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Amongst the Deep Ones

My vision went dark. And it remained dim. Even when I felt my eyes open, the lighting around me was...dull. The sound of flowing water reached my ears. Was i awake or not? I felt aware. Too aware to be merely dreaming. Where was I?

The slightest movement of my body told me I was not merely in my boxers. The familiar feeling of a suit of plate armor was all over me. My armor coated my body, helmet and shield at my side. It appeared that I had fallen asleep on a sturdy iron bench after...wandering from wherever I had been up until that point. And when I looked around myself... "Uh... This is already a bit too surreal."

It appeared that I had ended up in some cave. And towards one side of that vast rocky room was... How do I put this? Great stone sculptures of pale white that resembled almost ghostly faces and domed heads with gaping mouths and round eyes. Spooky, yet strangely charming. And from those mouths was water spilling forth. It was pooling into a recess in front of the bench I was on to create a shallow pond. The excess was spilling out into a path that flowed under the cave wall. That almost milky color and the steam rising that filled the air with noticeable humidity... "Hot springs? Huh... And they had some sort of folk stone art built around them."

Only then did I rise to my feet. It appeared my dreaming mind had set me inside some sort of cozy oasis. In a cave...in the middle of nowhere. But if I was so aware that I could even hear myself speak... I was not alone. I tilted my head back to gaze up at nothing in particular. "Hello? Luna? Nightmare Moon?"

"Is my presence that obvious?" I heard a whimsical chuckle in my head. It was a voice belonging to my beloved Princess of Dreams. I cracked a smirk at just how quickly I was able to deduce that I was not the only living breathing person there at the time. Nightmare Moon then explained, "Yes, it is I. Something about the ripples coming from your dreaming mind felt...familiar. And intriguing. So I ventured forth to join you and observe. Do you recognize this place you are in?"

I looked around at my surroundings one more time. I really did try to recall where I had seen such a place before. And nothing came to mind. "Not at all. I mean...those big domed horned head figures back there? I guess I am getting some sense of familiarity, but...I can't really put my finger on what they remind me of. You think I'm in danger down here?"

"Hmmm... Where you are now? No, not at all. That hot spring... It seems to be a true oasis where you are. You shall be safe so long as you remain there. As for what lies outside of that cave..." Nightmare Moon replied before falling silent. I could only imagine how far she could see from her lofty position at the edge of my dream. She then began to speak with an ominous stern tone. "Danger... Great danger lies beyond the exits. I know not where you dreams have taken you tonight, but proceed with great caution. Keep your blade ready at all times. I will observe and witness as usual, but call for me if you need me."

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll try to not rely on you too much." I replied as Nightmare Moon went silent. I then stood up and placed my helmet back on my head with its intangible plume flowing from the rear. And with the Lunar Shield clasped to my left arm, I surveyed my location again. There were two exits at opposite ends of the cave. And nothing but pitch black beyond them. With no knowledge of where to go, I turned to the exit that was just to my left. "Might as well."

Despite Nightmare Moon's warnings, I felt it wiser to keep the Celestial Sword sheathed for the moment. Simply because that brilliant white glow would give my location away to any threats. Although in hindsight, any predatory beasts who reside in cave systems where no natural light reaches would be able to detect me anyway. There even seemed to be a crude sign set near the exit that pointed to...something. A simple scrawling with a white paint substance. It did not appear to be a message. Just a symbol or shape.

I carried on into the dark. Further and further until I could no longer see the cave walls around me. Only the gentle ambient light of that hot spring chamber remained far behind me so I could find my way back to it. But I also felt something reaching my ears. A rumbling sensation. And then powerful vibrations began to rattle my armor as my eyes widened. I froze. It was very close. It sounded like...very large and powerful beasts were tunneling their way through stone tunnels that I would probably have to rush through to not get run down. And I could not even see them. Whether they were carnivores or just migratory beasts, my gut instinct was telling me to not test my luck with a possible stampede in the tunnels. "Yeeeeeah.... Not this way. I'm not going this way."

I promptly turned around and began to head back the way I came without even bothered to investigate my surroundings. Whatever was around me sounded way too big and too rugged for me to deal with on short notice. At least the gentle glow of the hot spring room served as a beacon. But once I finally entered that chamber again, I found that someone had arrived in the few minutes I had been gone. The newcomer was now lounging in the hot spring with the water up past their waist. And almost...insectoid creature with a flat white hat set atop his head. And once his round white mouthless face turned to look at me, we just stared at each other. He appeared to be just as puzzled as I was over stumbling across another living soul in that cave. His voice reached my ears. A voice that felt...familiar. "Have we met?"

His form. That hat atop his head that looked like a repurposed mask. And that...strange sword he had left propped up by the bench nearby. It all started to come back to me. I looked at those great white stone sculptures at the hot spring's source. And then back at the stranger before me. I snorted as a paused smirk spread across my lips. "I guess that explains where I am."

"Ah, now I recall! It's you! Sir James! You do remember me, right? Quirrel? When we met at the Black Egg Temple?" The lounging bug replied as he waved at me. We had only met once before, but he had proven himself to be a memorable person. And at least there was one friendly face down there in the bowels of the earth.

"Yeah... Yeah, I do. Good to see you, Quirrel. And I guess I've found my way back to...what do you call this region again? Hallownest?" I asked while approaching my guest. He looked just the way I remembered him. And he looked very comfortable there in the steamy pool of milky white water.

"Yes, we are still in Hallownest, my friend. Although...probably in the deepest bowels on the fringe of the kingdom. I'm not so certain this location was ever properly annexed. Almost no signs of civilization everywhere I wander. Just hungry beasts, some of which even managed to get a few blows in on me. I was fortunate I stumbled upon this hot spring. I'm feeling better already." Quirrel replied as he examined his arm. Was he supposed to have suffered a wound there? I saw no signs of damage at all.

Was it possible that the hot spring carried some sort of enchantment in its waters? I felt too curious to be on my way just yet. So I asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Quirrel all too happily beckoned me in. "Oh, by all means! The to springs of Hallownest are few and far between. You should always savor an opportunity to enjoy them."

And so I did. I once again set aside my helmet and gear on the bench nearby before finding a small recess in the floor where I could let my armor's liquid form pool in safely. But when I cast the spell needed to melt my armor off of me, Quirrel understandably stared in bewilderment. "Your armor...melts?"

"Yeah, that's perfectly normal for it. Gets it off nice and quick and even removes any damage from it." I explained as I stood as bare as I was in bed at that very moment. I stepped into the delightfully warm pool of water and tried to find the deepest spot to take a seat in. "Whoa... This...isn't just a hot spring, is it? I feel...good. More than good. Is this normal?"

Quirrel was all too happy to chat me up now that we were situated and comfortable in that little safe zone. "No one really knows why, but the hot springs of Hallownest seem to carry special properties. The water here does more than soothe. It possesses miraculous healing properties. Be sure to be mindful of their locations. They may save your life one day."

I still had to wonder how Hallownest even came to be in my dreams. I know that spending too much time watching that beehive in Gladesong's nursery surely caused my imagination to run wild, but what prompted my return to that literal tiny kingdom of insects? I could still remember... Oh how I could still remember what a harrowing first impression it left on me. "Quirrel... Has anything changed? The plague... Is it truly gone? What's happened since we parted ways?"

My friend's frozen white face gazed at me from under his improvised hat. And he spoke with a less jovial tone as he said, "I think...it really has disappeared, yes. The beasts of Hallownest seem...more passive than when I first arrived. They aren't always out to get me. And when I do have to draw my nail to defend myself, they no longer bleed a glowing orange. They now bleed white. As any bug should."

"Then it's true. I... We really did destroy the plague's source." I muttered in some somber relief. I will never forget that clash in that lofty realm of golden clouds. That mad goddess of light... And them at my side. A friend who I lost far too soon after our first meeting. The Hollow Knight. Together, we vanquished the plague. And it sounded like Hallownest had finally been freed from the apocalypse that claimed it. But even then... What was left to save by then? "But this land... Was there anyone left to save?"

"There... There was. It is small, but...I have seen signs of healing. I have passed by wanderers in my travels. They are always lost and uncertain. Some even sound like they've...been asleep for years and only just woke up. But...I've seen so many of the dead littering the roads as well. Perhaps those I passed were the lucky few. The ones claimed by the plague who were not too far gone by the time it left them." Quirrel replied in somber contemplation. I could only imagine what he had seen since we last met. Had that kingdom of Hallownest continued on without me? A story being told in the back of my mind without my knowledge? Perhaps dreams truly are just another reality...

I once again looked upon Quirrel. Or more specifically, I gazed upon his hat. That mask... It matched one of the three markings on the barrier that sealed the tomb of the infected Hollow Knight. I remembered our parting words to each other. "Did you ever find who you were looking for?"

Quirrel let out a wistful sigh as he leaned back in his spot. He gazed at the cave's ceiling and spoke, "No. Not yet. Ever since we parted ways, I have been trying to retrace the steps I just...can't recall. All I remember is the name. Monomon. As for where they are or who they are... It's all a blur. Perhaps when I find them, they will have the answers. About why I was called back here. What I was ever doing in Hallownest before...the memories disappeared. I am sure that Hallownest was once my home... I just can't recall my time here yet."

"You'll find them. Just be sure to take care of yourself out there." I replied while starting to smile with some confidence. Quirrel was a far more capable swordsman than he seemed. If he could hold his own against even the Hollow Knight, then there were few out there that could best him in a duel. Quirrel's skills with a blade would insure his survival on his way back home.

My friend then let out an unexpected chuckle as he looked at me with his round black eyes narrowing in amusement. "I certainly hope so. Especially since I've taken quite the wrong turn! Right now, I'm just trying to find my way out of this blasted cave. I'm very certain I won't find what I'm looking for down here."

I felt it was the wrong time to ask much about what Quirrel had seen or where he had wandered since we last crossed paths. I would not be able to process anything while knowing nothing about Hallownest. I would need to see everything with my own eyes before I could understand. After a while longer of soaking in that hot spring, I finally stood up. My time there was finite and I did not want to waste it all in one spot. "It was good seeing you, Quirrel. Anyway, I really should be on my way. I can't spend all day here."

"Likewise, my friend. I hope we meet again somewhere down the road. I'll just be here a little longer. Just want to make sure I'm in prime form before I head back out into the darkness. Goodness knows what else is waiting for me out there." Quirrel replied while watching me step out of the spring. He was especially attentive when I set foot back into my armor's liquid mass and watched it crawl over me before solidifying. "Fascinating..."

"Yep. You have to see this in action to believe it. Anyway, you take care of yourself, Quirrel. Let's meet up again sometime." I replied before fetching the rest of my gear and heading out through the only other exit to that chamber. And I made certain to have the Celestial Sword in hand that time.

The further I walked through that rocky corridor, the brighter the Celestial Sword's pure white blade glowed to illuminate my surroundings. And it was only when I stopped walking that I realized exactly what kind of environment I was in. The sound of flowing water no longer reached my ears. I was in a cave. Granted, the entirety of Hallownest was already in a subterranean location, but that cave system was a new level dark and deep. And I did not like it.

It was quiet. Hauntingly quiet. At least for a moment. I heard the faint skittering of small beasts. along the distant walls. What impressed me was just how wide the cave began to open up. There were some narrow corridors, but the cave had rather expansive areas even if the ceiling remained low. And along many of the walls were more of those strange bulbous forms I recognized. Like the fossilized remains of isopods. There were even vines lined with bioluminescent growths that cast a modest amount of light in some sections of the cave. But in the end, I had to rely greatly on the light of the Celestial Sword to navigate. And...there was no one there.

I remembered the town of Dirtmouth up on the surface. And the dilapidated tunnels just below where I first encountered the reanimated dead piloted by the will of a mad light goddess. That area looked like it had once been a place where much commerce occurred. The cave I was in was entirely untamed. No signs of architecture to be seen. And perhaps I should have considered myself fortunate that I had not encountered another living being at the time. I glanced back in the direction I came from as I muttered, "Why would you even come down here, Quirrel? What were you expecting to find?"

I did not get far before I found what surely must have been the results of the scuffle Quirrel had mention. Several slain creatures smeared in white viscous fluid littered the floor and walls of a narrower path of the caves. Stabbed or cleaved by a blade, Quirrel must have given them quite the fight. Their shells were pale and their bodies long and very low to the ground. They brought to mind longer isopods with sets of short mandibles at the front. Against such numbers and in such tight quarters... "Quirrel came through here. And this white fluid... Their blood?"

My observations brought the faintest smile to my lips. I still recall encountering an aggressive flying insect in the tunnels near the surface. And it bled glowing orange blood when I cut it down. But for these creatures to now be bleeding white... It was true. "The plague really is gone now... That's at least some good news."

Even if I was in a location where no civilization could be found, both bug and beast suffered at the hands of the plague equally. Even with barely a mind to think with, what was it like for those lowly beasts having to suffer with the plague infesting their bodies? But as I began to step away, my mind was drawn to another source of my attention. My footing gave on one spot of the cave floor as I stumbled. What had I tripped over? Loose soil?

I looked back and found that there was something off about the spot I had just stepped on. The ground was firmly and rocky, but not quite solid stone. And it looked like something had burrowed out of the ground with the tunnel quickly collapsing in on itself. Ad there was more than one. Several disturbed spots of rocky soil were around where Quirrel had to fight for his life. Those creatures... Did they try to come at him from below? And there were so many... "Burrowers... Better stay alert."

There had to have been more where that came from. I continued on while being very mindful of any sounds echoing through the cave that was not coming from my own armored body. The skittering... The screeching... I was in a place I did not belong. While I did know how to handle myself in a confrontation by then, being alone in a dangerous and unfamiliar location was not kind to my nerves. I began to regret not asking Quirrel to accompany me.

I came to a stop in another larger cave chamber and scanned my surroundings. I was hoping to see something that stood out. Something that clashed with the cold dark surroundings of that stone chamber deep in the earth. A fluttering red cloak? The shine of my blade's light reflecting off the blade of a wandering explorer? But no. I was truly alone. Who in their right mind would even come down so far? Besides Quirrel, of course. His was a particularly potent wanderlust. And he had skill in the use of a sword... Or nail. Hallownest and its bizarre terminologies...

All I had to fight off my own apprehension was my curiosity. And so I continued on. The path narrowed again. And that was when it happened. I heard the rumbling of gravel. And then a hiss. At the first sign of something bursting out of the ground before me, I swung my blade down and cleaved it neatly through the creature's head in a splash of white. Another one of those burrowing bugs. I felt relieved at first after cutting one down before it even knew what it was up against. Only to suddenly remember how many Quirrel had to fight off. "Wait... These things hunt in packs!"

