Blade of Hallownest

I - The Colossal Tree

Hornet was perplexed, to say the least.

One moment, she was making her way through Greenpath while observing a little Vessel who she believed to be stalking her, when she noticed white wisps of light dancing towards something hidden in the thick bushes. Curiosity got the better of her, and she stumbled upon something the likes of which she had never seen before. It was a relic of some kind. A stone slate structure, just slightly shorter than her, embellished with luminous teal patterns. The main attraction of the relic, however, was the large hole at its center, where the endless white wisps of light poured into it, creating a bright spiral. Whether out of bravery or foolishness, Hornet reached her hand out to touch it.

The next moment, she was on her back, laying on what felt to her like a large, groovy rock. Though she was no longer blacked out, she wouldn't get up for the next couple minutes, for her eyes were struggling to open in the blinding brightness. When Hornet was finally adjusted to the vastly unusual abundance of light, she slowly arose, carefully sitting up as she first looked down at herself. Her eyes then shifted to what she was sitting on. It wasn't a rock at all. It was wooden bark, like that of a tree. A very, very large tree. And as her attention quickly darted away from what was beneath her, that's exactly what her pitch black eyes were graced with.

"W-What..."

Hornet had never stood up so fast. Her chitin feet clicked against the bark, and her crimson cloak gently danced in the wind as she gazed upon the view in bewilderment. She was standing on the enormous branch of an incomprehensibly gargantuan tree. She looked all around slowly, yet with a sort of suppressed panic, taking in every detail. The branches, like wide pathways adorned with decaying greenery, mushrooms, and flowers. The canopy above, a kaleidoscope of ailing nature that yearned for its beauty to be returned. And the trunk itself, the tree in its entirety, its sheer size was... well, the Princess Protector had nothing to compare it to.

"This isn't Hallownest at all. Where... am I?"

Hornet would stare at the mystifying sight before her a bit longer, listening as the faint breeze blew past her, carrying with it a subtle hum that seemed to resonate from the tree, as if it were barely alive, like an ill elder on their deathbed. Hornet could not stay idle, however, for she knew one thing.

"I must find a way back, and quickly." she muttered. As much as the area fascinated the Weaver princess, she didn't want to waste any time getting back to Hallownest. Who would maintain the fell kingdom's sanctity, if not her?

Hornet reached her hand behind her back. She felt the grip of her large needle, and breathed a short sigh of relief. Though she could feel its surprisingly light weight on her back, she felt reassured by touching it, knowing for certain that she still had her trusty weapon. Determined, she began her trek through the canopy of the colossus. She held her needle at her side as she methodically descended the branches, occasionally using it along with her ropes of silk to make easy work of the traversal.

When she leapt down onto a particularly wide branch on her way towards the trunk, she gets into a fighting stance, needle at the ready, as she's greeted by a familiar, yet alien sight. Ants, of a very giant sort. Three of them; their dark red bodies towering over Hornet as soon as they became alerted to her presence. How odd, she thought. But it was no matter, for she had faced more fearsome foes.

The giant ants squealed as they rushed to claim their meal, but the little princess was no prey. She swiftly jumped over the powerful, crunching mandibles of the first ant, landing on its back as she drove her needle into its abdomen. It screeched in pain as its fellows came down upon her. But as they bit down, she had already leapt away. Hornet took this golden opportunity to tie her silk around the loop of her pommel, and began flailing her needle in wide circles that shredded all three of the giant ants with each swing. A graceful and violent dance. However, the swinging had caused them to spread out. As a result, only two of the three ants were in Hornet's line of sight at a time. So, she had to strategize. There's nothing wrong with focusing on a fewer number of enemies at a time to be more efficient, right?

Well, traditionally, no. When your opponents are three humongous insects that are mindlessly attempting to devour you, however, things become complicated. As the princess knight was occupied, one of the ants had rammed into her from the side with terrible brute force. With a pained grunt, she was flung and pushed right over the edge of the branch. Despite this, Hornet was a lightning quick thinker. As she plummeted head-first down towards her would-be demise, she threw her needle at the canopy above. As it flew, it left behind a trail of the deceptively tough silk, and it pierced a smaller branch above the one she was savagely blasted from. She felt her gut tighten as she swung herself with all her might back up to the large branch.

The giant ants were none the wiser as the lithe spider came down upon one of them with destructive momentum, impaling it through the head with lethal grace. Its shrill shriek faded in a decrescendo as its six legs, each about twice the length of Hornet, curled up in death. The other two ants turned, and were immediately greeted with the princess in red already up in their faces. From there, the fight was a short one. Hornet would not allow herself to be caught off guard again. The way she swiftly dispatched the remaining giant ants was nothing short of overkill, and yet, it was smooth, graceful, and stylish. Such was the way of the Daughter of Hallownest.

As the final ant was flung off the branch into the abyss below, Hornet stared down, taking a second to steady her heartbeat. As she stared far down below, however, she noticed something at the base of the tree. Structures, towers and platforms of foreign bricks; a grand, majestic city.

"I suppose that is where I should be heading." Hornet pondered. "At the very least, I should find some answers."

She could only pray that whatever answers she would find would lead her back to the ravaged kingdom she called home. An unsavory thought briefly intruded: What if she was stuck here, with no way to return? She quickly dismissed it, not wanting to be pessimistic. Surely there would be a way. She sighed deeply as she continued her trek down towards the brace of the colossal tree.