Chapter Text
Pharloom was a dangerous place. That was, until Hornet’s attempt to free it from its curse. Now, what once was an eerie stasis became a march towards total annihilation, the kingdoms twisted heart laid bare, and it was utterly unforgiving.
She did not have time, however, to consider the difficulty of her task. It was non-negotiable: Hornet’s feud with Grand Mother Silk had begun Pharloom’s collapse, and now she would save it. The three hearts would be collected, the Everbloom retrieved, and the silk-spun child claimed back from the darkness. If ever she faced an insurmountable challenge, then the path to her success must be elsewhere.
This line of thinking had not failed her yet; the hearts of Nyleth and the Crust King were hers, but Skarrsinger Karmelita held a different type of power- that of a hunter- which at its prime proved too much for Hornet to defeat. Naturally, she decided on a new place to focus her efforts.
“Ahh! Miss Grand Champion Hornet! Certainly, a welcome sight you are in this troubling moment.”
Hornet blinked.
“Greetings, Fleamaster.”
She had come to Fleatopia intending to challenge Seth’s high score in the games- beating them would be proof of training, then she would defeat the Skarrsinger- but she found her friend absent, and the fleas huddled at the edge of their settlement.
She continued. “I came to participate in the festivities, but I see they have been stalled. What is it that troubles your paradise?”
“Come, Come! See for yourself... these sinister intruders, setting up shop without so much as a greeting!”
He gestured Hornet to the gathering of fleas, all gawking at circus tents in the distance.
Their deep crimson stood stark against the pale lake. Steed bugs with distinctive striped masks rested on either side of the main tent’s entrance, craning their necks around their new home. The droning of an accordion was almost drowned out by the fleas’ mutterings, which stopped as the two approached.
“As I was saying, they slithered in straight past our Fleatopia and have wasted no time in setting up this macabre display! I thought them here to join us in our celebration, but our new neighbours seem to have no intention of introducing themselves, let alone stating their purpose, so we are now contemplating w-who will be the one to go and...”
“...Are you alright, Miss Hornet?”
Vog turned from Hornet, to Fleamaster Mooshka, then to her pile of spears. “Master Flea. Correct, was I, to throw bonepin. Bug called Hornet shows great fear. She is champion. Red bugs are danger. Mamashka. I resume my attack.”
“Ah... Apologies, Fleamaster. I...”
The fleas stared.
Hornet looked to Vog. “There is no need, madam. I will confront your odd new neighbours and learn their purpose on Fleatopia’s behalf, if you’ll permit me.”
She hoped that her offer would distract them from her unwonted reaction.
“Ahh, our Champion, Miss Hornet! So noble!”
It did.
Hornet did not hesitate as she entered the main tent. The fleas would think her brave, but the truth was, Hornet knew exactly what the Grimm Troupe was and what they were here to do, and she had no intention of letting it happen.
A callous and garish act, travelling between dying worlds to feed upon their despair, with no purpose other than self-perpetuation. She had been taught of the ritual by her father, then witnessed it herself, carried out by the Ghost of Hallownest.
What she did not expect, however, was the parade of death following her this closely.
There was a bug in the entrance with an accordion. He swayed vacantly as he played, almost as though it was the instrument that moved its master. He did not stop when Hornet turned to him.
“Mrmm. You prepared an offering. Master is waiting.”
“Sir, I did not.”
“Master is waiting.”
This was not going anywhere anytime soon, Hornet thought. She proceeded through the stands, to the main stage, but found no sign of this ‘Master’. She readied her needle. A stage light fell upon her.
The Troupe Master unfurled from nothingness with a flash of scarlet flame and a drumroll- which, decidedly, also came from nothingness- and bowed deeply. They moved with an elegance that suggested it had been heavily rehearsed, yet still not natural.
“At last… the silken sister of flamebearer’s past has arrived at our troupe. I must extend our sincerest thanks, for--"
“Stay your pleasantries, Nightmare King.”
The Troupe Master’s eyes widened as they met the point of Hornet’s needle.
“You have travelled to this land in its time of need, not bringing hope to its people, but to feed from their despair. I can’t allow it. This nightmare is early yet, and even sooner will it be ended by my blade, whererin you will find your harvest sorely lacking. Tell me who summoned you or I will feel no remorse in prying the answer from your empty shell.”
It took a moment for the master to compose themselves before they rose to respond.
“It appears that there are some misunderstandings between us, friend.”
“Including that I am not your friend”, Hornet retorted.
“Your question, I can answer: it was you who summoned us here. Not in the traditional sense, mind, but a welcome call it was… so many nightmares to feed on, fresh from their source, that our troupe could reach on foot. Now grant me a question too, frien- ah… Acquaintance.”