Sure enough, another hissing burrower started to emerge from behind me. With took little space to swing my sword around, I quickly turned and stomped my right foot onto its emerging head. This resulted in an even messier result as I crushed it with its white blood splattering out of its ruined carapace. I was genuinely left stunned by how hard I stomped on that thing. At least until I realized just made the armor over my legs actually does. "Oh right, I've basically got the strength of an earth pony stallion's hindquarters in each leg. Is this what happens when Big Macintosh stomps on a cockroach?"

I barely had enough time to finish that sentence before rumbling and hissing reached my ears again. And I was quick to introduce the next burrower to the underside of my sabaton. One by one, I quickly stomped every burrower that came out of the ground like a demented game of Whac-A-Mole. I was even starting to have fun! "And another one down, and another one down! And another one bites the dust!"

It was fortunate that those burrowers only attacked one after the other. Perhaps they resorted to a type of mindset to let the target think they were out of danger before surprising them with another ambush from below. I got into such a rhythm with my stomps that I ended up turning and stomping a completely undisturbed patch of soil in anticipation for another burrower. Except there was none. I had squished my assailants down tot he last beast. But goodness knows how many other swarms of them were still in those caves.

What a mess. I could not believe the managed insect corpses all around me half buried in the earth. Maybe some scavenger of a beast would come along and feast on their bodies. Although I then looked down and was disgusted to find my armored boots coated in a sticky layer of white insect blood. "Oh god, I didn't consider that... Where's a stream I can wash these off in?"

I was lucky to find one such stream flowing through that cave eventually. It even had a spot where the water pooled deep enough for me to splash my feet around in. And there was no signs of more burrowers. But I was still trapped in a land of death. And I was provided with a reminder in the form of corpses of not beasts, but what had once been people of Hallownest.

My trek came to a stop. Curled up against the side of another narrow passage were what seemed to be common bugs. And despite their bodies being intact, they were clearly long dead. They looked just like the ones I had found littering the roads much closer to the surface. No signs of weapons or tools at their sides... They must have fled the plague deeper underground in the hopes it would not spread there. I sighed in pity. That cave system was a place no one deserved to die in.

There was nothing I could do but continue on. The least I could do was not disturb the dead. But then... That sound. Not from below, but...behind. Some sort of stirring... I looked back and pointed the Celestial Sword ahead to focus its glow directly ahead. I saw the corpses again. And then...one of them began to move. One with a simple domed head and almost oval body. Wiggling as if something was nudging the body around. My body tensed up as I watched and waited. What fiendish phenomenon was I seeing?

It all happened so suddenly. In less than a second, the body of the bug before me rose from the ground of several spindly legs that burst out of its side. Several curved spikes even burst from its abdomen. Some sort of parasite infesting the corpse?! With a hiss, it began to scuttle towards with shocking speed.

"Oh hell no!" I turned and fled. Rushing down the corridor ahead as swiftly as a stallion. That beast's disturbing reveal had stunned me too much to try and fight back. All I cared about was getting some distance between us. The skittering sounds became more distant, but I was forced to come to a sliding stop as the area ahead of me expanded. I had made a wrong turn as a ghastly sight spread out before me. The floor was gone. And filling the crevasse before me was a sea of spiny and ravenous...worms. They thankfully showed no interest in crawling out of the pit, but I dare not find out what would happen if I fell in.

That skittering sound... It began to draw closer. That parasite was eager to get to me and would pursue me to the ends of the cave. I had to think quickly. There were some rocky spires that could serve as footholds rising out of that sea of spiny worms. And I am sure many bugs were springy and agile enough to hop from one to the other to reach the exit to that chamber at the other side. The only way out was higher up too. I could simply fly to it, but...the area was so cramped! If I were to try and launch myself through the air, my armor's wings might hit the ceiling or get snagged on a stalactite and send me falling into... My skin crawled as I pondered what that sea of ravenous worms would do to me.

The parasite was getting closer. And so I had to focus. The only safe way across for me was the teleportation spell. With my eyes focused on my destination and that anxiety-inducing skittering right behind me, I suddenly appeared atop the cliff ahead of me. And I had just enough time to look back and see the parasite fail to stop in time and fall right into that sea of worms. I winced at the sight. It flailed and screeched as I saw some of the worms reveal round mouths lined with fangs that took hold of their next meal and dragged it down into that writhing lake of fangs and spines. It was gone. Dragged down into oblivion. I took a deep breath to soothe my nerves before letting out a sigh of unease and irritation. "I don't like this place."

My trek continued and was mercifully uneventful for a time. No burrowing predators burst from the ground. But I did find more bodies of the deceased. How did ordinary citizens of Hallownest get that deep into that cave system? Were they armed at one point and just got lucky? But when considering the possibility that they might also contain parasites ready to jump me the instant I turned my back...

It was a chance I did not want to take. With every corpse I found littering the cave, I made certain to impale the blade of the Celestial Sword through it. I hated having to do that and even apologized to every corpse I stabbed, but that was not a fright I wanted to experience twice. Not when I was alone with no one to watch my back. And before much longer, I noticed a change in the larger chambers I wandered through. Towering pillars of shimmering white. Towers and banners...of silk.

My eyes widened as I saw the Celestial Sword's glow illuminate one such banner of white. Countless threads reaching from floor to ceiling... Spider silk. But there was thankfully no signs of webs. Nothing that would catch me. Was that why I was not finding any of those burrowers anymore? Was I wandering into new territory they knew to stay away from?

I quickly looked all around with my sword pointing in every direction. But there were no spiders to be seen. Was it because...the plague had claimed them all? Was that location the home of some tribe of spiders that ended up being wiped out by the plague? The air around me began to feel less ominous and more somber. It was just like those tunnels again. "The plague spared no one..."

All I could do was wander on. But I never completely relaxed. There had to be more than just those burrowers and corpse puppeteers. But as I wandered down another narrower corridor, a new sound reached my ears. A very light skittering of sorts. Something with a very soft step. And...it was coming from ahead? And...from above?

I froze and watched. And something began to enter the glow of the Celestial Sword from the shadows. Something...or someone walking along the rocky ceiling. A round white body with a single line dividing its head down the middle. It had three black featureless eyes like any bug stacked in three rows. It scuttled along on six black spindly legs. Once the round spider creature came close enough to see me past the glow of my sword, they stopped. And they just...stared down at me while I stared right back. Those wide eyes... Almost appearing like they were perpetually locked into a scowl. They held intelligence. And curiosity. That bug was not like the rest. It held sentience. And they looked like they had no idea what to make of me as I saw their six eyes blink twice. Seeing that the creature before me was likely not going to attack me, I tried to break the silence. "Uh...hello."

The round white spider spoke with a young masculine voice as he seemed to tilt himself to one side. "Hm. A particularly strange stranger comes. What brings you down into Deepnest?"

"Deepnest? Sounds...fitting. And I wish I could say how I got here, but I don't really have an answer. I awoke...and found myself at the hot springs nearby." I replied while glad to have found a friendly face in such dangerous territories. Or was that spider friendly at all? After all, spiders are cunning. And they are carnivorous. For all I know, that one stray spider was sizing me up as a potential meal.

"The hot springs? Few of us Weavers ever venture that far from our lair. The Dirtcarvers are relentless. Even here, we have taken to remaining on the walls and ceilings out of habit. Can't be too sure with what lurks below." The spider replied. Or rather the Weaver. No wonder he was clinging to the ceiling instead of the floor. Those burrowers would not be... Wait. Dirtcarvers, he called them?

It was only then that I processed what I was seeing. A living breathing person in the dead kingdom of Hallownest. Or at the very least someone living in the untamed caverns at the edge of the kingdom. Someone who had survived the plague. I asked with hope in my eyes, "Wait... You're alive. And you're not infected. So the plague really is gone now?"

The six eyes on the Weaver opened wider at the mention of what unleashed an apocalypse on Hallownest. "Yes, I am well. I mean...I can barely believe that it truly ended. My brethren and I... We all fell to the plague. Some of us Weavers were fortunate enough to leave Deepnest and return home to escape infection, but the rest of us... It was like a dream that never ended. Just...the light... But then the light faded and we awoke. Or at least...some of us did. The rest...never awoke. And now they sleep. Forever...among the dead."

I could see the somber realization in the Weaver's six eyes. And in his softening voice. I was glad to see that there were survivors, but it sounded like many did not escape the more lethal effects of the infection. "I'm sorry... The fact that there was anyone left to save at all... Wait. You say Weavers aren't even native to Hallownest? You...migrated here?"

The change in subject was a welcome distraction to the Weaver. His eyes widened as he said, "Yes, although I was born well after my predecessors arrived. From what I was told, we Weavers hail from a distant kingdom. The land of Pharloom. I wonder if it is as grand as Hallownest was in its prime..."

Another kingdom? I smirked to myself in amusement. What was my overactive imagination doing to come up with such a tale in my own head? And with all those creepy crawly creatures... I suppose watching all those insects out in that tropical forest was not the smartest thing I could have done the previous afternoon. The Weaver then said, "I could not follow them when they departed. Deepnest has always been my home. And I am relieved to see it still stands. Even if...emptier than it once was."

"Take your time. Heal first and then start putting things back together. There's no easy recovery from an apocalypse." I replied with the Weaver even appearing surprised by my tone. As if he was not aware of my own involvement in the destruction of that blinding plague. I then began to step past him as I said, "Anyway, I really need to get back to finding my way out of here. Take care."

"You will not find the path to the surface if you stay along this trail, stranger. But you will find the Stagway at the far end of the caves. Seek out the village of my people and you should be able to call upon a stag to take you where you need to be... Assuming any stags survived the plague, of course." The Weaver spoke while prompting me to look back at him atop the ceiling. A stag? Perhaps some sort of beast of burden used in transportation? My curiosity was piqued. Now I had some sort of destination to focus on.

"Find the Stagway. Got it." I retorted before continuing on down the path ahead. A village of Weavers... At least there was civil folk somewhere in the caves of Deepnest. Perhaps I would even be safer there as well with fewer wild beasts waiting for a chance to jump me.

I thought I heard the Weaver mutter to himself as I clanked away in my sabatons. Only for him to suddenly call out to me from the edge of the Celestial Sword's light. "Wait! Sir knight! Aren't you the one who..."

I do not recall what he said next since something underfoot drew my attention away. Just as I started to turn around, the floor itself gave out from under me! I had stepped onto a section of floor where erosion had worn out a deep chasm under it. With me being surely much heavier than most bugs skittering about Deepnest, I was sent tumbling down the shaft along a set of sharp inclines. I managed to stay upright with loose earth and gravel carrying me down the slopes like a landslide. Such a narrow path prevented me from using my wings to fly and that chasm soon let out into a large cave chamber before I landed surprisingly lightly on my feet. And it was a rather long drop too. I remained still in a hunched position as I processed everything that had just happened. And how lightly I had landed. "Huh. I guess I must be a lot lighter now that I'm literally the size of a bug down here."

It was very easy to forget that I was much smaller than I used to be while in Hallownest. The creatures around me were not giant bugs. I was just a very tiny human. And the laws of physics still applied. But now that I was still and safe, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. The place was quiet... Too quiet. But I also saw sings of Weavers. More thick bundles of silk reaching from floor to ceiling. Probably as a means for Weavers to climb to the ceiling without having to find a wall first. But...there were no Weavers around me. And the silence... It carried a tragic emptiness to it. Not the silence of lurking danger, but the silence of lack of life. I was alone. Because so many of the Weavers had perished to the plague. "So many dead and gone... No one left down here. Anyone still alive is probably closer to the safety."

With only the glow of my sword to guide me, I just...picked a path and followed it. I found no corpses of Weavers. The local wildlife had probably devoured them over time. That was when I came to a startling realization. The lack of any civilization in the area would mean I would surely find more of those burrowing Dirtcarvers. I stepped lightly and listening closely for the sound of the rocky earth being disturbed.

And yet nothing came. No matter where I wandered, I was not disturbed. For that location to be devoid of both the civilized Weavers and even wild beasts... I began to feeling a growing tension in my heart. If the Weavers were gone, then the local wildlife would have reclaimed their territory. But for them to still be gone... The wildlife in that area were avoiding that location by choice. Something there...was enough of a deterrent for even the relentless Dirtcarvers to stay away.

What other horrors in the depths of Deepnest had I yet to find? I would not know until I found it and the only way I would reach my destination was to wander. I found that even very long roots growing deep into the earth would line the walls. And as I passed one cluster of roots, I suddenly paused and turned back. I swear I had seen something just out of the corner of my eye. Retracing my steps revealed that the roots had pried open a narrow gap in a thin cave wall. And there standing in the distance beyond it while bathed in the gentle pale glow of more bioluminescent flora... "Hornet."

There was no mistaking it. That red cloak combined with the longer curved horned shape of her white head were very eye-catching. That fierce yet noble sentinel was standing out there over a ledge where the tunnel went deeper into the depths. But why was she even down there? We must have been so very far from where we last crossed paths. Although it was not that surprising to see her there. Hornet was fierce and extremely mobile. She would have no trouble traversing the twisting caves of Deepnest and could handle herself against the local beasts. Was her presence what was keeping away the beasts?

After a moment of careful observation, I shook my head. No. Hornet was the kind of creature the Dirtcarvers would try to make a meal out of. She looked nowhere near insurmountable enough to give off such an overwhelming presence. Rather than call out to her through the gap in the wall, I decided to try and catch up to her. It would be best to be quiet and discreet. Although I found that the path soon became a vertical one. A towering chasm that someone like Hornet would have no trouble getting through. With a grumble, I resorted to using levitation to lift myself up to the top of the path. "Never before have these wings been so useless... Using levitation on yourself is always so awkward to cast..."

I only had to take a few steps before dropping down another chasm. But when I reached the other side of that gap in the wall, I found that Hornet was already gone. And she had whisked herself away so silently too. I grunted in annoyance. I was in no mood to chase down a familiar face, but I may as well follow her.

A pattern started to occur. I would catch sight of Hornet ahead on the path where I could not directly reach her. And after catching up to that spot in a manner that required me to lose sight of her, she would already be gone by the time I arrive. A good shout would surely reach her ears, but it would also alert lord knows whatever else was down there. And it was quiet... Not the slightest sign of life. Nothing dared enter that area. "This is dangerous... I should turn back. But Hornet..."

