Chapter 74

Vespae Hive, Etson National Forest, Etson - 9:09 AM

“Goddamned son of a bitch!” I swore again, punching the brown tunnel wall. My hand sunk into it on impact. I yanked it free and shook off the flecks of dried, muddy pulp that clung to it.

“What is that?” Thomas asked. Ahead, even Kayla had stopped to turn around and look at me.

“It’s-“

“Anthony Franklin.” My name seemed to come from the walls, spoken by a garbled, guttural voice. “It’s so good to see you’ve survived my friend’s attack. Yes, good to see, good to see. How has my scalpel been treating you?”

“Demonic Demon Pustibule,” I spat.

“The one who turned Jeremiah?” Thomas asked.

“The demon from the medical center?” Jeff asked at the same time.

“Just so you know, this hive is much lower technology than I’m used to, and I cannot hear what you’ve said back to me. Cannot, cannot,” Pustibule continued. I motioned Kayla forward and, while she seemed hesitant, she began to move again. The rest of the group started following after her. “But I know you’re there, Anthony Franklin, I can feel you slithering through the tunnels like a worm in the earth. I can feel that which is inside you.”

“Ugh, gross. What’s this guy’s deal?” Gabrielle asked from the middle of our group.

“I killed this demon up in Stanley and took his weapon, and he seems rather sore about the whole thing,” I explained.

“Corwin, stay with Anthony,” Jeff commanded. The dog slowed down to walk beside me, and I placed my hand on his head. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth and I was feeling a little better. I still wanted to find and strangle that demon, but Corwin’s soothing presence helped.

“I just want you to feel absolute dread knowing what’s coming next,” the voice droned, and I could practically hear the sneer oozing through the walls. “The queen has been so gracious as to let me… experiment on her. Oh yes, oh yes, her hatred of you runs almost as deeply as mine. Almost, almost.”

“Well, this just got harder than it should be,” I complained with a sigh. We passed by a dead worker Vespae who looked like they had been stabbed in the head by Kayla. We were coming up on parts of the hive that were inhabited by the wasps, and soon we were having to crawl over corpses.

“Harder in which way?” Thomas grunted as he navigated the tunnel.

“Now we have to deal with whatever Seraphim did before he was punished and whatever Pustibule could get away with in the scum sucker’s absence,” I replied.

“Getting her to agree was the easy part. Yes, easy. I’m starting the process to wake her up from her metamorphosis now,” Pustibule said with glee. “I had to cut some corners, you see, not a lot of time. No, not a lot of time at all. I’ll give you just a little hope, Anthony Franklin, just a little bit. You see, she’ll only survive the transformation for about a day, just a day. Do you know what that means?”

“Kayla, faster!” I called ahead urgently.

“There’s still a ton of them ahead of us!” she called back.

“Anthony, what does it mean?” Elder Tet asked, glancing back at me. Despite his age, he wasn’t having any trouble climbing over the growing carpet of corpses.

“I’ll tell you what it means,” Pustibule cackled. “She’ll have a day of fun slaughtering the people of your city! A candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, as you humans say, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she’ll be able to accomplish. I’m positively giddy at the thought! If you want to stop that, you’d best rush, boy.”

That damned cackling laugh continued for a few seconds before abruptly cutting off. The feeling of dread and hatred washed away from me as I felt the demonic presence disappear. “Kill the ones you have to, leave the rest to Thomas behind you,” I ordered. “We need to move, now!”

“Got it!” Kayla called back.

“Won’t the scenario hold her back?” Jeff asked nervously. “Like, she can’t go and attack the city, can she?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I answered. “Outside of this hive is Etson’s biggest fighting force. If she massacres even half of them before getting put down, then the city is in an incredibly poor position. I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”

Determined silence fell over the group as we picked up the pace. In addition to Kayla, I soon heard Thomas start killing Vespae up in the front. I even saw Elder Tet move in front of Gabrielle to help as the healer was still operating off of a pacifism buff and understandably didn’t want to let it drop for even a moment.

The deeper into the hive we got, the larger our path became until even Jeff, the tallest of us, could stand without trouble. Several smaller tunnels branched off of this one like blood vessels from an artery. These lead to various rooms meant for resting and eating, but weren’t on our list of places to visit. As the glowing lights embedded in the walls started to glow even brighter, that path turned downwards, and we began descending.

We must have passed by at least a hundred bodies by the time we entered a large room. The ground here was made of cracked concrete with a large target painted in yellow filling up the whole of the chamber. It looked as though the walls had been built around the target specifically, though I knew it was because this was meant to be a boss chamber.

The strike team hovered around the tunnel’s exit as we looked on at its only inhabitant. I wasn’t expecting a horde of Vespae here as all of the soldiers were outside and the workers would be bundled tightly in their rooms, out of the way. Of all the things that went right, I’m glad that was one of them, because the wasp standing before us now was more than enough to hold back the average gang of intruders.