The Troupe Master tilted their head slightly. “You seem to know me as the Nightmare King?”
“Vessel of the Nightmare Heart. The centre of its sick perpetuation.”
“Queen, acquaintance. I am Grimm, the Nightmare Queen.”
Hornet did not know how to respond to that.
“But really, if we are acquaintances as you say, then Troupe Master will suffice. Or would you rather admit our connection?”
She retracted her needle in an unspoken apology and answered with only slightly less aggression. “Perhaps I misjudged the details of your arrival, but you too are mistaken on my intentions. Your ritual will not be completed, certainly not by my hand.”
“Very well.”
“So I advise you leave, and search for somewhere else to complete it.”
Grimm smiled. “Suggestion noted.”
Hornet left the troupe after that. She told Fleamaster Mooshka that their mysterious new neighbours were also here to celebrate the kingdom’s collapse- that much was true- but their celebrations were twisted and dangerous, and the fleas were not to involve themselves. They accepted this delightfully quickly.
The ritual could not be completed without her, she thought, so soon the Nightmare Queen would depart, and Hornet could focus on more pressing matters.
When she returned to Fleatopia a few days later, the troupe remained. Stubborn lot. They’ll be gone soon. And if not, I’ll make them. The fleas were yet again in a huddle, but she was relieved to find Seth at its centre. They must be enquiring of his travels- Hornet walked over to join.
Seth noticed her through the crowd and beckoned, “Oh! There you are, friend! What a pleasure it is to see you!”
“I can say the same for you, Seth.”
“I was hoping you’d stop by soon, actually- there’s someone I’d like you to meet!”
“…And who would that be, Seth?”
No. He wouldn’t.
“Here- give him here, Fleamaster- say hello, little one!”
Seeing how proudly Seth thrust the Grimmchild in her face, she realised that,
Yes.
This was the late guardian of Nyleth. Obliging to a fault yet deadly with his pin, and innocently exploring the wonders of a haunted kingdom.
Of course he would.
Notes:
seth is sooo ready to be a father
hornet back down to one (1) male family member
Chapter Text
“Ah… It’s a pleasure to meet you, little flame.”
Hornet regarded the child- which was still only inches from her face- with clear apprehension and tentatively lifted a hand to stroke his face. Hornet figured that the way the fleas were fawning over him would be a tough act to match. She looked back up to Seth.
“I take it then, that you’ve met the Troupe Master?”, she asked, making great effort to not to sound like a disappointed mother.
“Ha ha! ‘Met’ them, I did indeed! I ran into that striking lot first as they travelled through the dusty plain past the citadel. Terribly dangerous place, that is, so I thought I’d ask them what their business was. And would you believe it! They said that they too were here to honour this kingdom’s collapse! So naturally, I sent them to Fleatopia to join the festivities and continued about my travels for a while.”
“I see”.
Hornet looked at the Grimmchild now resting on Seth’s shoulder, then back up at the bug.
“And then what?”
“Well, judging by your reaction, you seem to know who this little one is?”
(Mooshka’s voice cut in unexpectedly from behind: “A jolly good flea dodger?”)
If he had asked her a few days ago, she would’ve said yes without hesitation, but meeting the Nightmare Queen had challenged Hornets perception of their nature. She thought the Troupe Master to be iterating endlessly upon himself in a sick bid for immortality. This one, however, was much less an incarnation of the same being than she was his daughter.
And so soon, had this daughter sought a child of her own.
“…You have agreed to partake in her ritual.”
“Quite so, friend! Tell me, how is it you came to know the troupe? Ha- I’ll say- if I stood you and the Master’s striking figures side by side, I would think you family!”
Hornet twitched.
“I was merely taught of the Grimm Troupe in my upbringing… but that is an amusing observation.”
Perhaps, if she looked at him intently enough, she could stare the truth directly into his shell.
She continued. “When they arrived in Fleatopia a few days ago, I spoke to the Troupe Master myself. I believe I was the one initially expected to perform your task. Unfortunately, I had to decline.”
“But why?”, Seth interrupted. “It sounds like rollicking good fun, re-treading my steps through Pharloom with this little one in tow, duelling with the Master’s kin. A bug as skilled as you would have no problem with it. And, the Troupe Master, she was so kind in her request, she seemed… almost desperate.”
He trailed off, then after a short moment was overcame by a sense of duty.
“Anyway, we’ll be setting off soon, but to where I’m not quite sure. The Troupe Master was kind enough to mark the location of these ‘flames’ on my map. The first two are fine- one in Greymoor, one in the swamps below—”
“Seth. Nothing about those swamps is fine.”