I began to ponder why Hornet would even venture into a corner of Deepnest that even the most fearless of beasts would not approach. She was capable, I knew that much. Her entire style in combat focused on doing more with less. And she was fierce. I had to wonder if she was even capable of feeling fear. But I would hesitate to say she had ever shown signs of pure foolishness. My curiosity won out against my caution and I continued down the tunnels to try and catch up to Hallownest's sentinel.

After hopping down a few ledges into another tunnel with a low ceiling, I finally discovered signs of what was keeping away the local beasts. Corpses. Body after body of simple bugs who must have been brave or foolish enough to have gotten that far down into the bowels of Deepnest. And...there were so many. Lining the walls with their limbs curled inward. Almost untouched by time. I readied my sword to stab the first just to be sure that there was no parasite inside ready to come at me... At least until I suddenly realized what I had not found down there. If the Dirtcarvers would not come near that area, then even those parasites would not dare approach either. Those corpses had been prey to a different beast. One even they feared.

The sheer quantity of Hallownest's deceased gave me reason to pause. But then something began to appear across my vision. Glowing...dreamcatcher shapes. Just like back in the tunnels near the surface. And then I remembered. When I used the magic in my left gauntlet. Luna's dream magic... There was something strange about Hallownest. A world with unusual properties that reacted in odd ways to Luna's magic. And it was through that magic that I could hear the thoughts of the voiceless Hollow Knight. "I wonder... What did you all see down here?"

I began to channel Luna's magic through my left hand as her blue magic aura billowed around it. The dream catcher sigils guided me and were constant around the insect corpses I found. I heard whispers... Words that all carried a familiar desire. Every last one of the corpses I passed whispered memories of having found or met someone. Family. Friends. Lovers. Some of them even expressed surprised over having found someone dear to them that had even died before that point. They had all spent their final moments catching up to someone they held dear. Only for their lives to be abruptly cut short. No gasps of terror or pain. Their deaths had all come quickly. In the same situation...

A child flowed through my heart. Something truly fiendish was down there in the depths of Deepnest. Something the local wildlife had learned to avoid. Something evil. Someone or something had used some form of deception to lure those poor fools down into its lair so it could prey upon them. And that was why Hornet was there. She had learned of its presence and was venturing into the lair to destroy the beast.

It all made sense to me by then. Hornet may have been fierce and cold, but she was also righteous. A guardian of Hallownest, it would be just like her to seek out and destroy evil in her homeland. With the plague gone, it was likely safer for her to go on the hunt. And yet...

I set my sights upon the path ahead with only pure darkness beyond the edge of the Celestial Sword's glow. My eyes narrowed as I debated my next course of action. I would hesitate to call Hornet a friend. There was no way I could forget her obsessive desire to murder me when we first crossed paths. Even after that misunderstanding was cleared up, Hornet always felt...cold. Uncomfortably so. I do not believe I have ever met a woman as icy as her. We did part ways on good terms, but still...

It would be wrong of me to leave Hornet to face that beast alone. She and I were both knights of our respective kingdoms. I had to commend her for that. With my mind made up, I steeled my nerves and continued down the winding cave path. Like Hornet, I could not ignore whatever evil had preyed upon the unlucky fools who had blundered into a death trap. It had to die.

The corpses soon stopped appearing on the path. A long stretch of a cave tunnel stood before me. This was it. The lair of the beast was just ahead. And the tension was starting to get to me. What horrors were ahead? And...why was it so silent? Hornet had surely reached the beast by then. Why did I not hear her battle cries and the sounds of a fierce battle raging on? Did... Did it get her too?

I hastened my pace while listening for any sounds that did not come from myself. And one such sound did. Something behind me that made me jump and promptly turn around with my sword raised. A gate of sorts had come down. As if I had stumbled through a tripwire. It was black and made of a hardened black substance. A trap made by the beast? But I was not fazed. "Oh please."

A few swings of my sword reduced the gate to rubble. It would have surely been a hard substance for most blades to chip away at, but there are few things the Celestial Sword cannot cut. And the cycle repeated. Two more such makeshift gates came down behind me and completely sealed off my only means of escape. Only for me to chop them to pieces right afterward. But...

My heart jumped into my throat. If those barricades were being erected due to my presence and not Hornet's... I was making a mistake. I was setting off her tripwire traps. Hornet had already displayed her ability to set up such traps with her own threads in our first scuffle. She had been the one to set up those barriers and I was ruining her work. They had not been tripped when she came through because she had been the one to set them in the first place.

For Hornet to set those traps as a means to seal off the only way out... She was making certain her enemy would not have a means to escape before she was done with it. She was so recklessly set on putting an end to the beast in that lair that she would risk trapping herself inside with it until one of them perished. Had I just allowed the beast to escape? I continued on down the path as I saw the end of the tunnel starting to open out into a vast chamber. And one last gate did drop down behind me. I did not disturb that one. And when I stepped out into that silent empty chamber, I was greeted by a ghastly sight. "Oh man... How many did it claim?"

The beast's victims were not littering the floor. They were instead strung up by the cave ceiling with black vines. I saw Dirtcarvers tangled motionless. Many smaller bugs wrapped in dark cloaks with horned white heads hung lifelessly with some even hanging upside-down. There was even one much bigger creature wrapped in a cloak that sported a large flat mask that bore the six glaring eyes of a Weaver. It looked dangerous, yet hung just as lifelessly as the rest. Whatever the beast was who had amassed so many victims must have been formidable indeed.

The glow of my blade dimmed somewhat. There was enough of those bioluminescent plants growing along the distant walls and ceiling to fill the chamber with ambient lighting. And there in the very center of the lair was Hornet. She stood motionless with her gaze focused on my direction. As if she had been watching the only noticeable way out for the beast to return. And yet...she did not respond. She merely observed me without a word. She did not even seem to react to me setting off the wires that tripped the last gate blocking the way out. Trying to distract myself from the haunting decorations strung up from the cave's ceiling, I called out to the cloaked sentinel. "Hornet. It's me."

She did not respond. And she had her needle in hand with much of it concealed behind her cloak. Hornet merely stood right in the center of the lair. But why did she not speak? The entire lair was eerily silent. And then it occurred to me. She was being silent and still to listen for the beast's approach. Was there another way in somewhere and Hornet had set a trap to completely seal off that means of escape? How many tripwires did she have set up around that lair anyway?

"Is it close? The thing that killed all these people... Do you need any assistance?" I asked in some concern. I assumed Hornet had many tripwires still attached to her and that she was waiting for anything to pluck on one of them. I lifted my sword to try and shine its light around me. Looking for the light glistening along any threads spanning the air. I saw nothing. If there were any threads reaching out from Hornet, they were not near the edges of the cave.

My gaze scanned the area around us before I could move. Listening and watching, but nothing caught my attention. We were alone for the moment. I began to approach Hornet quietly. My armored feet carefully picked their way around any debris that could create noise. "I saw the corpses in the tunnel. I heard whispers... It sounded like something had deceived them. What are we supposed to find down here? What are you hunting?"

I came to a stop maybe thirty paces from Hornet. She was being diligently silent and still despite my attempts to talk to her. What a shrewd and weathered warrior. She was not risking anything in her hunt for the monster that murdered so many. I was even afraid to get any closer due to the risk of tripping any threads she was using to monitor the area. But I still needed answers. "Hornet...?"

Almost on cue, I got a response. But not from her. Something zipped right past me and struck Hornet squarely between the eyes! Her head sharply tilted back, but she stopped herself from falling over. And in that backwards bending pose she stood with her own needle pointing straight up while embedded in her face. All without a yelp of pain or shock. But the weapon that struck her in the face... It was a needle. Her own needle. And the blade that fell from her hand...

My eyes widened as Hornet dropped her weapon with a clatter. But when I saw it fully in view, I discovered that it was not a needle at all. It was just some worn and weathered nail that she must have found on the corpse of a brave adventurer who had wandered into the depths of Deepnest. Bewildered and shocked, I turned around. And there at the edge of the chamber...was Hornet.

There were two. Why two Hornets? And the one at the edge of the chamber was on her hands and knees as she wheezed heavily. She was completely out of breath. Had she sprinted for as long as she could to reach me? Such desperation. She was gasping for breath so constantly that she could not even speak. But she did soon lift her head to gaze ahead at me before suddenly pointing in my general direction. Her eyes were wide. Much too wide to be calm. For as blank and empty as they appeared from a distance, I could see that was a gaze of alarm.

I quickly turned to look back at the Hornet who was still standing motionlessly in the center of the chamber. Almost as if she had been knocked unconscious by that precise blow to her face. But the needle did finally fall free and hit the floor with a clatter. Almost as if it did not even pierce her face. I merely watched and waited as I wondered why exactly there were now two Hornets around me. Only for the Hornet before me to suddenly bring her face forward...as a haunting deep howl came forth from her that echoed through the cave. A howl that was not one Hornet's voice could produce.

What followed was something out of a nightmare. That howl prompted me to take a step back as I witnessed that false Hornet revealing itself for what it truly was. Its head twisted almost halfway around with a noticeable crack. Only for the head to completely turn upside-down as it very suddenly rose into the air along with the red cloak around it in a swift motion on a black bony stalk connected to a small glowing sac of sorts on the ground. The sac suddenly expanded while filled with a...very familiar orange glowing fluid. A spiny black exoskeleton had almost instantly formed over it before six long and slender black legs also emerged. The fiendish beast then rose on those legs as a bony black tail extended to reveal the monster in its true horrifying glory. Spiny, dark, and carrying the unmistakable glow of the plague in its round soft abdomen, the creature now wore Hornet's head upside-down with that red cloak serving as a type of mane over its neck. What had once been her horns were now a pair of long and twitching mandibles. The beast reared back and let out another haunting howl that echoed through the caves, its form now at least my own height. I could barely even process what I was seeing as that twisted reflection of Hornet gazed upon me with such a grotesque arachnid body extending from the back of her head. "What...the hell is..."

"The Nosk! The apex predator of Deepnest!" Hornet finally shouted before I noticed a thin trail of light reach past me and tangle itself around the ring pommel of Hornet's needle. The thread suddenly retracted and pulled her weapon back into her waiting hand while I had just enough presence of mind to flap my armor's wings to throw myself backwards to stand beside my rescuer. The traps had been laid not by her, but by the beast itself to prevent an easy escape. And yet Hornet was able to find another obscure path into the lair. But there would be no easy way out for us now as I felt myself rattled by just how close I had come to walking into the clutches of a beast with the element of surprise on its side. Hornet readied herself with a trail of threads whirling around her for a second, "Brace yourself, Sir James! We triumph or die!"

The Nosk let out a brief hiss before it came stampeding right at us with shocking speed upon its six sturdy legs. Hornet evaded with a great leap while I threw myself far to the side with the use of my wings. That twisted deceiver had left too strong a first impression on me. "Oh man, I don't even wanna get close to this thing!"

"Face your fears, sir knight! Intimidation and fear are the Nosk's greatest weapons!" Hornet called out before leaping to a stalactite and bounding off it to plunge her needle into its spiny body. She was much braver and more hardened than I was. Seeing her own face on that monster must have been insulting on a very personal level. A flash of orange fluid burst from that light stab as Hornet basically bounced high off of her enemy. But the Nosk did not mind her. It was focused on the larger and more nutritious prey in the chamber. It came scampering back towards me with its long mandibles clicking together. Hornet called out in panic, "Do not stand your ground! Move!"

Hornet was right. Even if my shield was unbreakable, the sheer force behind that charge would knock me to the floor and leave me wide open to a deadly bite. I flapped my wings to take to the air as I finally had enough room to spread my armor's wing's and soar. I took aim with the Celestial Sword and fired off explosive orbs of golden fire magic. But the Nosk was quick and its senses sharp. The cunning beast hopped swiftly from one spot to another with the sudden reflexives befitting a jumping spider as my shots burst into flashes of embers. It was far more intelligent than it looked. Fitting for a predator of the deepest caves of Deepnest. "This thing's fast! Too fast!"

Hornet hurled her needle at the beast like a javelin only for the Nosk to go scurrying across the walls. The sheer speed it could reach on those six legs was shocking for something of its size. My armor and weapons were the only thing tipping the scales in my favor and I still was not exactly at an advantage. Out of growing frustration, I thrust out my left hand and tried to pin it in place with a levitation spell. "Screw this! Hornet, go get it!"

My magical grasp took hold and suddenly pinned the Nosk in place. It came to an abrupt halt and even let out a hiss of surprise now that it was standing in place on the cave wall. Hornet did not question or complain. She appeared to ready a thread around her needle's pommel while calling out to me. "Keep it pinned, Sir James! It's mine!"

Just before Hornet could throw her needle, I flinched. The Nosk turned its white head to gaze upon me with its two empty black eyes. Its body sank low to the wall the instant Hornet threw her needle. And just before Hornet's blade could reach it, the Nosk sprang from the wall with so much force that it shattered my focus! How much power could those six arachnid legs project?! My mind shaken, I was left wide open as the Nosk rammed me and curled its two front legs around me as I gazed in horror at the white face above me. Hornet called out in fright now that I was in the beast's clutches. We landed surprisingly lightly on its four remaining legs as I saw the Nosk's long mandibles widen.

Panic took hold of me. I did all i could to get the Lunar Shield between me and the Nosk as its fangs came down. I shrieked in terror as those long mandibles scraped against the Lunar Shield while aggressively trying to find a way around it. Only for its assault to suddenly stop. I heard the sound of a blade piercing a hardened carapace only for the Nosk to gradually rear back and away from me. I looked down and under the Nosk and saw Hornet standing at the far side of the chamber while looking like she was pulling on invisible strings. I could not see from there, but she had stabbed her needle into the Nosk's backside and was now pulling on threads attached ot it to lasso and pull the Nosk off me.

There was no way Hornet had the strength to resist the pull of the Nosk for long. I quickly pushed myself backwards to get out from under the beast. The Nosk suddenly let out a hiss of frustration and pulled itself down as hard as possible to try and stab its armored legs into it. It only barely missed with Hornet being pulled through the air and far over it. She pulled her needle free while hurtling through the air and even landed gracefully far behind me. The Nosk suddenly reared back again once I was on my feet as new means of attack was introduced. That glowing bulbous abdomen suddenly unleashed a flurry of corrosive glowing orange fluid at me! I could hear the hiss of the substance eating away at whatever bits of stone or debris it fell over. I got myself out of harm's way with a flap of my wings and stood ready with Hornet at my side.

