"It's certainly a view that's propped up over time..." I point out, gesturing out across the limited horizon as a familiar shape crosses the fields. The bugs aren't just swarming like they typically do, they're playing things smart. Divide and conquer however they can. The soldiers of this place are rallying where they can, fighting the monsters off as they are able. But it's not enough.
Even if the bugs are nothing special, they're still surface-touched. And frankly, I doubt they're going to be here long enough to die of poisoned earth. I certainly feel less than healthy compared to normal, but that's the thing. I'll last. The people here won't last at all. Ravineer towns barely last when attacked by osibindah if it's not the right kind...
News is travelling faster than us, though, so who knows if getting into the palace will be easy. Good thing we're so out of place, too. If this was the surface then the bugs would've caught up to us at night. Then again, if this was the surface, the battles would not be wholesale slaughter for anyone lacking bug shells.
Eh... So many obnoxious things to consider when you're worrying like this.
"You think it's worth it to throw in a few trick shots?" Heiya asks quietly, looking over her musket in such an awkward manner. She was already clingy about Ivahstar's spike gun, but now she's utterly refusing to let it go. Thing's become more of a teddy bear than it was before. The most uncomfortable one in All-That-Remains but somehow the most lovable one of all.
"That question's more of a trick than anything." I point out, poking at the fire as I periodically try to keep my eyes adjusted to the dark rather than the warm light. Well, warm is stretching it. Fire without magic is like lukewarm water.
"Mm, I suppose. Not worth the ammunition for the moment." Heiya practically whispers, shuffling about as she puts her musket down. The iron-rimmed thing so damn close to the fire. Though frankly, it probably won't even ignite the most random of splinters on the otherwise immaculately cared for gun.
"We best make sure our weapons are ready and loaded, though." I say, looking off towards the evening view once again. Villages are burning, being torn apart. The Crack in the Sky isn't getting bigger, but it certainly feels like it with how its shadow interacts with the sky. The completely missing forest is certainly a part, too.
Each cut tree is a new source of material for the burgeoning hive. Mm. A hive here won't be all that dangerous at all. All the magic is going right towards the palace, clearly.
"Huh, think it, see it." I remark, watching another flash fire of raw magic burst out across the mountaintop.
"Something must really have gone wrong with this hive." Heiya points out, walking away from the fire and going off the well-worked road. Apprehension fills me out and I linger where I am. On the safe, flat ground. Slightly cool and warming up as the fire crackles.
"Earth shaman?" I guess and she nods.
"Yeah. The bugs are clearly trying to follow us, or whoever is in the palace. But, for all it can do, it does nothing but stand back. Like it's not fully committed to... Literally saving its hive? The knights aren't doing well, but they're getting somewhere. There's not enough but..." Heiya rambles on as I idly nod.
"But they'll run out of too many bugs." I tack on, nodding away as a noise pops her lips open.
"There's no magic here, so the earth shaman can't do what it needs to. Yet, there's also clearly no queen if they're desperately coming for me. I don't think they're even killing people if they can help it." she points out and I find myself in complete agreement.
All roads lead to the palace, no one's going to the villages and towns if they can help it. Few of them are, anyway. What people are ahead of us with their animals and wagons aren't too roughed up. For a bug attack, everything's too clean.
They tend to be careful with the women to grow the queen, but they've no problems butchering men. We're food as much as a source of new drones. I guess that's one thing that's stayed consistent, the children are missing. They all are. Little girls, little boys, doesn't matter. Gnawed bones are a constant talk from hive clean-ups.
"Mm, I've worked a few hive-related jobs, now that I think about it." I go, recalling some random memories that can't quite decide what they want to be or do. So few specifics, just flashing images that are as much made-up as they are real. I'm not even sure why my mind is making up jobs I have a history of doing.
"Sounds horrible." Heiya remarks and I give a single, cool nod.
"It really is a horrible experience. Gets better as you do more, but that's a stupid way to think, really." I explain and she simply stares.
"I've only had to deal with a hive once. And, somehow, as my bad luck would have it, this is that hive." Heiya explains, heading back to the fire. I stare back at her, watching her every move.
A hand comes up, two fingers going ahead, "Alright, obvious gesture aside... One, how do you even know that? Two... I think I know the one you're on about?"
"Pops only ever got caught in a single hive to my knowledge. Same one we met Nin in, actually. But, to answer the only important question... I know because of the earth shaman." Heiya explains, a sigh catching in her throat.
"Know the earth shaman?" I ask and she gives a quick nod, dropping down at my side.
"It's a bug that got famous. Called Alxxcron. Wears rusty helmets... It almost killed me and Pops years back." she answers as an awkward cold takes root in me. Is Heiya fine bringing up...?
No... Of course not.
