her out of her trance and she noticed that Hollow had hit the floor with his nail to get her attention. The vessel indicated with a gesture to follow him and she obeyed.
Both went into the busy streets of the city without noticing that someone was following them.
"(Seriously, I don't know how you convinced me to do this stupidity)" Shadow said.
"(We didn't convince you of anything)" Izuri replied "(You wanted to come)"
"(Obviously I was coming, you pair of idiots sure get in trouble)"
"(You always think the worst of us)" Soul complained "(We're just going to make sure Hollow's date is a success)"
"(With you two, I Ionly omen disaster)"