The Nosk was not used to having to deal with two threats at once. It had already been wounded lightly and was keeping its distance for the moment. It tilted its head while the mandibles gnashed at each other. It was much more intelligent than it seemed. A truly fiendish and evil intelligence that had brought about the murders of many. But even then... Why? Why did it still carry the infection in it?! That corrosive bile... Just like the kind produced by the body of the Hollow Knight. I turned to Hornet as she also took a moment to catch her breath and asked, "It's still infected... How?! The plague is gone, right?!"

Hornet turned her gaze up at me as she promptly replied, "Yes, it is. The light that plagued Hallownest is no more. But some beasts still carry remnants of the infection. Thankfully, it is now inert. You need now fear the plague spreading."

Such a concept sounded plausible. Much like how the body produces excess mucous in response to diseases like the flu. That glowing orange corrosive bile within the Nosk was nothing more than a byproduct of the infection that once plagued it. But it was still a threat. And the cunning Nosk had even found a means to weaponize it. But more than that... I began to feel inadequate. I had always felt so capable when in the protective shell of my enchanted armor. But now it felt like its weapons and magic were the only things keeping me from being completely helpless now that I was in a world where the tiniest predators were the stuff of nightmares. My equipment was not designed for a world where the laws of physics work very differently for different creatures. "Hornet... I'm not sure I can handle this one. It's too fast... Too quick. I'm not like you! I'm only human in a world not meant for humans!"

"Sir James. Shush. You have faced worse." Hornet spoke firmly while also taking the time to tap her needle against my leg. When my eyes met hers, I saw Hornet's eyes taking a sharper glare. She spoke firmly, yet reassuringly to me. "You faced the Hollow Knight. You faced the heart of the infection. This beast should be nothing in the face of such trials. Gather your courage so that the Nosk's use of fear means nothing!"

She was not wrong about the Nosk. I was thoroughly intimidated by it than anything. It was a master of using fear as a weapon. And the fact that it was still wearing Hornet's face as its own with even her red cloak... Twisted. Very twisted. Only a special type of a malevolent mind would conjure up such a strategy. I gritted my teeth and breathed harshly through them. "Maybe if I wasn't so creeped out by this thing, I'd be more willing to get close..."

"Do not feel shame for your wariness. The fearless are incapable of courage. One cannot possess courage if one has no fear to conquer." Hornet replied while adjusting her grip on the weapon in her hand. Even she was experiencing fear. And why would she not be? Our enemy was wearing her face! She saw her own body twist itself into something out of a horror novel! And we had only barely managed to repel it enough to convince the beast to keep its distance. The Nosk began to slowly scuttle back and forth as it observed us like the prowling predator it was. Watching and waiting, searching for a chance to strike. Hornet, her eyes narrowing in bitter defiance, readied herself for another charge. "I shall lead. Mark my words, we won't leave here alive until this demon lies dead before us. It must die."

"No, Hornet... Let me lead. I need...to get this fear outta my system." I replied before stepping past her. Hornet did not object and began to step to the side to try and place herself outside of the Nosk's periphery vision. My eyes scanned the beast and focused on its six sturdy legs. If I could cut those off, the Nosk would be left helpless. I smacked the flat of my sword's blade against my shield to try and tempt the Nosk to charge. "OK, you freak. You want me? Come get some!"

The Nosk lifted its head to let out another gasping shriek before it came scuttling at me in an attempt to run me down. I waited...and jumped to the left while swinging my sword out as it passed right by me. There was a flash of glowing orange. And something black fell to the floor with orange glowing pus oozing from the stump. And yet the Nosk hardly flinched at the loss of a limb. Turning to face the scampering beast revealed that it was missing its front right leg, yet was still able to scuttle along just as quickly on five. But its facade was beginning to falter. The Nosk's prey had inflicted lasting damage on it to start turning the tables. And as I felt a twinge of hope and confidence blooming in my heart, the Nosk let out another howl as it launched a barrage of corrosive glowing bile at me. I raised my shield as several hefty globs of that disgusting fluid splashed against it before I called out to my enemy. "I've handled this crap before, freak! Try something else!"

My fear began to give way to defiant frustration. The element of surprise had worn off and my mind was adjusting as I relied on my armor's winged mobility to keep myself out of the Nosk's grasp. It leapt at me in an attempt to pounce on me, but flaps of my armor's great wings would keep me out of reach. Even if just barely. The Nosk's leaps were almost as swift as that of a jumping spider's. Hornet was keeping her distance and refraining from attacking for the moment. The Nosk was much more interested in me as prey than the smaller and leaner bug in the distance.

Again and again the Nosk tried to pounce on me or shower me with its corrosive bile. And it made sense in hindsight. Trying to charge and trample me resulted in it losing a limb. It was trying to not repeat the same mistake. Hopping about left me with far less time to lash out. And when I finally found the courage to come charging in to try and attack it directly, the Nosk rushed off and began running along the walls to begin circling me. I was forced to watch carefully since it would surely bound off the wall to try and catch me again. Except both my I and my opponent had briefly forgotten who else was there with us.

While the Nosk and I were preoccupied with each other, Hornet had been rushing about the cave and setting up some more of her tripwire traps. And the Nosk blundered right into one set along the wall. I got an amazing view of what would have happened had I been caught in them during our first encounter. A thin trail of light appeared in response to the glow of my sword once the Nosk tripped one of those silken threads only for several jagged rocks littering the cave floor were suddenly flung into it from multiple directions. Splashes of orange burst from the Nosk as it shrieked and fell to the floor with a crash. Elation filled me as I called out, "Nice, Hornet!"

"It's yours now! Finish it off!" Hornet shouted from somewhere outside my field of vision. And I did not delay. With a great flap of my armor's wings, I performed a long and lofty leap towards my opponent. But the Nosk was quick to regain its footing. Knowing there was no way I would land a deadly blow on its torso, I tried to take another leg. My goal was to cut off the front left leg that time in the hopes of making the Nosk too front-heavy to hold itself up. And I thought I did when it leapt away only to leave another severed bleeding leg behind. But when I turned to see the Nosk land in the distance, I grunted in irritation to see that I hit the middle leg on its left side instead. Even with four limbs left, it was still maintaining balance.

"This thing learns from every hit it takes!" I shouted as I started firing off bursts of golden fire magic from my sword to try and burn it from a distance. But once again, the Nosk was an impossible target for projectiles with how swiftly it was able to hop about. Especially with me having to focus on evasion. It no longer went scurrying along the walls. It knew there were probably unseen tripwires for its slender legs to trip and jumping around carried no risk of triggering one. I almost unleashed an orb of solar magic from my sword in the hopes of incinerating the Nosk in the blast radius, but I only barely resisted the urge. Solar magic had always been too volatile. Too explosive. If I set off too large a blast, we would all be at risk of being buried in a cave-in. Frustration started to get the better of me as I yelled, "If I can just take one more leg...!"

I had developed too much of a rhythm by then when it came to evade the pouncing jumps of the Nosk. I flapped my armor's wings to evade another pounce only to be left wondering why my enemy had not landed where I had been standing. Only for large globs of that glowing orange bile to coming raining down from above. The Nosk was scuttling along the cave's ceiling with that infected bile raining down around me!

The Lunar Shield was not enough. I had to generate a magic barrier around myself to insure I would not get doused in it. There was no way Hornet or I could clash with an enemy that could fight on the ceiling as if it were the ground. But the Nosk could not get to us either from up there aside from dropping that foul fluid on us. I waited and only too late noticed that the rain of bile had stopped with the globs of it littering the cave fading away. "Where did you go...?"

I foolishly dropped my barrier at the worst time. Right as I looked up, the Nosk came down right onto me. I was slammed to the floor. Right onto my face. The Nosk was above and behind me as terror sank in. It got me. I heard the beast let out a brief hiss, but...

I swear I felt the breath of the Nosk on the back of my neck when I heard Hornet let out a panicked shriek. Splashes of the Nosk's glowing orange blood splashed down around me. The beast above began to flail and stagger about on its four remaining legs as Hornet stood atop it while repeatedly plunging her needle into its thorny body. Desperately trying to distract our enemy while I was at my most vulnerable. She had saved me again as I was reminded of just how out of my element I was. The Nosk suddenly leaped away from me and threw Hornet off itself in the process. It turned to face us with trails of its glowing blood oozing down its rigid black carapace. I suspect even it was beginning to feel fear by then. Would it deem us not worth the trouble and flee?

Such a complex maelstrom of emotions surged in me. I was rattled and afraid, but also mad. I wanted that monster dead. Hastily climbing to my feet, I wheezed in frustration. "You're right, Hornet. We're not leaving until that thing's crushed under my boot. I'm pissed now."

"I concur. It dared to wear my face. I can't forgive that." Hornet growled as she assumed a defiant stance with needle in hand. Its silvery blade was coated in fresh infected blood. But something then fell to the floor before us. One of the Nosk's earlier prey had come loose from its binds in the struggle and hit the ground before us. One of the cloaked bugs with horned white heads. Its unblinking round black eyes gazed upon us in silence, as if pleading from beyond the grave for us to flee. But it was too late. We were in the spider's web. It was as Hornet said. We would triumph or die.

Seeing the blank yet lifeless face of that poor soul reminded me of the sheer evil that was our enemy. Knowing that the Nosk did to them what it tried to do to me filled me with a bitter fury. I glanced up at the many corpses hanging from the cave's ceiling while the Nosk took its time to catch its breath and lick its wounds. I was then reminded that just one of those corpses was not like the others. The large and intimidating creature with a flat white face bearing the six eyes of a Weaver.

The Nosk was a frightfully intelligent and cunning creature. It had changed up its tactics with every limb it lost. We would have to try something new to get an opportunity to disable it. And an idea came to me. I glanced at Hornet before pointing at the dangling and burly beast above with my sword. "Hornet. Get up there and wait for a sparkling yellow aura to surround that thing. When it happens, cut it down."

"Clever. I do believe I see where you are going with this. Come. Follow after me." Hornet said before she brought her arm back with her needle pointing forward. She threw it as swift as a javelin at the Nosk with the beast hopping to the side to evade. She made certain a thread was attached to the ring pommel to reel herself in once it became embedded in the far wall. Thinking quickly, I fired a bolt of magic blue lightning from my left hand and struck the Nosk as it began to turn towards Hornet. It struck the beast in the side of its white face, but it barely seemed to do anything besides rattle the creature. The head appeared to be the single toughest part of the Nosk's body. No wonder Hornet's needle barely left a scratch on it.

I did all I could to keep the Nosk's eyes off of Hornet. She had surely made that move just to get behind the creature and out of its sight. I kept firing off bursts of fire magic to force the Nosk to stay on the move. With two of its four legs missing, it was not as balanced as before and had begun to focus more on evasion instead of offense. I would glance up now and then to keep track of the lifeless creature that was larger than the rest. And I soon saw Hornet leap from a stalactite to grasp the vine that was holding that hefty corpse. She hung there with the blade of her needle pressed against the vine, waiting to cut through.

With how the Nosk had to keep hopping around the cave to avoid my fire magic, there was no way I would be able to hit it while it kept springing about like a flea. I would have to fake it out. I turned my gaze up at Hornet while keeping the Nosk just barely within my field of vision at the edge. It may have been cunning, but it still could not tell that I could just barely see it off to my left. With it looking like I was distracted, I heard and saw it charging at me with its mandibles spread. That was the opportunity I needed. Just when I thought it was too close to evade, I suddenly turned to my right and tried a new tactic. I detached the Lunar Shield from my left arm and hurled it straight into the face of my assailant.

The Nosk had no idea what had hit it. I doubt it had ever been struck in the face with a metal wall before. My shield went clattering past it with the Nosk staggering and shaking its head. In that instant, I glanced up at Hornet and raised my right hand. The golden yellow aura of Celestia's magic surged around both my right gauntlet and the burly corpse hanging below Hornet. With a quick motion, my ally cut the creature free and hung from the vine to watch. And with a swing of my hand, I hurled the corpse at the Nosk. I almost thought it would reach me first, but my aim was true. The beast and its own prey collided as that corpse slammed into its own killer with a thunderous blow. It was almost the same size as the Nosk itself and was likely even heavier. The Nosk, thoroughly stunned, went crashing to the floor with the corpse of its largest prey resting nearby. "Got it! Man, that felt good!"

"It's down! Quickly! Deal the final blow!" Hornet shrieked as she watched the from above. I did not delay. I rushed forward with sword raised in the hopes of cleaving the beast in two at the middle. But the Nosk was already beginning to regain its footing. In a desperate attempt, I jumped at it to try and bring my sword down through it.

I was not even sure if I hit it at first. The Nosk sprang away from me with another great leap. Burning disappointment filled me. Until I saw fresh orange glowing blood at my feet. And with it, another severed limb. I turned my head up and saw the Nosk standing on just three of its rear limbs. It struggled to maintain balance. And with another attempt to charge me, it fell flat on its glowing bulbous belly. My disappointment was swiftly replaced with joyous relief as I saw our prey haplessly struggling to get back on its feet with its balance all but gone. "Ahahahahaha, I needed a good laugh!"

It would be foolish to delay now. I hurried forward with a jog to put the Nosk down for good. And yet... It still had one last devious trick ready. I thought I saw its black carapace beginning to bulge along the sides of the thorny crest of spines going along its back. And with a spray of its own glowing orange blood, the Nosk suddenly sprouted a set of fluttering wings as I looked on in bewildered disgust. No longer able to fight on the ground, it took to the air on wings that looked more fit for a bat than a bug. I stared with my mouth agape as the Nosk gazed down upon me. "This thing flies?!"

"Wretched deceiver!" Hornet shouted before she once again tried to impale the Nosk with a throw of her needle. But its wings were just too responsive. Even more responsive than my own. It moved itself backwards just enough to dodge Hornet's throw as the needle struck the floor with Hornet swiftly reeling herself over to it on a thread. She snatched her weapon back up and gazed upon our aerial enemy with a noticeable glare. "Apex predator indeed. What possessed you to challenge a Nosk in the first place?!"

"Don't you start with me! I didn't even know what a Nosk is until you blew its cover! I know nothing about Hallownest or the creatures that exist in it! Excuse me for my ignorance!" I shouted back in irritation as we both had to go on the run. The Nosk had started to carry out what was basically a bombing run as it swooped overhead with its bulbous abdomen expelling a heavy shower of that corrosive bile. How could I have known about the Nosk?! The likeliest inspiration for it was just that one spider that ambushed its prey in the forest near the resort! Could it be...my memories of changelings also had a hand in it?