Ylstin, the Tarantula Hawk Vespae, stood in the bullseye of the target. She was the largest enemy I had come face to face with so far in this run if I disregarded the Writhing Juggernaut and Zeppelin. The black exoskeleton reflected blue despite the soft yellow lights that were settled into the walls in abundance. She stood fifteen feet tall, towering over us. In one hand was a smooth, black tower shield as tall as two men and as wide as four. In her other was a long spear that nearly matched her own height.

“Holy shit,” Thomas swore as we looked up at the monolith before us. Everyone stood stock still as Ylstin turned to face us, her red eyes narrowing

“Everyone remember the plan?” I asked softly.

The Vespae raised her spear and began banging on her shield. The loud, rhythmic drumming filled the chamber, but no one came. No one needed to with Ylstin guarding the area. Still, each strike of her shield could be felt in our bones, shaking us to our core.

“Alright, so, my stomach actually does hurt now,” Jeff said. His tone was strained and he had a protective arm around Kayla. “But yeah, the plan. Everyone ready?”

“Enough of that infernal racket!” Elder Tet suddenly yelled. The Kobold had been shaking more than any of the rest of us, and he thrust his staff into the air as he quickly chanted a spell.

The bullseye beneath Ylstin swirled before erupting upwards. A giant spike made of concrete and dirt attempted to skewer the Vespae as it rose, but our enemy showed a surprising agility that did not fit her monstrously sized frame. Ylstin took a step back and leaned her shield forward, catching the spike before it could hurt her. The black paint was scratched, revealing the steel underneath, but other than that the tower shield was unharmed.

Tet’s spell spurred the rest of us into motion. “Corwin, transform!” Jeff ordered as he and the dog ran to the left. Corwin’s body shifted and changed, growing larger as his fur turned dark orange and ashy embers flew out of his mouth with every breath. Kayla ran behind them, though she kept her distance. Her goal was to strike during times when Ylstin was distracted, making sure her Backstab worked at least once before her illusion disappeared.

I ran to the right, leaving Tet with Thomas and Gabrielle. Spinning my Vague Stick, I threw it at the Vespae’s head and Pushed even as I continued to move. Ylstin glanced at it for just a moment before deciding to ignore it. My weapon slammed into the side of her face, but glanced off. I Pulled it back.

Raising her leg, Ylstin slammed the bottom of her foot into the spire. It creaked, breaking from the force and flying towards Tet. The Kobold raised his staff in the air and a wall of earth surged upwards in front of him. Concrete met concrete, erupting into a cloud of dust and rubble. I heard the trio behind the wall coughing; none of them seemed to be in pain, so I let them be and ran towards the Vespae.

As I caught the Vague Stick, I saw that Jeff and Corwin had the same plan, and Kayla was almost completely behind Ylstin now. Corwin leapt upwards, easily clearing the splintered spire and landing on top of it. He barked before opening his mouth wide. His neck began to light up as fire burst from his gullet directly at Ylstin’s face. The Vespae recoiled, but not by much.

While she was distracted, Jeff and I struck at her. The fencer went for her backwards facing knees while I went after her less armored gaster. My Vague Stick sunk into the softer flesh, causing her to take a step back, though not before Jeff’s Killer Sting slipped between her armored exoskeleton to strike the knee. I stepped back with her, actually having to take several steps to match her one, and Pushed my weapon deeper before Pulling it back out.

Green and black blood oozed out of the hole I had left, but all it seemed to do was make Ylstin mad. The Vespae spun quickly with her shield lowered to the ground. I dove out of the way, landing on the ground mere inches from the danger. The winds created by the force of her blow whipped at my clothes, threatening to send me flying further than I had, but they died down fast.

Scrambling to my feet, I saw Jeff had jumped away the same as me. When Ylstin finished her spin, she slammed her tower shield into the remains of the spire. Corwin, who had not yet stopped breathing fire, was tossed aside amongst the rubble. My breath caught, and I heard Jeff cry out, but the Black Dog jumped to his feet after a hard landing.

I found myself breathing a sigh of relief; if Corwin had not evolved, there was very little chance he could have survived that. Even from this distance he looked beaten and battered, and the soft glow of healing magic enveloped him. Ylstin caught this, too, and the Vespae jumped away from Jeff and I towards Gabrielle. Her red-orange wings extended as she rose into the air, but they didn’t seem designed to keep her flying. Instead, she reached the pinnacle of her jump and used them to glide through the air.