“Ha! True. But the issue is, see,” Seth pulled a scroll out of his bag and unrolled it. “My map of this kingdom is rather rudimentary. The third location is all the way over here, and as far as I’m concerned, ‘over here’ doesn’t exist. Not by a long shot.”
“Oh! Let me see…”
She stepped to Seth’s side, and was surprised to see that the Nightmare Queen had actually burned small holes into the parchment where the flames were located. He looked amused by this as he pointed out the hole in the empty upper left corner.
“That would be in The Slab. The ancient prison of the Citadel, accessed by continuing straight through its upper halls. Here…”
Hornet took out the relevant pages of her map and held them next to Seth’s.
Every corner of the kingdom accessible to her had been drawn out in a fractal-like depth and staked with pins of various colours and materials. A legend in the corner listed what each one meant. Bench, Vendor, Bell Beast. Notes covered all remaining space detailing environmental hazards, encounters with various travellers, and references to page numbers in her Hunter’s Journal.
Seth’s map fit comfortably on one roll of parchment and consisted mostly of large blobs. Some had a scratchy drawing to identify them; Greymoor a windmill, The Citadel some music notes, but most were empty, save for a long arrow that started in Shellwood and winded through to Fleatopia. The only writing was in Shellwood: Pretty flowers!!!
A long moment of silence stretched out between them as they looked from one map to the other.
“Seth.”
“…Uh-huh.”
“Although I declined the ritual, that was merely because I am working to prevent Pharloom’s collapse. It would be hypocritical of me to let them try, knowing that the kingdom will be saved, and their ritual incomplete. However, you have now bound yourself to this task and have no choice but to attempt it.”
Neither of them looked up.
“I think it would be best- if you’ll permit me- for me to accompany you on your journey. I do not doubt your abilities; however the threat of the abyss bears heavy on this kingdom, and it would be careless of me to—”
Seth smiled at her. “You are more than welcome to come along, friend.”
The pair bid farewell to the fleas- which included having a lot of food forced upon Seth’s bag- and set out for the first flame. They would start in The Slab, Hornet decided, then travel down to Greymoor for the second flame and collect the third as they came back up through Bilewater.
She led through the void-infested halls of the crumbling Citadel, mindful to keep a hand on her needle.
Seth followed close behind with the Grimmchild, but occasionally slowed to look around. How amusing, Hornet thought, that he can wander through an actively collapsing building like it’s a sightseeing tour.
Was it immense strength that carried him through? Blind innocence? Or perhaps- a mixture of both?
His unique return to this world had certainly created an interesting bug.
“So, my wonderful guide… could you tell me some more about this prison we’re headed to?”
“Of course. The Citadel appear to have used it for many generations to contain those it considered sinful. These ‘sins’ could be as petty as a hoarse voice, but imprison them it did nonetheless.”
Seth tilted his head. Hornet wondered if the late guardian had ever known the true corruption of the Citadel.
“It's actually entirely possible that the flame could be located on Mount Fay, which it borders, but given the nature of the ritual I believe my original judgement is correct. There’s hardly anyone’s terror to collect from a barren mountain.”
The bug’s eyes widened and he shouted: “Theres a—”
Before she could react, Seth had appeared in front of her with a wave of his pin that swung a void-corrupted choristor to the ground. He then skewered it in one instant motion and turned back to her with a giggle.
“-A mountain, in Pharloom?”
He hadn’t been warning her- he was simply excited about the mountain.
She nodded. “I have climbed it on my travels. Apologies, Seth. I was too focused on our conversation to heed the danger.”
“No need to apologise. You have trouble walking and talking?”
Hornet thought about this for a moment.
Despite the benefits of her royal upbringing, one downside was that there was little opportunity for genuine conversation. Every exchange of pleasantries was either a game, a test, or downright war, and she had learnt to choose every one of her words with precise care. This did not lend itself well to doing other things during the task.
“…Indeed.”
“Hm,” chimed Seth, carrying on ahead at a brisk and wordless pace.
She was starting to feel rather unhelpful.
It did not take them long to arrive at The Slab. From there the path to the flame was clear; the Grimmchild came alight when they drew close and fluttered restlessly in one direction. They followed him to find a veiled bug chuckling to itself, waving its twisted wooden staff around in small circles that grew the flame upon it.
“Its almost like how those bugs in Greymoor catch silk dregs from the air, isn’t it?”, Seth noted as they watched.
“Another amusing observation.”
Except, instead of collecting silk, it was harvesting the despair that now pervade this kingdom. Feeding upon that unique terror, that total hopelessness, that came from the end of the world.