There was no way I could chase down something as response as that fluttering insectoid beast above. It would outmaneuver me if I tried to take to the air and my great wingspan would clip the stalactites that extended from the ceiling along with the many corpses that dangled from it as well. But the Nosk was much more streamlined. It had no trouble swooping between any obstacles. And it was startling whenever it would come swooping in with its mandibles ready to grab me by the neck. Something about that visage... More like a bat than a bug.

I was not in the mood to drag out that battle any longer. The fact that the Nosk's limbs no longer served a purpose meant it too was running out of options. It could no longer pounce on me as swiftly as a spider. But it was also too swift to shoot down with magic. Especially with so many obstacles it could get behind. I ended up shooting down several of the dangling corpses in the chamber by accident just because the Nosk happened to end up behind them. And Hornet had almost no means to reach it. She could jump high, but she would never reach it. And it never came swooping in for her when flying low. It was done taking chances.

"Or for the love of... Enough!" I suddenly erected curving spires of magic ice around myself and Hornet to finally give us a temporary safe zone. The Nosk tried to swoop in and gnaw its way through, but that blue enchanted ice would not give. Now at a stalemate, it began to flutter around the room as it circled us from above. It could not reach us, but we could not reach it. Not until those icy walls fell.

"We are trapped... This is your doing, is it not?" Hornet asked as she turned to face me. Her breathing was beginning to relax. She knew we were out of danger for the moment.

"Just...taking a minute to let us come up with an idea. I'm officially sick of that thing by now." I grumbled as I gazed up and between the cracks. The glowing round belly of the Nosk made it easy to track even in areas where the ambient light of that cave was dimmer. It only added a layer of tension to the already frantic situation. The beast was out there and it knew where we were. It was all about when our defenses would fall.

Hornet sighed in frustration. The Nosk was proving a challenge even for her. She glanced up at that wandered orange glow and said, "All in Deepnest know to avoid any locations where signs of a Nosk are found. It is a beast even the Weavers dare not challenge. And even I have my limits in dealing with beasts that carry themselves high above on wings. If they cannot be reached, they cannot be defeated. And this Nosk is most cunning indeed."

"It's like a completely different creature now. It doesn't jump or pounce anymore. It rains that bile down on us while swooping around. It can even fly behind parts of the terrain to hide... Wait. It...can't jump...?" I muttered as I began to think back from mere minutes earlier. Those powerful springy legs allowed it to burst out of my own restraining levitation magic with brute force. Even the magical might of the royal sisters could not restrain something that could probably launch itself to the very edge of the world with a single jump if it was the size of myself back in Equestria. But with those powerful legs no longer able to forcefully launch itself out of any magical restraints... "Hornet. I think I have an idea."

My cloaked companion turned to me and listened in silence. I then asked, "Before I go on... Just how good a throw do you think you can be with this?"

I held out the Celestial Sword to her. And her eyes widened as she beheld its brilliantly glowing white blade. "With...this? You want me to throw it?"

"Yeah. If you think you're good shot. Now that that thing doesn't have use of its legs anymore, it can't get any leverage. I'll restrain it. When I do, you throw this right into its belly. That's got to be a weak spot. And nothing is sharper than this sword. It'll go in right to the hilt. You think you can do this?" I explained while glancing up to keep track of the Nosk somewhere above. I could only hope it could not hear us. And if it did, hopefully it did not understand our words.

Hornet gazed upon my sword and then up at the round orange glow that circled us from above. She was a remarkably good shot when it came to hurling her needle at the enemy. Or for using it as a grapple point for traversing the caves. After a moment of thought, she reached out and took hold of the Celestial Sword's hilt just above the pommel. "Very well then. Hold the beast steady and I shall plunge this blade deep to its heart. Just give the word."

Now without my sword or shield, I would have to do my part entirely with magic. I counted to three before dispelling our icy prison in a burst of frigid mist. And the Nosk barely wasted a second. We heard it emit a gasping shriek before that orange glow started to quickly close in through the mist. Hornet and I rushed off in opposite directions, but I then glanced back and saw that the Nosk was going after her! Did it hear us? No, it appeared to be following the white glow of the Celestial Sword. It thought she was me!

"Hey! Hey, I'm the one you want!" I called out before thrusting out my hands and launching a barrage of simple magic beams from my gauntlet. I doubt they did much harm to the Nosk, but they did rattle it enough to get its attention. Hornet continued to rush to the edge of the chamber as her pursuer turned its gaze back to me. I was the prey it wanted most. My body had more meat and fluids to offer than Hornet's lean and petite frame. The Nosk, now seeing where I had gone swooped at me with surprising speed to try and get its mandibles around my exposed neck.

I could not risk the Nosk staying at a low altitude. I had to get it up in the air. And so I did. Not trusting an impaling ice spike to get the job done, I suddenly willed a blunt ice pillar to suddenly rise from the floor and shove the Nosk high above. It let out a gasping grunt from the blow, but did begin to try and shower me with more corrosive bile. But before it could get above me, it stopped. And it even gasped in surprise now that its wings were no longer carrying it forward. "Going somewhere?"

The Nosk flailed in confusion. A golden yellow and billowing blue magic aura surrounded it. I had both hands raised towards the Nosk with each gauntlet coated in their respective billowing magic auras. The levitation spell was working as intended. Those wings could not generate enough sudden force to fling the Nosk out of my magical grasp. With no leverage, it was stuck. I turned my gaze towards Hornet in the far corner and called out to her. "Hornet! It's all you!"

I saw her raise the Celestial Sword in her hand after setting aside her needle for the moment. Only to lower it as she began to rush over to put herself closer to her target. The Nosk began to squirm and flail in an increasingly panicked manner. It even began to howl, its gasping voice echoing constantly around the cave. The hunter had become the hunted. And the embodiment of terror finally came to know helplessness and fear.

Hornet came to a stop once she felt she had a good enough angle to work with. She raised the Celestial Sword with her hand grasping it by the pommel. Throwing it like a javelin would not work when aiming for something above her. My companion breathed a sigh of relief to steady her nerves. Even as the Nosk continued to scream in terror. "With this... It is done."

Hornet did not delay. With cruel precision, she hurled the Celestial Sword up at our shrieking prey. And her aim was true. The unmatched sharpness of my sword's blade plunged deep into the glowing orange belly of the beast. Right down to the hilt. But while the Nosk did shriek in pain... It was not enough. Drop after drop of glowing orange blood and bile dripped from the puncture, but the Nosk remained upright. I released it from my magical grasp more out of shock than relief with even the Nosk itself appearing to realize that the wound it had suffered was not fatal. Hornet even spoke with a gasp as the fluttering beast turned its gaze down at us. "It... The wound is not fatal?!

Neither of us knew exactly where the Nosk's own organs were within its body. I saw the Nosk tap its two mandibles together. Almost...as if it was sneering at us with an uneven smirk. But just as it swooped down at me again, I was already quick to trigger a failsafe. "Oh, to hell with this already!"

The magic in my right gauntlet was cast. And through the Celestial Sword, I channeled Celestia's fire magic through the blade. The instant those golden flames surged around the blade... Some sort of reaction was triggered inside the Nosk's bile sac. The beast suddenly lost its momentum as it began to hover while shrieking in pain. The fluid inside it was boiling! Bursts of orange steam ruptured out of the Nosk as it let out one final and long death shriek. It fluttered and squirmed...until finally exploding in a blast of orange steam. It black carapace scattered all over with its pure white head tumbling through the air. It struck the cave floor with a crack as its two mandibles became lodged there. Only the Nosk's head was intact, which was now just staring at us with dead empty black eyes.

It was over. In just one move, the nightmare had ended. Hornet and I breathed softly as we beheld what was left of the evil beast that nearly made a meal out of us. And as I looked around at the many previous victims of the Nosk, both those that littered the floor and those that still hung from the ceiling, I felt a sense of spite came over me. I marched right up to the Nosk's head. But as I started to bring my foot back, I paused and looked back at Hornet. She simply watched without a word. But just for the sake of being polite, I then asked, "May I?"

Hornet's eyes narrowed. And while I could not see her mouth, I am certain she was smirking. She replied with an almost amused tone, "By all means."

I gave the Nosk's head my best kick. With one mighty swing of my armored foot, I punted its only intact remains to the far end of the cave with it clattering about with the sound of bone. I let out a long sigh of relief as I grumbled, "Sick bastard... If I hadn't been so curious and kept stalling for time..."

"I will not ask what brought you down here, sir knight. No one knowingly seeks out a Nosk. And it would seem it chose well in whose face to wear." Hornet said as she suddenly retrieved her needle with a quick flick of a thread. I did the same with my sword and shield by calling them back to me with teleportation magic. There was no trace of the Nosk's fluids on the Celestial Sword's blade. Those magic flames must have burned it all off. Hornet, still sounding out of breath, turned her gaze up at the remaining victims of the Nosk hanging above us. "The day the Nosk is driven to extinction cannot come soon enough. Nothing of value will be lost."

I too looked upon the bodies of the dead. And I recalled seeing the bodies littering the tunnel just before I reached the chamber we stood in. So many dead... Not simply hunted, but deceived and murdered. And I nearly joined them. Had I not stopped and contemplated the situation... Had I not been so cautious when I first found the false Hornet in that chamber... But being so curious and cautious, I ended up buying Hornet just enough time to reach me. Even with all my magical armaments at my disposal, the element of surprise would surely have been enough to let the Nosk get the better of me and tear my throat out before I could manage a proper defense. I let out a long sigh before looking down at Hornet. "You saved me."

My cloaked savior turned her gaze to meet mine while not saying a word. I then explained, "I saw you...and I followed you. Then I saw those bodies in the tunnel. I thought you came here to slay a beast that was terrorizing Deepnest and...thought I could lend you a hand."

"A valiant desire, no less. The Nosk played you for a true fool if you believed that. And I would gladly bring an end to every Nosk I could find if I could." Hornet replied with an almost courteous tone. As if she admired my willingness to assist her in destroying agents of evil.

But still... I had so many questions about the beast we had just slain. "But...why? Why did it look like you? It even had the sense to pick up a weapon and hide it behind the cloak to make it look like your needle."

Hornet huffed with irritation over being reminded. "It is the Nosk's vilest skill. It plucks on the strings of its prey's heart. Friends. Family. Loved ones. Even the dearly departed... It gazes into their memories and lures them in with the face of one they trust or adore. Until it is too late to run."

"That's...foul. More than just predatory. That's just evil." I grumbled as I contemplated such an ability. And to choose Hornet as its disguise... It really did choose well. For she was the only person in all of Hallownest I knew who could have conceivably been down there at all. "I don't know many in Hallownest. The elder of Dirtmouth would never have made it down here. Would've been too suspicious if I saw him here. I already passed Quirrel up in the hot springs, so he would never have gotten ahead of me so quickly. Imitating the Hollow Knight would've been a tall order. That only leaves...you."

The two of us shared a long and silent gaze. One that quickly grew awkward. The cloaked sentinel then grunted with a suppressed laugh. "Hmph. Perhaps I should be honored you thought so fondly of me for the Nosk to deem me a worthy disguise."

"I wouldn't say that... I mean I do trust you. I just...don't know you well enough to come to any conclusions yet." I replied while not able to deny Hornet's act of heroism. She was a gallant one. But I then came to a realization. "Wait... How did you even know I was down here at all?"

I think Hornet was still smirking in some amusement. At least for a moment. She then explained, "One of the Weaver tribe sought me out. They claimed that a strange knight had fallen into the deepest bowels of Deepnest. And that he was following one who wore my face. As soon as I heard, I was off. I dread to imagine had I arrived mere seconds later..."

"Right... I did meet one of the Weaver. And...he was not infected. It sounded like there were survivors after the plague disappeared. Is it true? Have you found people the plague spared just enough to survive?" I asked as my thoughts went back to that brief conversation. I remember wondering just what was left to save. And there was.

Hornet's tone was not as relieved as I was hoping. She even bowed her head slightly. "I have not seen much of Hallownest since we last parted ways. There was someplace I needed to be. I have remained close to Deepnest for a time. Reconnecting... And...I did find more than I expected. Many Weavers still lived. And the light had vanished from their eyes. But so many were lost to the plague regardless. I was told that they all fell and became lifeless once the light faded from their eyes. Some were spared... Others were not."

What a fiendish fate. That mad goddess of light's infection did not merely control the living. It killed the living and forced them to live on as infected husks. Without the infection sustaining them, the undead were released and allowed to finally rest. But it sounded like there were those who managed to stay alive just long enough for the plague to leave their bodies. I gazed up at nothing and let out a sigh. So much suffering and so much sacrificed...but thankfully not entirely for nothing.

At last, Hornet finally asked me the most pressing question of all. "Now then... I must ask. What brings you down into Deepnest at all? Only the brave or foolish venture into these depths."

"It wasn't by choice. I... I got here just like I did the first time I found Hallownest. I awoke...and found myself here. I woke up at the hot springs nearby and even encountered Quirrel there. It was safe...but that all changed when I headed out to find my way out of here." I explained while wondering if Quirrel had safely made his way out of those caves by then. He was a bit too capable with his blade to be claimed by the caves and its creatures.

Hornet's eyes narrowed as she looked up at me. I think she was just as confused as I was on just how I keep coming and going from Hallownest with no control on when I arrive or where I show up. A dreaming mind is an unpredictable thing. Although I then recalled what I was told when I passed that Weaver from earlier. "I'm just trying to find my way outta these caves. That Weaver? He mentioned...a Stagway? Said it could safely get me back to the surface."

"Yes, there is a Stagway station deeper into the depths of Deepnest. As deep as the Weaver tribe ever delved. I can escort you there. Let's be off. You've had a long day already." Hornet replied before turning and leading me back to the passage I had emerged from. The last barrier of dark organic matter had fallen apart. Most definitely produced by the Nosk.

I gazed upon the many corpses we passed with a sense of somber relief. Their killer was finally no more. Justice had been served. Now all I could do was follow my guide to what would hopefully be safer ground. Hornet bounded up walls and cliffs with impressive leaps that I could never match. And when a spot was too high for her to reach with her own two legs, she would hurl her needle into the ceiling above the ledge with a thread attached to its pommel. Once embedded in the stone above, she would swiftly reel herself in. I scoffed at my cloaked companion as she looked down at me. "You make that look easy!"

"Shall I cast a thread down to you?" Hornet asked while looking like she was ready to drop her needle down to me to hold onto.