At least, that’s what the Vespae had expected. I began running towards Gabrielle when I noticed that Kayla had jumped onto Ylstin’s gaster, using the hole I had created as a handle, and threw herself upwards towards the wings. With a wave of her hand, Kayla’s Vanishing Dagger appeared in her grip. With her other hand, she grabbed one of the Vespae’s wings and started slashing as quickly as she could. Once she was unable to glide, Kayla slammed her Vanishing Dagger into the wing’s joint and drew blood from the Vespae.

Thomas pushed Gabrielle out of the way even as Tet summoned another wall out of the rubble. Without one of her wings, Ylstin reached down with her spear and struck the ground. The wicked stinger at the end of the weapon pierced the concrete, but the force spun the Vespae around. She released the weapon and slammed back-first into the wall, squishing Kayla between the sturdy stone barrier and Ylstin’s hard exoskeleton. A cry of pain and a crunch was all we heard from Kayla as the Vespae stood back up. Jeff screamed as he ran.

From behind the wall, Thomas jumped over and grabbed the Vespae’s wing just as Kayla had before. It was in tatters now, completely useless, but he swung his sword at the joint of Ylstin’s other wing. The magical water sword proved exceptionally sharp as it sliced straight through the base. A massive hand reached backwards to grab Thomas, but by then the man had let go and dropped to the ground.

As I ran towards the Vespae, I reached out with my hand and Pulled Kayla towards me by her leather jerkin. Part of the Crowd had worn off now, leaving her as her normal human self. She let out a pained moan, but didn’t move. Ylstin looked down at Kayla as she seemingly slithered along the ground towards me. The Vespae took a single step forward and attempted to kick the downed Double Agent.

“THAT’S MY WIFE!” Jeff screamed. He body slammed the giant Vespae’s leg, throwing it off just enough that her clawed foot scratched through the concrete floor instead of his wife.

The man extended his rapier with a straight arm and exploded forward at a speed that caused him to blur for a moment. Killer Sting pierced through Ylstin’s other leg, knocking her further off balance. She fell to the ground as she was forced to perform a split, and Jeff was forced into an awkward bend as he refused to relinquish his weapon.

Which put him in a very bad place directly in front of the Vespae. Ylstin grunted in pain, but didn’t stand up. She shifted her undamaged leg and slammed her tower shield in between them so that Jeff would have nowhere to go. I stopped dragging Kayla as soon as I saw that golden glow around her, and she began to stir. A quick glance at Gabrielle showed a worried yet determined face as she pointed her Dove’s Rod of Peace at our Double Agent.

I saw Tet run around the wall, leaving it for cover in case we needed it later, and quickly assess the situation. He watched as Ylstin raised a thick, clawed hand and began bringing it down on Jeff. I couldn’t see the man due to the tower shield being in the way, but Tet could and he raised his staff. Three thick spikes flew out of the ground and slammed into Ylstin’s arm. They embedded themselves through the carapace and the Vespae howled in pain as her claws struck her own leg. Jeff jumped free from the enemy’s lap without his rapier, but he only had eyes for Kayla.

He slid to his knees next to his wife, checking her out. “Come on, Jeff! Pull yourself together!” I yelled as I began running. I tossed my Vague Stick into my inventory and grabbed onto Ylstin’s spear. Attempting to pull it out was hard, but fruitful even though I had to use both my strength and Lift to pull it out of the ground. It had been stuck tight, but once I pulled it free I spun it so the stinger at the end was pointed at Ylstin.

Holding the spear was tough; the thing was three times my height and was as thick around as my leg. Still, I used Lift on the end to get the angle right and activated Crash Test. My body flung forward on my heels with the spear aimed directly at Ylstin’s heart. The Vespae shifted, looking at me from around her tower shield, which began glowing a bright blue in response to my advance. The spear struck the shield dead center, but didn’t pierce it as intended.

Instead, I continued forward without it, slamming my body into the immovable wall. I recoiled as I couldn’t break through it, and took the damage for messing up the skill. Blood flowed freely from my now-smashed face, and I backed away from the Vespae as quickly as was able. I swore under my breath; I had hoped to take care of this in one go, but my misplay left me in a bad spot.

Ylstin swiped with the shield towards Tet, causing the Kobold to flee backwards. He was panting from exertion, and as he moved he stumbled and fell. Safe for now, but still; his age was catching up with him. From Ylstin’s other side, Thomas attempted to slice through the Vespae’s hip. His sword cut through the thick exoskeleton, but not deep enough.

Gabrielle’s healing glow surrounded me as I backpedaled, and I turned to see Jeff helping Kayla up. She was looking worse for wear, but still alive. Our healer must have decided that I was a bigger priority than our Double Agent, and after a moment’s assessment I could see why. Kayla had a dazed look in her eyes, and it seemed like she might have had the Concussion debuff. Luckily, it wouldn’t last long, but it meant she was out of the combat for a while.

“… Queen?” I heard Jeff ask her, voice quiet.