She sniffles, looking around and then hugging up against me. I wrap an arm around her, bringing her in closer as Ivahstar's spike gun shakes about. She walked right into it, didn't she? Silly girl... Silly, silly girl...
"I would joke that Ivahstar would be proud of you for offing the bug... But..." I huff, awkwardly keeping to the bad joke even as I cross boundaries I shouldn't.
"He was unconscious at the time... He got high on... Capture-sack lubricant right after." Heiya gently laughs, my body taking in most of the sound.
"I'm sure he'll be proud either way." I assure her as she shakes her head. My arm moves a bit, her spines coming a bit too close to my coat for comfort.
"I won't even be the one to kill it." Heiya answers, her eyes no doubt going up towards the palace. The bug ahead of the hive part in particular...
"Hm, you know, if Nin ever gets caught naked... He probably won't be able to get his magic back." I realise and Heiya gives me nothing but a shrug.
"He has enough." Heiya groans, snuggling up against me some more as some static shocks its way out of her fur.
"Certainly hope so. I'm no witch, but, that certainly looks like a lot of magic blowing up when it does." I say and Heiya groans again, a softer tone to it this time.
"Still, certainly is funny, I guess..." she points out as my expression mellows out.
"Bug to handle the bugs?" I go and she nods ahead of the answer.
"Yeah... Yeah." she says, leaving the hug and leaving me with a whole gold vein of disappointment.
"Aw..." I go, getting at least something of a giggle out of her.
"I guess when we're done here, we go?" Heiya asks, her tone low and miserable in its entirety.
"If you want to spend some time..." I try to say and she interrupts me with a shake of her head.
"No. No. I guess the osibindah coming here kind of... Ruined it completely. The wonder is all gone. It was never going to last anyway." she says, her voice flat and empty of everything it could possibly have. I frown at her words, getting up and stomping the fire for the sake of changing things up.
"I feel like you're letting the bugs decide too much here, Heiya. We're here for your sake, not Nin's or anyone else's." I point out and she turns about, a slight sneer to her lips.
"We can't even leave without fighting our way out. We get that far and it all ends at the tunnel. We're back in the tunnel and... It's not like even now I'm avoiding it. I can't help but think about going out there. I can't help but head that way. The whole walk I took a few days back was just that, too, Hrurim..." she explains and I turn around to face the big problem again.
I guess she's right there, we always head that way and we're not getting out of this. It all goes back that way. She can only lose herself if the dream is maintained. And, well, the dream is nothing when problems keep spilling into it.
"Just try and get some sleep, Heiya." is all I can think to say as I think where this is going to go. We won't be able to circumvent the problem. Heiya will have to come to terms with her grief for the final time... I'm not sure if that's even good for her.
"It's funny, you know? I can't stop thinking about him. He won't leave me even when he's gone forever..." Heiya lets out as she holds the spike gun so close her body is marked by its pressure.
"And you shouldn't let go of him." I remind her as another sniffle disturbs the evening. I mind the sky, watching the night come ever closer and look back to her. Uncertainty making me as shaky as she is.
Wow... This is what it is like to go so long without any sticks, huh? There's this annoying buzz to everything and... No, no. Keep my mind on her, it has to stay on her.
"I don't want to let go of him... That's the point but every day just brings me closer to doing just that. We're going to Nin so we can carry on with dealing with Gamtambo... We're fighting the bugs to get out into the tunnels and we're doing all of this to...!" she goes, her frustrations quite potent. Yet, all the subtler.
"I know it's hard, Heiya... And... I'm sorry I can't be of more help here. If I could, we wouldn't even be doing this... And... Ivahstar would not be dead." I tell her, trying to put some of the blame onto myself so she doesn't have to feel like it's all hers. She keeps doing that. Blaming herself for getting held hostage. But I was there, too!
I was there too!
I got knocked out and tied up in some filthy back alley outpost. I was getting tortured for the sake of it and even Ivahstar would've been happy to leave me behind. All for her. Heiya is all that mattered to him when it came down to it. My life was saved to save hers, that was Ivahstar's last part of my life, really.
I should do right by him, my friend or not. I owe him that. Heh... I'm only even here to do right by him, to help him with Gamtambo and then I can... Leave it all behind, I guess. Go back to some simple enforcer job, find a small-time crime family or even some back-alley gang.
No, be there for her. Be there for Heiya. Be there for her until she finds someone else to be there for her forever... Until she finds a family or something. It certainly worked for Ivahstar, however much it's worth.
My hand comes up and I wiggle my fingers, urging her to come closer. She does just that and the arm pulls her close. No spike gun between us. Just her against me.
"Don't worry, Heiya, don't worry... It'll be alright. I know it's repetitive. I know it's painful... Just know it will be alright." I assure her, the cackle of the fire going away as her crying fills out the air more so.