"Nah. I got this." Relying on my line of sight, I used the teleportation spell to instantly set myself beside Hornet in a flash of white light. She very nearly stumbled right off the ledge with eyes wide in surprise. "Surprised?"

Hornet's eyes narrowed as she let out a soft grunt. "Hmph. Teleportation, is it? A gift I have seen few possess."

We trekked back through the way I came when I first saw Hornet's doppelganger. And that encroaching sense of isolation reached me again when we began to enter one of the larger chambers. So silent. And with no signs of life or death. Old Weaver threads still stood tall, but they were no longer of any use. My eyes then fell upon Hornet. Her red cloak stood out vibrantly against the cold dark stone of the caves. A part of me demanded that I never lose sight of her. That vigorous red was a torch that would lead me out.

I would use my armor's wings to carry me up to ledges that a good jump would not reach while Hornet traversed the terrain all too easily. She could leap remarkably high and her needle and threads made any distance between footholds trivial. But as I saw the light of my sword shimmer along a thread connecting Hornet's hand to her needle as she zipped across a great gap to another higher passage, something occurred to me. Something I had all but forgot about. I called out to her with my voice echoing through the chamber, "Wait a minute... I seem to recall you saying using that needle to its full potential requires the abilities of a Weaver. But...are you even a Weaver at all?"

Hornet hardly looked surprised by my question. I am sure she only mentioned that detail once and only in passing during our first cordial encounter. "On my mother's side, yes."

It began to dawn on me. No wonder Hornet was so at home in Deepnest. If she was truly part Weaver, then she would have just as easy a time getting around as them. And she was skilled and fierce enough to fight off any of the local wildlife. But I had seen a Weaver. And she looked nothing like one. "Then...the reason you look nothing like them?"

"I take much more after my father's side in terms of appearance. I am a child of Deepnest, yes. But I have always firstly been a daughter of Hallownest." Hornet stated almost proudly as she gazed out at me from across the upper section of that chamber. I recalled her mentioning details surrounding the circumstances of her birth... Something...dripping with political motivations that made me wince. Hornet then distracted me from my wandering thoughts as she said, "But enough talk. Let's not delay."

"Right..." I muttered before using the teleportation spell to instantly transport myself to Hornet's side. As we continued away from the deepest and abandoned corners of the caves, I began to wonder why it was so vacant despite there being survivors of the plague. The wildlife likely avoided that area due to its proximity to a Nosk's lair. Were the Weavers now too few in number to safely resettle that area? "Will we be seeing more of the Weavers before long?"

"Yes. Deepnest is their home... And here come some now." Hornet replied before I started to hear something that felt very off. The voices of children. And along came a small gang of what were surely tiny Weaver. Little spindly legs carrying white heads not entirely round in shape that did not even come up to my knees. They came scuttling along while sounding quite happy. A group of kids just out exploring their home.

"I suppose even bugs start off as just kids. You think they'll be safe down here?" I asked while taking note of where we had just came from. That corner of the caves was safer now that the Nosk residing there was no more, but still...

"One cannot entirely quell the curiosity and wanderlust of children. But there is strength in numbers and the younglings of Deepnest are taught that at a young age. They are wise to stick together." Hornet explained with a notable lack of concern. Although I am uncertain if it was due to confidence or callousness. Deepnest did have a very...uncivilized air about it. Almost barbaric. While I did have a cordial conversation with one of its denizens, I had to remind myself that the bugs of that world were not like the worlds I had called home. I could only imagine what sort of morality the mind of a bug operates on.

Speaking of that lone Weaver, a voice called out to us once we entered another larger cave chamber. And the two of us looked up as something came scurrying down on unseen threads. "Ah, the knight! The knight lives!"

It was the same wandering Weaver I had passed before. To most untrained eyes, he appeared to be scurrying about on the air itself before coming to a stop above us. He looked like he was levitating, yet I am sure he was balancing on a series of thin threads that was holding him up. I spoke up, "Um... Hello again."

"I see Lady Hornet was able to reach you in time. I confess I followed after you when you fell down that pit. But when I saw who you had found, I... I did not have the courage to get near. I rushed off to alert the true wearer of that cloak. I hope you did not get too far into that lair before..." The Weaver explained before Hornet's gaze caught his attention. Her eyes narrowed, almost in annoyance. He seemed to realize what that glare meant as he then asked, "You...did reach him before he could..."

"It was quite the harrowing struggle. At least now there is one less Nosk inhabiting our home." Hornet said almost bitterly. I did not find that battle fulfilling either. What a frustrating opponent.

The Weaver breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned to me and asked, "But before it slips my mind... Sir Knight. I remember. Before I awoke from the light that plagued my dreams... I saw it. Two knights locked in battle with the light itself. One, a bug of Hallownest. And the other... Was it you?"

I was not certain if it was a good idea to speak too much of that struggle. It was a very personal experience for me. I only said what little I had to. "It was."

"Then...my people have you to thank for their awakening. Those that still remain... It was thanks to you. Sir knight... We are in your debt." The Weaver said before trying to bow in a way his body would allow. He tilted much farther forward to bring his round head down lower. All I did was nod respectfully to him. The Weaver than said, "Hero of Hallownest and Deepnest... You must meet with our queen. She slumbered deeply in vain, untouched by infection. I heard that she awoke very shortly before the rest of us did. Please, if you can find the time... Do visit her in her lair. It is near the Stagway, so you will not need venture far to leave Deepnest."

"I'll consider that. Thank you. Take care of yourself." I replied as the Weaver saw himself away. I think he did not want to overstay his welcome in the presence of one he considered a hero. I saw him ascend higher in the dimly illuminated chamber to a ledge that led elsewhere. Two other Weavers of around his size were present and they appeared to quietly converse with each other before scuttling out of sight. I looked at Hornet as I contemplated the request of the Weaver that had departed. "Do you think I should meet with Deepnest's queen? Would that be safe?"

Hornet's eyes narrowed as I think a very knowing smirk was spreading across her lips. She then said, "I assure you that she does know of you. And that she has voiced a desire to meet you should you ever wander down here. Shall I introduce you?"

What was with Hornet's very smug response to that? I had never seen her eyes convey that she was smiling even once in our prior encounter. But perhaps that was a good thing. Instead of agreeing, I asked a question of my own. "Are you...smiling? Have you been well?"

My companion's black eyes widened considerable as she lost that gaze of smug knowledge. Her gaze then wandered as she soon muttered, "I suppose I was..."

"You...never had much of reason to smile for a long time, right?" I asked as I recalled what Hornet told me regarding the fall of Hallownest. And how she had been present to witness it. She had been alone. Those that were not slain by the plague become reanimated corpses. Familiar faces and allies risen as enemies. Slaves to the light goddess who sought to control all through her infection. Such a life...could not possibly have any joy in it.

"No... It had been so long since...I last tasted the comfort of companionship." Hornet muttered before her gaze rose to meet mine. She sighed, but I think she was hesitant to show any glimmers of joy. She was not used to it after so long. "But to answer your question... Yes. I have been well. The roads are safer to travel. There are fewer dangers in Hallownest. The beasts are more docile than they once were. That is...unless your travels take you through Deepnest. The beasts have never not been vicious down here."

"Is that so?" I replied with a smirk of my own. Those Dirtcarvers were ravenous when they came after me. Infection or no infection, they must have always been a frightful threat to travelers.

"Hmph. True. And...I found who I was searching for. Someone I had not been able to speak with in so very long." Hornet added with a gentler tone in her voice. And I remembered. When we last parted ways, she mentioned there was someone she needed to see. Was that person close? Hornet then brought her empty to her chest and spoke cordially to me, "Please... It would be an honor to introduce you her, hero of Hallownest. Would you grant me this honor?"

For Hornet to all but plead with me to accompany her... I could not turn down such an earnest request from someone I had grown to see as being distant and cold. Such a request was a very big deal for her. "All right then... Lead on."

"Thank you. Stay close to me. The path ahead is...uninviting for those not of the Weaver tribe." Hornet replied before we continued along. And I quickly found out what she meant by that statement. The amount of spider threads increased to the point they began to blanket the walls. And the cave floors began to make way for more civilized footing. Stone walkways carved out of the earth that brought to mind those from the tunnels under Dirtmouth. As well as large banners suspended by silk that bore an uncanny resemblance to the face of the Nosk's largest victim back in its lair. Hornet spoke without turning back to face me, "You need not fear being accosted by the beasts of Deepnest here. We are well within Weaver territory now."

"But...do I have reason to fear the Weavers?" I replied as I started to feel eyes upon me. Very many eyes. There were Weavers about with those bioluminescent weeds strung about everywhere as if to deliberately use them to provide lighting. Many sizes too. Some were even quite large with perfectly round heads and with dark cloaks hanging underneath. And they were all watching us. But was it out of curiosity? I happened to notice one smaller Weaver balancing on threads very close to the elevation of my head when I passed him. I came to a stop, turned to look right at the creature with six squinted eyes, and just...returned his stare. I think he even started to feel confused and slightly intimidated by my own uncertain gaze. "Can I help you?"

"Uh... No. It's nothing." The Weaver muttered before scurrying away on unleash trails of silk in the air. Hornet only then happened to notice I had fallen behind and waited for me to catch up.

"I don't like this place, Hornet... Don't like the way everyone's looking at me." I grumbled while starting to feel like I was not as safe as I should have been now that I was in the territory of an actual civilization. The way the Weavers were watching me as I passed... They were still the spiders of Hallownest.

Hornet replied with an unexpected comment. "I do not fault you for your unease. I too do not feel entirely at home here despite Deepnest being my birthplace. It almost feels...alien to me. Yet familiar as well. Perhaps this is a place where I do not truly belong. Welcomed, yet not belonging."

Quite the paradox, that statement. But I was not going to contest it with her. All I could do was follow and hope that the Weavers around us would give me no trouble. But as we headed down a properly paved tunnel, we passed a gap in the wall. One that appeared to lead to a small den. And I heard something. A voice. I came to a stop and stared into the dimly lit corridor. Hornet stopped and asked, "What is it?"

"I heard a voice... It sounded...different." I explained before stepping into the corridor with the Celestial Sword held out before me. Hornet followed without objection. The corridor eventually opened up into a more spacious chamber. Very unsuspecting. And the voice was gone. But before I could consider turning around, something pushed past some dark vines and extended from the wall. A new face was staring at me. And it was a very inviting face too. "Uh...hello."

The creature reaching out from the wall brought to mind some kind of giant millipede. A black long body with spindly legs underneath. And the face... Much like the larger Weavers I had seen, a line separating the two halves went down the middle. The white bonelike face sported four eyes that displayed a rather joyous expression in contrast to the constant scowls of the Weavers. Even the mouth displayed a constant smile. A mouth that did not move when the creature spoke with such a lovely voice. "Ah, little Hornet. You return with a most interesting companion. Such a strange one, this...knight."

"You stand before the destroyer of the infection, Midwife. A hero of this land." Hornet replied while not mincing words over my relevance to their world. I said nothing and just nodded at this mysterious creature before us.

The eloquent creature before me spoke very kindly. "Ah, the one who rescued our people from the light? It was such a sad fate watching them all succumb. The light in their eyes blinding them to the world they once knew. I never dreamed the light would fade and they would return to their sense. Let alone return alive. We are so few now, but there being any of us at all...is truly miraculous. And we have you to thank for this, sir knight?"

It was a bit awkward to me to have been so vital to Hallownest's salvation despite spending such little time there. I really did not want anyone to see me as a messianic figure. I am sure I would be getting ample praise from others in the future if I ever returned. "Yes... I fought and destroyed the source of the infection alongside the Hollow Knight... But...what are you? Who are you even?"

"Ohoho, pardon my manners. I am simply known as Midwife. I look after and watch over the broodlings of Deepnest. Although my services have been unneeded for some time. For Deepnest has been seemingly locked in time every since that pestilence claimed all but a fortunate few. But time still marched on in some ways... Some needs cannot be neglected..." My host said before I felt Hornet conspicuously take hold of my right hand and began to gently guide me backwards. I did not ask what her intervention was about, but I let her pull me back maybe five steps.

I quickly found out why Hornet had me take a few steps back without a word. She knew something was coming. Midwife then said in a very concerning fashion, "Ah, how much has returned to normal, yet not quite. Forgive me. I am simply so very...very hungry. Our meals remain rather meager at this time. Perhaps...if I could help myself to just one bite..."

I grunted with eyes widening as I saw that the face of Midwife was not even a face at all. It was really more of a mask. One that slid open to reveal a ghastly face with minimal details. Four beady white eyes and a maw lined with stubby little fangs. And just... The sounds coming out of her. Midwife made a short lunge for me with her gaping fangs over and over while yelping and barking...all while I was just barely out of range. She snapped and snarled, but could not reach any further. After a brief moment, I started to feel less startled and more entertained. The sounds she was making was just ridiculous. I glanced down at Hornet as I found myself smirking. "She gets kinda funny after the first ten seconds."

Hornet grunted in some amusement at my words. Even she found Midwife's barking and snapping to be more than a little silly. She stepped past me with her needle held high. And with one quick swing, Hornet swatted Midwife between the eyes with the flat of her blade. "Midwife! Behave yourself!"

The beast subdued, Midwife's mask swiftly closed back over her true face. She then giggled uneasily, "Oh dear, not again... Truly, I do apologize if my hunger got the better of me. I am a friend to all and have no desire to do harm to our guests. Certainly not to the one our tribe owes so much to. I will behave myself. Although perhaps it would be wise if...you were on your way. While my hunger is being restrained."

I was skeptical of just how docile Midwife truly is when she is not starving, but I took her word for it. Hornet and I saw ourselves out and headed back onto the path. But I did not forget Midwife's attempt to literally eat me. "It feels like even the more civilized bugs down here want to make a meal outta me... Hornet. You're part Weaver yourself, right? Do you...feel that urge too?"

My guide quickly turned her head to look up at me with a gaze of shock. "Wha... No! Of course not! I will not murder to feed myself! I hunt, yes. But murder? Never."

The conviction and sincerity of Hornet's tone was all I needed to hear. I dropped the subject and continued to follow her deeper into the nest. Until we eventually reached an absolutely gargantuan cave chamber. One filled with silk. Dangling from the cave ceiling were round...huts of sorts that appeared to be dwellings. A hanging village of silk with what appeared to be an underground lack below. The home of the Weavers. "A spider city... That's one way to keep everyone out of reach of any beasts on the ground."