“… What?” Kayla responded.

“Do you agree to be my Queen?” Jeff asked softly, and I nearly swore under my breath. “Please just say yes.”

“Y-yes?” Kayla responded woozily, clearly unsure of what she was being asked. Jeff nodded grimly, and swiped the air in front of him as he was going through his menus.

“What are you doing?” I asked quickly. Ylstin was getting back onto her feet even as Tet and Thomas were attacking. Killer Sting was still lodged to the hilt in her leg, but as she stood completely I heard the blade snap. Reaching down, she went for her spear. I Pulled it away from her, causing her to scream in frustration. Her gaze traveled to me, and then over to Jeff and Kayla.

I moved in front of the Mills and pulled my Vague Stick from my inventory along with Boss Steener’s Golden Bowling Ball. Ylstin ran towards me with her tower shield in front. Sparks flew from the concrete where it was being dragged against the ground, but I kept my eyes locked with hers. The massive Vespae reached me in three steps. Gritting my teeth, I braced myself and held the bowling ball in front of me.

Ylstin slammed her shield into mine and pushed me back against the ground. I braced the bowling ball with my other arm but continued to slide backwards. Thanks to the properties of the magic shield I hadn’t taken damage, but that didn’t stop her strength from dwarfing mine under normal circumstances. From behind the tower shield I could hear Thomas slashing away and Corwin growling. I couldn’t see what she did but the Vespae shifted, and I saw Thomas slide to the ground clutching his chest. Ylstin must have kicked him away.

As she shifted again, I jumped back and to the side. I could see Corwin, fur flaming, attached to the Vespae’s gaster with no intention of letting go. Ylstin was thrown off balance now that I wasn’t pushing back against her, and she lost her footing. I wound up to throw the bowling ball at her. She moved to stop it with her arm but it was too late. I Pushed the thirty pound ball into her chest and cracked her exoskeleton.

Suddenly, Ylstin was pushed back further than my blow should have been capable of. I turned to see that Jeff was next to me now, and that he had rammed her shield. It had been dented by the force of his blow, actually. Corwin jumped away as the Vespae fell backwards onto the ground.

I watched, mesmerized, as Jeff kicked the shield Ylstin placed over herself to protect her new weak spot. From atop her chest, the man fell to his knees and began punching the crack I had left in her carapace. “THAT. IS. MY. WIFE!” he yelled, punctuating each word with a punch. Although I couldn’t see well from this angle, it looked like his fist was sinking deeper with each strike.

When Ylstin began moving again, I snapped out of it. “Corwin, sic the arm!” I yelled, and the dog immediately complied. As I Pulled the golden bowling ball back into my hand, Corwin jumped onto Ylstin’s arm and sank his teeth in at her elbow. Ash and embers flowed freely from his mouth as his growling grew louder.

I jumped onto the Vespae’s chest behind Jeff and swung my bowling ball at the incoming shield meant to knock the other man off of her. Out of the corner of the eye I could see that Jeff was no longer punching now that the carapace was almost completely destroyed, but stabbing into it with Kayla’s Ornate Dagger. Thomas ducked under the shield now that I had stopped it, and sent a flurry of stabs at Ylstin’s wrist.

Howling in pain and rage, the Vespae started to kick and squirm until Tet cast another of his earthen magics. The concrete around one side of Ylstin’s legs rose and fell, crushing them underneath before settling to form a barrier not unlike a blanket. The enemy still twisted and turned, nearly tossing me off, but I held. Jeff made due by grabbing the pieces of Ylstin’s carapace that weren’t broken, all while still stabbing.

It did not take long. Soon, the Vespae dropped her shield, knocking Thomas down as he was under it. The Justicar crawled out from it immediately, rubbing his head where it had struck him. Her fight with Corwin ended as she could no longer bend her arm at the elbow. I watched as Jeff, his face still full of rage, had turned her innards into stew with his wife’s dagger.

The results of the fight appeared in my vision along with the results from the fight to get inside that I hadn’t checked yet.

[[Victory!]]

You have defeated x11 Vespae Warriors; +55 points.

You have contributed in defeating x82 Vespae Warriors; +164 (410) points.

You have contributed to the defeat of the Scenario Boss [Ylstin, Royal Guardwasp Knight]; +120 (600) points.

The strike team didn’t cheer as they panted and collapsed from exhaustion. Jeff was the one who moved the most, and that was to go and comfort his wife. Even Corwin laid down next to his kill. After seeing Ylstin in action, seeing how many points she had been worth, things were really put into perspective for the strike force.

“Everybody take a breather,” I said around my own heavy breaths. “We made it through this, and we’ll make it through the next one. The queen’s only worth a thousand points, after all.”

Same as the Writhing Juggernaut, I thought but didn’t say out loud.