And the Nightmare Queen mistook it as Hornet’s gift to her.
“Give me the child and wait here, Seth. I sense this one is a weakling, and dispatching of it will be no issue.”
He obliged.
Hornet flung herself towards the Troupe Master’s kin on a taut thread and pierced its striped mask with a needless display of proficiency, given the strength of her foe. She bounced off it into the air, weaving gracefully between the flames it cast towards her. When she landed, a flash of white threads whipped together and formed into a huge spear spun straight towards the Grimmkin- the moment they collided, it burst into brilliant scarlet flame that the child devoured.
“Well,” said Seth. “If that’s the fight the Master’s kin are putting up, then I think it’s safe to say we’ll be back with the fleas before dinner.”
“Mm.”
“You’ll allow me to take care of the rest of them, won’t you, my la—”
They reflexively looked to each other with fear in their eyes.
He looked like he just realised he’d forgotten to do something important.
“F-friend.”
Then the look was gone, replaced with mild embarrassment.
“Seth.”
“As I said before; your skills with that pin of yours are clear, but still. The forces the Grimm Troupe reckons with are beyond the caste of simple bugs, and it would be much safer if it was left to me.”
He seemed a touch combative, but mostly intrigued. “Ah, so I’m just a ‘simple bug’ to you now, meanwhile you’re in some ‘higher caste’ with the Grimm Troupe?”
Ah.
“…What I meant, was that... Well…”
This was the third awkward silence today.
“Never mind,” said the bug cheerfully, forging an unspoken agreement that neither would question what the other had just said. “Well then, let’s get going!”
They continued their journey exactly as Hornet had planned- The Slab, then Greymoor, then Bilewater- and collected the final two flames for the child to feed on. They then returned to the Grimm Troupe.
“Hullo there, sir! I have returned bringing a much more fire-y child than the one I left with.”
With how jovially he spoke to the accordion-playing bug, Hornet thought for a moment Seth might receive a proper response.
“Mrmm. Very good. Master is waiting.”
“Thank you!”
Perhaps not.
They continued to the main stage, and when they had gotten far enough away, Seth turned to Hornet and mumbled: “Not much for conversation, is he?”
Hornet answered, “Not at all.”
The roll of a drum and scarlet stage lights prompted the two to look up: the late guardian with anticipation, the princess with disdain: then the Nightmare Queen appeared before them.
“So, you have returned with the child”, she stated, voice coarse yet oddly warm.
Then she noticed Hornet and a smile played on her lips. “…And a friend.”
Hornet’s gaze stiffened. Seth did not notice this as he spoke.
“Yes! Well… the first two flames were collected without a hitch, madam. But the last one, in the swamps…” He scratched his head. “When we arrived, we found your kin tragically skewered by its denizens, so we thought we’d kill them instead. The little one still ate up the flames, just from their bodies instead. I hope that’s alright.”
“Ahhhhh. Do not fret, friend. These were the weakest of my kin, accommodating the child still new to this world. But in time…”
She held out an arm, and the Grimmchild flew magnetized into her cloak.
She then brought her arm back and followed through the motion with her whole body, spinning around in a theatrical gesture accompanied by yet another drumroll. The child flew out of her cloak once more, now emboldened with a larger shell and longer black tendrils.
“…He will grow, as you continue our dance.”
Seth held him proudly. He was utterly taken by the frills and intrigue that the Nightmare Queen presented the ritual with.
“Incredible! Look at him! I can’t wait to see how he grows- we’ll bring the rest of the flames to you as soon as possible, madam!”
Her smile grew. “Very good. You truly are worthy of your role upon this stage. Now, take our child, but leave your friend here for a moment. There are matters I’d like to discuss with her.”
“Ah, well…”
He looked to Hornet, who was too busy glaring at the Troupe Master to take any notice. “I’ll leave you two to it, then. See you soon!”
He wandered off, child in tow, and the two that remained met each other’s eyes slowly.
“What is it you want, Nightmare Queen?”, Hornet spat.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here again so soon. You really can’t help yourself, can you?”
Hornet squinted.
“Do not take my part in the ritual as condoning of the act. You forced my hand. The nightmare upon this kingdom will end yet- I am merely ensuring that no more are killed in the process.”
The Nightmare Queen let out three slow, raspy laughs.
“So much sympathy for the simple bug, yet you refuse to even consider my woes.”
“Tell me, acquaintance,” the tall bug toyed. “Is this simply how you are with your kin?”
Notes:
6/12/25 THIS IS GETTING FINISHED SOON!! ive just been very busy :(