"Yes... Home." Hornet said almost wistfully. We stepped closer to the ledge and found that some sort of antique elevator lift served as a foothold. It appeared to lead up to something high above, but was bound in place with excessive webbing. Hornet pointed upwards and said, "The entrance to the Stagwy is directly above us. But before you depart... Please."

"I know. Let's go meet the queen." I replied while allowing hornet to lead. Catwalks were present outside the entrances to the silken homes of the village, but the nearest were still too far from us for even the springiest jumpers to get to. Hornet flung her needle across the chasm and reeled herself in to get to the nearest ledge while I used teleportation magic to follow. We hopped from one dwelling to another before Hornet stopped and faced the entrance. Without a word, I followed her inside.

I did not know what to expect upon entering, but I quickly found that the outer layer of silk was just a means to protect the dwelling while also attaching it to the cave ceiling. The interior was all manmade and appeared quite cozy. Mostly wooden furniture was set about with candles illuminating the chamber. It looked like we had arrived just in time for a feat amongst the inhabitants with bottles of beverages lining a long table. And much to my surprise, I saw no Weavers. Only bugs that looked more in line with those I saw outside of Deepnest. Some were taller than others, the shorter ones being rather stout. And they all wore elegant robes with a burgundy hue. If that was the dwelling of Deepnest's queen, it made sense that they were so dapper with their attire.

The nobles around us immediately turned to Hornet and bowed as she led me in. One spoke kindly, "Lady Hornet! Welcome back! And... Ah, you've brought a guest! It's been so long since we last had one."

Before Hornet could even get a word in, another one of the Deepnest nobles spoke up as they began to gather around us. "And...just look at that complexion. So ripe. So...plump."

"Excuse me?" I said with my hand tightening around the hilt of the Celestial Sword. There was no way that statement did not carry a...predatory implication. The way they were gathering around... As if to block off any way of escape... "Hornet... You didn't set me up, did you?"

"No! I would never!" Hornet replied before she suddenly pointed her needle at a few of the nobles. Her gaze was focused and fierce. "Stand down! This guest is not yours to feast upon!"

Even Hornet's words were not enough to dissuade them. They must have been starving just like Midwife. Or perhaps they were distracted by how exotic I was. I surely must have seemed very nutritious and packed with fluid when compared to the much leaner and spindly insects that made up Hallownest's food chain. One of the taller bugs said, "But Lady Hornet... Just look at him! The rosy hue in his cheeks... Such sweet nectar he must contain."

Hornet stepped around me as we prepared for a confrontation. They would not back down. I readied my shield arm, but there must have been around a dozen of them. Even Hornet would not be able to fend them all off at once. My protector barked, "He is not your prey! This is a most honored guest! Stay back!"

"But he... He... Just...one little taste!" One of the more distant bugs suddenly leaped high. And out from under his robe reached six Weaver legs ready to pounce. And he was within Hornet's blind spot. I turned to him to raise my shield, but...

It came out of nowhere. Something long and narrow flew through the air and struck the airborne creature and carried him off to the far side of the room. He let out a startled yelp as a crash filled the air. All eyes turned to gaze upon the bug as he was now pinned high to the wall on some kind of metal javelin. A long lance composed of a single piece of metal. The spear equivalent of a nail? The bug quivered and gasped in agony before...going limp and falling silent as a white fluid trickled down the length of the spear. But...where did it come from? And from who?

The rest of the Deepnest nobles instantly fell silent as even Hornet gazed up with wide eyes at the freshly deceased noble hanging from the wall. And through that chilling silence, an icy voice spoke out to us. "I trust I have your attention now."

We all turned to face a darkened corner of the chamber. One where the flickering of the candles barely reached. I had completely failed to notice it due to having to turn my attention to the very hungry inhabitants of that dwelling. I heard the tapping of many limbs as something...or someone began to emerge from the shadows. Someone larger than anyone else there. And when they emerged from the shadows... Their face. I had seen it before. White as bone with six eyes locked in a perpetual glare.

The creature before us was unlike any I had seen thus far. Although...not as large as I expected. They stood no taller than me if one took the horns out of the equation. But they were also longer than most. The lower body was carried by six black spindly legs. A body that was robust and very insect in nature. The upper body stood tall with two black slender arms reaching out from a dark shroud that hung over it with two long horns jutting up under its blackened cloak. The curve of those horns... They looked too familiar.

Was this the queen of Deepnest? She certainly looked menacing and was larger than any of her accomplishes. No one dared speak. Not even Hornet had anything to say. My eyes glanced at the corpse pinned to the wall behind me. Did the queen just protect me? Or did she kill out of callous disregard for her own people? My gut told me to be patient and listen to what this menacing beast had to say.

Her six eyes gazed around unblinkingly at the chamber before her. The shrouded bug before us then spoke with such an icy tone. "Hear my words, denizens of Deepnest. This is a brutal land. And brutal we too must be if we are to thrive here. But know this. We are not the Dirtcarvers that swarm their prey from below. Nor are we the Corpse Creepers that defile the dead to ambush their victims. We still hold to our honor. And our honor dictates that we will never feast upon our honored guests."

The queen of Deepnest then turned her gaze towards me as I tried to piece together in my head where I had seen her face. I knew it. Those six eyes on an almost oval white face lacking the vertical line separating the two halves like most larger Weavers... Where had I seen it? But my thoughts were interrupted as the queen then spoke to me with the glare of her eyes softening just slightly. "And this knight...is a most honored guest."

She began to approach me on her six tapping legs while every last one of her subjects backed away. Even Hornet gave the two of us some space. Deepnest's queen came to a stop maybe a dozen paces from me as her icy tone gave way for a truly silken voice. For as brutal as she had just been and menacing as she appeared, the queen of Deepnest possessed a truly beautiful voice. "You face tells me much. We have only just met, yet my presence stirs something in you. You have seen me before, in a sense. And you are correct. For you have seen my face."

"But...where?" I asked as I just could not put my finger on where I had seen her face before. I had only visited the realm of Hallownest once in my dreams. And not everything I experienced stuck with me.

The queen began to speak cryptically to me. "When the Black Egg Temple was sealed, three Dreamers slept forever to insure the infection would never escape from its chosen host. Monomon the Teacher. Lurien the Watcher..."

She then brought her arm to her chest. As if to place a hand over it. The queen then spoke, "And I. Herrah the Beast."

So that was where I had seen her face. One of the three on the seal of the Black Egg Temple. The queen of Deepnest herself. I had not expected to ever encounter any of the three Dreamers after that fateful night. I was at a loss for words. But the menacing Herrah continued to speak courteously to me. "The three Dreamers were meant to sleep forever. Even if our influence proved insufficient to contain the plague within. And yet... Because of you, the impossible happened. We awoke."

Herrah's subjects appeared almost frightened of what they were hearing. Almost fearful of further punishment. They had mistaken me for mere prey the instant they saw me. They could not have known about my role in the salvation of their people. Herrah continued to speak with her silken voice, "You pierced the seal of the Black Egg Temple with power beyond anything this land has ever witnessed. With no seal to sustain, the Dreamers slumbered no longer. And I saw with my own eyes the light in my people's eyes fading away. Many fell where they stood without the infection to sustain them. But some lived. And they continue to recover from their plight. But most importantly... You have done a very personal service for me, sir knight. For you gave my daughter back to me."

"Daughter... No..." I muttered before it finally hit me. I glanced over at Hornet as I am certain she was smirking at me. My cloaked companion stepped over to Herrah and stood by her side with the queen resting a claw on Hornet's shoulder in a very tender manner. That was when I saw it. They shared the same curved horns atop their heads. I asked again, "Herrah... Your mother?"

"The resemblance is clear, is it not? Yes. She is my child." Herrah said while Hornet allowed her mother to continue speaking. Herrah shared a brief glance with her daughter before turning her gaze back to me. "Our time together was much too brief... I gave all I could for her by the time I accepted my fate. I never expected to hold her in my arms again... Then you came along. Knight of a distant land... I know not what circumstances brought you to Hallownest, but your arrival was a blessing for us all. As queen of Deepnest, you have my eternal gratitude."

Herrah bowed to me with an arm across her chest. As did Hornet. And the robed bugs nearby hastily joined in with their heads bowing as well. I was not ready for that. It was...surreal to have a tribe of spiders bowing to me. I would have sooner expected them to string me up and bleed me dry. I bowed my head as well towards the queen before me. "I'm...at a loss of what to say, your majesty. I didn't expect to meet you after that day."

"Fate has a way of surprising us all. Just as fate surprised me when I awoke from what should have been an eternal sleep. As well as my surprise to find my child returning home after so long. And my surprise when she spoke fondly of a strange knight from beyond Hallownest's borders who destroyed the light that plagued our dreams." Herrah replied as she continued to speak pleasantly towards me. The more she spoke with that silky voice, the more I began to trust her. She was truly a voice of reason within Deepnest.

There was something rather ironic about that last line though. Hornet speaking fondly of me? After how things went when we first met? I found myself almost laughing at the memory as I said, "She had...nice things to say about me? I wouldn't have expected that after what she did when we first met."

Hornet grunted as she turned her gaze away from me. And Herrah took note of her daughter's annoyance. She looked down at Hornet with her six eyes displaying a very inquisitive gaze. "Oh? And what happened that day, child?"

With even her own mother breathing down her neck, Hornet let out an exasperated sigh. "I...showed aggression when I should not have. Did not listen when I should have. For which I have apologized profusely for."

"Hmph. As fierce as I had hoped." Herrah said with a chuckle. After what I had seen in Deepnest, such ferocity would be a quality they value. Although Herrah then brought her claws together and clapped them twice. "But enough talk. I understand the two of you faced a Nosk today as well. The work of heroes is never truly done, is it? Come! Let us feast!"

Herrah's robed subordinates bowed as most of them rushed off to likely prepare a grand meal. I was also curious of what kind of cuisine Deepnest had to offer. Perhaps something simple in its preparations? But when a few of them approached the body of the bug Herrah had impaled on a lance, she spoke up with her voice regaining an icy tone. "No. Leave the fool where he is. Let his remains serve as a warning to those who would dare prey upon our most honored guests."

They did not even speak a word in response. The trio of robed bugs hurried off, but I did not notice the smell of anything being cooked. Was there even a kitchen in Herrah's home? Herrah then kneeled at the far end of the table in the middle of the chamber and beckoned Hornet and I to take our seats upon stools at her sides. I overheard Hornet and Herrah speak amongst themselves for a moment, the two of them seeming genuinely happy. I remembered everything Hornet had told me regarding her existence following the fall of Hallownest. To finally have a home and family again... It was almost strange to see someone so cold and fierce look genuinely happy.

It would be rude to intrude on a conversation between mother and daughter, so I distracted myself by sampling the drinks after setting aside my sword and shield for the moment. All the bottles lining the table were filled with fluid that did carry the odor of liquor on them. Some were stronger than others, but the flavors were distinct. But they did not remind me of anything I had tried before. What does the liquor in Hallownest come from anyway?

A moment went by before I happened to notice Hornet and Herrah had fallen silent. And I almost jumped to see Harrah's six narrow eyes focusing on me. She appeared to find humor in my flinching and said, "A man of few words, are we?"

"Usually. I tend to listen more than I speak." I replied with sincerity.

Herrah rested one claw over the other while giving me her undivided attention. "Hm. An admirable trait. But no need to be so coy. You are my honored guest after all. Come, it is your turn to have your voice heard. Who are you? And what kingdom do you hail from?"

It seemed that Hornet had withheld the finer details of my identity from her mother. Either because she could not recall them b the time they were reunited or because she was hoping I could have the honor of introducing myself if I ever met her. I then explained, "I am Sir James of Equestria."

Herrah brought a claw to the underside of her face as her eyes narrowed in contemplation. It was very much in the same manner as a human resting their chin on the back of their hand. "Equestria? Not a familiar name... It must be very far away indeed."

We barely had time to get another word in as the many subjects of Herrah came filing out of the far corners of the chamber with platters held high over their heads. Even a few Weavers came scurrying down from high above and began to...play music as a band. But there was something I noticed about the instruments they were carrying. The Weavers were plucking and rubbing stringed instruments. With strings made out f their own threads. I let out a snort as I found the scene all too fitting. But when the platters were set out before us...

I felt my appetite quickly fade. The Weaver tribe were all basically spiders after all. And spiders have...very simple and carnivorous diets. I recognized bits of Dirtcarvers on the platters along with goodness knows what. It was all fresh meat harvested from the wildlife of Deepnest. But...maybe it was still safe to eat? I turned my head up to gaze ahead at Hornet, but she looked at me and shook her head. Even she did not appear interested in what was being offered. And with all those Weavers ready to feast, I felt it was a good idea to finally see myself out. Not to mention I was not comfortable dining with a freshly deceased corpse presiding over the dining room. "Um... I don't wish to be rude, but I just remembered I am needed somewhere right now."

"Are you implying my hospitality is insufficient?" Herrah asked with that piercing iciness returning to her voice. When my gaze met hers, I saw she had regained the characteristic glare of a Weaver. But she soon let out a chuckle and said, "I jest. You are not one of us, so I understand if this is not palatable to your tastes. If you must be off, then off with you then. Just remember that you are welcome in my lair."

Hornet stood up as well while she retrieved her needle. "I shall be off as well. Our guest requires an escort in this unfamiliar land."

"Very well then. Take care, child." Herrah said in fond farewell to her daughter. Hornet made a very direct stroll towards the only way out of Herrah's home. But once I stood up and had my sword and shield back in my hands, Herrah spoke up while her people dined. "Sir James. A moment, if you would."

I turned back to face the queen of Deepnest as she gazed at me. And she spoke gently towards me. "My daughter may seem aloof and cold, but she has spoken kindly of you. Whatever it is you did for her that fateful day, she now sees you as a beacon of hope for her people. If you can, offer her your companionship when possible. She has been alone for so long. That needs to change now that our world has begun to heal."

While my thoughts on Hornet were uncertain, I knew better than to disregard the words of her own mother. She knew more of her daughter than I did. I had only known Hornet for a single night. "Your daughter is...not someone I can easily read. I really don't know what to think bout her. She went from an enemy to an ally pretty much on a whim. I don't understand her."

"I suspect she does not understand you either. She is a child of three queens of three kingdoms. Born from the nest, raised by the high queen, and trained by the hive. I'm certain my words are cryptic to you now, but you may come to understand them in time. Now go. Grant my daughter your presence and peel away the layers to understand her in ways no one ever has." Herrah explained in a manner that made me wonder where my dreaming mind came up with such a profound and complicated world. At least it was making for quite the interesting adventure.

I contemplated Herrah's words. And then I came to a realizing that almost made me laugh. I then asked, "Are you asking me to be your daughter's friend?"

Herrah stared at me blankly for a moment. Only for her eyes to narrow in amusement as she let out a very brief chuckle. "In layman's terms, yes."

What a roundabout way to ask such a simple request. I then sighed and spoke with a slight smile, "I... We'll see. We'll just have to see. But for right now, I'll go be with her. I kind of need her to guide me down here anyway."

"You have my thanks. Safe travels, sir knight. And before you head out, one minor request. If my people ever deem you a worthy meal and attempt to feast upon you, do make an example of them, yes?" Herrah said with quite the snide tone towards the end. I too got a snicker out of that and finally made my way out of Herrah's home.

Hornet was waiting for me patiently on the ledge just outside with only the distant trills of stringed instruments echoing out of the dwelling behind us. She promptly asked, "Why the delay? Were you accosted by them again?"

"No, your mother just wanted a brief word with me." I replied before looking back inside. For as intriguing as I found Herrah, I was in no hurry to ever return to Deepnest. Not when I knew there were people down there that might want to eat me. "Your mother is...imposing, but fair."

"That's quite the apt description of her." Hornet replied while sounding pleased with the turn of events. She then approached the edge of the landing that faced the direction we had approached from. Her needle rose and pointed somewhere high in the distance and very close to the cave ceiling. "The Stagway entrance is just over there. Come."

Hornet swiftly closed the distance with another use of her needle and thread while I followed her on the wings of my armor. The ledge was beside the point where the cable for the disabled lift below reached up past. And when I followed Hornet inside, I was greeted with an absurd amount of webbing cast all over the place. For being a place that should serve as a safe hub of transport to the point of being paved with proper architecture, there was an eerie air about the place. And I could hear the faint skittering of small creatures all about us. "Even the Stagway doesn't feel safe here..."

"Calm yourself. We'll be on our way soon." Hornet retorted as she walked up to a metal bell hanging near the far ledge and gave it a good swat with her needle. It let out a surprisingly gentle ring that I expected to be deeper. I stepped closer to the edge and gazed down at the road below. A great archway stood to the side. But what were we expecting? Would anything come? Was there anyone left to provide services?

My ears answered my thoughts. A distant rumbling, like a heard of stampeding horses, echoed out of the tunnel. And there in the glow of my sword did I see something rapidly approaching. A great beast came charging out of the tunnel and came to a sliding stop as it let out a guttural sigh. But like everything else I had encountered in Hallownest, it was just another bug. A massive rhinoceros beetle with a thick white beard coating his face. And strapped over his sturdy carapace were a pair of cushioned seats. But what surprised me most was when the beast spoke with a gruff and aged voice. "Ah, the call of the bells... It has been too long. But...where is this? I do not recall ever seeing this station before..."

"Greetings, O mighty stag. I hope we can ask for your services." Hornet said as she stepped towards the great beast before us. I was at a loss of what to think. The people of Hallownest used these massive rhinoceros beetles for transportation? And he was so swift too, being carried along on those six sturdy legs. But why call him a stag? He was a rhinoceros beetle, not a stag beetle. Perhaps just because it sounds better...

The mighty stag before us lifted his head to see over the ledge at us. And he showed no surprise upon seeing a human for the first time. The old stag must have seen it all by then. "It would be a pleasure, madam. But this location... It carries an air of danger. Quickly, climb aboard and I will take you somewhere safer."

I was in no disagreement. Deepnest had left quite the impression on me by then and I just wanted out. I began to step forward, but Hornet spoke up before I could try jumping to one of the seats. "You take the front seat. Best to keep your head down."

The back seat did rest a little higher on the stag... Would I be in danger of hitting my head on something up there? I sheathed the Celestial Sword in its scabbard while the stag even leaned closer to the ledge to let me climb aboard without jumping onto him. I leaned forward to help keep my head down while Hornet hopped up to the rear seat. Once properly seated, the stag called back to us. "Where to?"

There was only one place in Hallownest I could remember where I would feel safe. "Dirtmouth, if you can."

"Dirtmouth it is. Let's be off." The stag then took off down past the other archway that led out of the station. And what a noisy ride. His thunderous legs filled the air with the unmistakable racket of the hooves of mighty draft horses. Even the way he ran was more like a horse than a beetle. I doubt I could have even tried to engage in a conversation with Hornet to pass the time with that noise filling the air. The tunnels were dark and the twists many, but the stag never once got lost. Many spherical lamps hung down the middle of the tunnels to light our path. And I never grew board. Riding the stag carried a certain excitement to it.

The ride eventually came to an end as the stag came sliding through another archway and expertly came to a stop beside a landing. It was yet another Stagway station. But one clearly carved out of a cave. Beyond the stone walkway were stalactites and stalagmites as far as the eye could see. It gave a certain humbleness to the location. Fitting for a simple village like Dirtmouth. The stag spoke up once his thunderous legs became still. "And here we are. Dirtmouth lies above. If you need my services again, merely sound the bell and I will come. Safe travels."

"Many thanks, sir." I replied in short as Hornet and I hopped down to the landing. The old stag remained behind us, possibly expecting more passengers to arrive before long. The only way forward appeared to be some sort of lift serving as an elevator. I could see two chains nearby with another holding a large cylindrical weight. But before we could reach it, I stopped. Something besides the whispers of wind in the cave reached my ears. "Wait... You hear that?"

"Hm?" Hornet mumbled with both of us turning our gazes upward once we were right in front of the lift. It was a voice. One that was constantly humming. And along with that... The sound of someone aggressively scribbling on paper. Hornet and I suddenly glanced at each other with matching stares of curiosity on display. That voice did not sound menacing. The tune it was humming was even rather catchy. There was only one thing we could do then. "Come, let us head on up. Step on with me. The lift responds to pressure."

We stepped onto the lift together. I felt something give under us before the lift began to rise smoothly up the shaft above. The sound of metal wheels whirling under us could be heard. And sitting before an old message board with pieces of old parchment attached to it was the source of the sounds. A rotund bug of some kind with long flowing antennae and an impressively long snoot hanging down from his face. I could not tell if that snoot was his nose or his mouth, but it was probably the former since he was wearing a pair of round spectacles over his eyes. He was surrounded by rolls of paper and had a sack on his back full of the things. He constantly scribbled on one big piece of parchment with a quill in hand all while humming away. He was so deep in his work that he did not even hear the lift come up.

Hornet and I were equally curious about the bug before us. We both walked over and loomed over his shoulders to get a look at what he was writing. Or drawing. From the look of it, he seemed to be drawing out a map. And very quickly too. One piece of parchment was not enough and he soon rolled it up before reaching back and pulling a new blank scroll from his pack. He almost ended up grabbing Hornet by her cloak, forcing her to lean away. After another ten seconds, I decided it was time to speak up. "Whatcha doing?"

"Hm?! Oh, hello there! I didn't even hear you there. I tend to get deep in my work when I'm left to my lonesome up here." The bug replied quite happily once he looked over his shoulder at us. Not the least bit defensive or afraid. A very jolly fellow. I could not see his mouth, but he was surely smiling. "This your first time in Dirtmouth? I am Cornifer. And I'm a cartographer by trade. I only just arrived in Dirtmouth with my wife and have set out to begin mapping this vast kingdom. Especially now that the tunnels feel safer than I heard."

"You just arrived? As in...moved in? To Dirtmouth?" I asked with my curiosity piqued. Dirtmouth was a ghost town when I passed through the first time. Now people were starting to settle there?

Cornifer happily explained, "Yes. Plenty of room up here too. And it's not just us. The town is still quiet, but there's now a modest population there. Perhaps more will come along soon."

Hornet and I glanced at each other with wide eyes. This was good news. With the plague gone, maybe there truly were survivors far and wide across what was left of Hallownest. We bid a hasty farewell to Cornifer and headed on out through the doorway ahead of him. And there we stood in the middle of Dirtmouth's town square. Hornet spoke with a hushed voice, "Life has returned here..."

Dirtmouth still looked like a town under the cover of a perpetual night with lampposts casting pale glows over the place, but... There was signs of life. The houses nearest the town square showed signs of habitation. The doors were left wide open with gentle glows coming from within. The rest of the town beyond that section remained dark and empty, but it was a start. I let out a soft sigh of relief. "Hallownest really is healing."

We were tired by then. And we both made our way to the only spot were we could sit down. A wrought iron bench in the middle of the town square. We both let out a harsh sigh as we gracelessly plopped ourselves down on it. And there was us enough room for us both. Hornet spoke with her eyes gazing at the vast expanse of black above us, her hand propping up her needle beside the bench, "It really is happening... Hallownest is healing. Life is returning..."

For once, I decided it was best to remain silent. We had both been through a lot that day. And Hornet had been through so much more than me. She then added with a wistful tone, "Perhaps it is time I too began to heal..."

"Take your time. Trauma...doesn't disappear easily." I muttered softly to my companion. She sounded so tired. So vulnerable. Even with all she had gained following the end of the plague, the memories remained. The experiences would not leave her.

Hornet let out another sigh. And I was surprised by what she did next. I felt her lean against me. And with barely more than a whisper, I heard her speak one last time. "Bless you, Sir James... Bless you."

She began to snore. Fatigue had taken hold. At least Hornet had found a safe spot for a nap. And I could not bring myself to even try to move her. I sat there and wondered undisturbed. I was sure I did not have long before my dream would end, but I had not yet noticed any of the signs.

Only one approached us. The kindly Elderbug. He stepped over to us and spoke with his voice carrying a quiet joy in it. "Welcome back. Did you find what you were searching for down there in the tunnels?"

"Yeah... I found it. And I think I found what everyone else was looking for too." I replied while turning my head to look at my host. Still the same kindly soul I had stumbled across by chance. I then looked down at my companion and said, "I think she found more though."

"The lass has never looked so exhausted. What adventures wore her down whenever she was not here? Did finally find peace?" The Elderbug asked while I had no answer. I knew little about Hornet. Even after meeting her mother.

My time in Hallownest was about to end. I had a feeling in my gut that I would wake up soon. And when I turned my head to look to my left, I saw a familiar sight at the edge of town. A well that reached deep into the earth. And I knew where it led. With little time left, I felt something calling me. I turned to the Elderbug and asked, "Could I ask you to watch over her for a while? There's somewhere I need to be."

"I shall. Just do be sure to say hello again if you come by. Dirtmouth is finally getting back on its feet. So many faces are here now. Some new. Some who I thought I'd never see again." The Elderbug said softly. I very carefully pushed Hornet off me with levitation magic before gently laying her down across the bench. She looked comfortably, he black eyes now narrow slits with them having closed. With some regret, I left Hornet's side and carefully made my way down into the tunnels below.

It was no different than before. So empty with only a few lowly insects making their home there. Many old corpses still littered the roads. I even found the mangled corpses of the reanimated infected in the room where I had been forced to fight them off. Many of them still cleaved in two, their innards dry and hollow. And beyond that room, there it stood. The temple that once served as the tomb of the Hollow Knight.

That was when I felt the first quiver of my dreaming mind starting to stir. It was almost time. And there was someone I needed to see. I entered and found the Black Egg still where it had always been. The entrance still stood open. And upon entering, I was again guided by glowing white glyphs on the floor and standing tall beside the path. The silence was broken by a voice in my head. "Are you well, my dear?"

I had almost forgotten that Nightmare Moon had been watching during that entire ordeal. I looked up as she continued to speak to me. "I must apologize for my inaction. I was very tempted to intervene at times, but a pat of me told me not to. Especially with your companion coming to your aid when she did."

"Yeah... It's fine. Maybe it was for the best anyway. I guess I learned something today." I replied while rolling my eyes. I continued on along the path before saying, "I guess it's almost time. I'll see you at breakfast, all right?"

"Yes, we will speak then. Until then... Take care. I do not sense any danger near you, but... It was a harrowing ordeal you went through that night. Go with caution." Nightmare Moon replied before going entirely silent. I felt the world around me quiver again. I could not delay.

I had to draw my sword once I began to notice the vague hints of stone ahead. Without the orange glow of the plague to light my way, everything beyond that glowing path was pitch black. The Celestial Sword would have to guide me. I entered the stone corridor and was soon startled by a splash of white coming out of the receding shadows. Two white objects... Two halves of a whole.

My heart ached at the sight before me. There.. In the center of that tomb, hand still clutching its trusty blade... Head still crack in two down the middle and detached from the body... The Hollow Knight's corpse remained, seemingly untouched by all. It was as if no one dared to enter the Black Egg after the plague's destruction.

It took courage to draw any closer. Once I was before the Hollow Knight's remains, I stabbed the Celestial Sword into the stone floor to prop it up as a light source and brought myself down onto one knee. I bowed my head to the fallen hero of Hallownest and spoke somberly. "Hello, my friend... I... I bring good news."

The Hollow Knight said nothing. For they could not. The two halves of their head... Hollow and empty as if nothing had ever been there. I tried to compose myself. I never dreamed I would see them again. Not after that. "Hallownest...is healing. There are survivors. Some still live. Some were spared. Maybe...just maybe... Maybe Hallownest will rise again."

I could already feel warmth at the edges of my eyes. The memories... How my friend suffered... And for so long... How I tried to save them without knowing how futile the situation was... I told them they would live... But it was not meant to be. Struggling to hold back tears, I continued to speak to them. "It wasn't all for nothing. Something was saved in the end after all. And...Hornet is well. The Dreamers... They even awoke and are well. I think this kingdom does have a chance. I think...it will endure..."

The tears finally flowed. Even with Hallownest beginning to heal... It was just so unfair. Too much had been sacrificed already. No cost too great? I strongly disagreed. "I wish I could've saved you... You should've lived... After all that suffering, you should've been allowed to see Hallownest survive and... It's not fair..."

The walls of a white void began to close in just like before. I could see the end coming and bowed my head with tears falling. There was no point in resisting. I spoke one last time, "Rest now... Hallownest is in good hands..."

The white filled my vision. And I soon found myself in the slumbering embrace of my beloved Rain Shine and Ember. Their touch was calming and helped sooth my heart. Will I ever see Hallownest again? I know it is only an illusion cooked up by my imagination, but... Such a compelling world. I hope to see it again someday. And that hopefully my next visit will not be quite so harrowing.

I sighed as I patiently waited for my beloveds to awaken. I should not let something as inconsequential as an unhappy dream bring down my morning when I was surrounded by friends and loved ones. It was another day in tropical paradise. And I had plans. It was going to be a very big day for me.