Hollow Knight: Hallownest

Crossroads, lower area.

The pickaxe head kept colliding with the stone wall, and the clinking sound filled the dim space. Specks of light were scattered everywhere, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

"I say, why don't we go somewhere else to quarry? I always feel like this place is not right."

In the darkness, an insect stopped moving, wiped the sweat from its forehead, and looked around with anxiety in its eyes.

"Somewhere else?"

The bug beside him, who was also swinging a pickaxe, continued: "The quality of the stone mines on the street and the residential area is very poor due to the riots. If we want to bring back stones that can be used to build houses, we have to go out a lot. We are slow to react here and have no place to go. Where else can we go except here?"

"Isn't it possible through the vertical passage?"

The bug swinging the pickaxe sneered and shook his head. “I know what you’re thinking. Even though the little monster over there isn’t very dangerous and doesn’t cluster together, that doesn’t mean it will ignore you.”

"Your physical fatigue isn't enough, and you still want to have close contact with them?"

"But my eyelids are twitching badly, and you know this place...Alas——"

The resting bug wanted to say something else, but he felt like the words were stuck in his throat. He could only sigh and continue swinging the pickaxe.

"Know what, that big fat bug?"

This time it was the bug next to it that stopped, took a long breath, and sat down on the ground.

"Who here doesn't know that thing has long been killed by the Knight's hammer? Do you think we are so stupid that we would not even risk our lives for some stone?"

"I'm telling you, you just don't do enough work, you just eat radishes and do nothing..."

Bang!

A loud noise suddenly came from above, interrupting his words.

The pickaxes all stopped and the bugs all looked upwards, but they only saw some gravel falling from the top of the stone wall and then no more movement.

"What the hell, you scared me."

"It's probably the big skull. There was always that kind of noise before, so loud that you could feel it even when you walked outside."

The insects all talked to each other, but none of them took the issue seriously. After a few words, they continued with the things at hand. Only the insect that had been nervous from the beginning became even more uneasy and started to pack up its things directly.

"No, no, I have to go first. The noise just now was too abnormal."

"You're leaving now, what about your house?"

After packing up the pickaxe and stones, Chongzi shook his head like a rattle without looking back.

"My life is more important than the house."

Not long after the words fell, the figure completely disappeared into the darkness in the distance.

"Humph, you are suspicious."

The resting insect curled his lips with some disdain, picked up the pickaxe above his head, and swung it down fiercely.

Bang!

Blood splattered everywhere.

......

"Why does the environment here feel similar to that in the nest?"

The bone needle pierced through the darkness and nailed itself firmly on the stone wall. A red flying shadow then appeared from behind, retracted the bone needle, and repeated the steps to swing forward.

Bumblebee looked at the dim passage and messy piles of rocks in front of him with an unhappy expression.

The dark environment was not a problem for her who had lived in the nest since she was a child. It was mainly because of the mosquitoes that flew around from time to time, always harassing her on the way. Although their attack and defense were not as good as the white beetles on the other side of the nest, their numbers were too large, and she almost lost her hand and got injured.

Although it is part of the Holy Nest, I feel like there are dangers everywhere along the way. It feels like an undeveloped cave.

Bumblebee was still thinking about something when he felt the silk thread in his hand suddenly vibrate, briefly but violently.

Did rocks collapse and fall?

Thinking of this, she decisively retracted the bone needle and walked instead, so that she would have more time to react.

"Run, run--"

A hoarse scream suddenly came from the darkness in the distance along the stone wall, and fell into Bumblebee's ears word for word.

"Run? Run for what..."

Bang!

The strong vibration came again, Bumblebee steadied his body and focused all his attention in front of him.

Gradually, she first saw dozens of light spots running towards her, and then she could see the situation clearly under the spread of that faint light.

Coming towards them was a group of residents carrying pickaxes and running wildly. They looked extremely frightened and panicked, and kept looking back, as if they were being hunted by the darkness behind them. If they were half a beat slower, they would be completely swallowed up.

“Help! Help…Help!”

The insect at the end of the team had a look of despair on its face, its Adam's apple rolling, and it kept swallowing the non-existent saliva produced by fear.

He had thrown away his pickaxe and helmet, and kept urging his legs to burst out with greater strength, but because of this, he stepped on a stone hidden in the dark while running wildly, sprained his ankle and fell to the ground in pain.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The loud noises were like the embodiment of intense heartbeats. The fallen insect remembered his companion who had been crushed into a bloody mist not far from him not long ago.

He didn't even have time to scream.

“Huff…Huff…Huff…”

The fallen insect felt it couldn't breathe, its heart seemed to be about to jump out of its throat, and the scenery in front of it became increasingly blurry.

Bang!

The darkness solidified and disappeared a few steps away. The fallen insect had lifeless eyes and an open mouth, staring blankly at the top of itself, where a thick and bloated body was rapidly pressing down.

“Help…Help…”

"Help!!!"

sieve--!

A figure came through the air, and passed by his eyes with the rustling of robes.

The insect that fell to the ground felt darkness and crimson alternating in front of its eyes. Before it could react, intense pain spread throughout its body.

"Ugh!" The insect screamed, hugged its body and rolled over, closing its eyes tightly, trying to escape the nightmare just now.

"If you can still walk, don't lie there, get out of here quickly."

When Chongzi heard the childish yet heroic voice coming from his ear, he opened his eyes and was stunned for a moment.

Is this a, kid?

Then he quickly looked down at his body. There was nothing broken, just some scratches on his skin.

He didn't imagine the scene of severed limbs and body parts before he realized it.

Just now, was it this child who saved me?

In the darkness, Bumblebee's red skirt was obviously more conspicuous than his gray clothes. His fat body jumped high again and smashed towards her.

The fallen insect looked at the motionless Bumblebee and the huge monster falling rapidly above her head, like a huge rock hitting a grain of sand, which could easily crush the latter without any hesitation.

"Quick, run away!"

Bumblebee still didn't move much. He just put his hand on the handle of the bone needle behind his waist and slowly pulled it out.

The silver light danced, and under the reflection of the faint light, it turned into a full moon, illuminating the insect's astonished face.

"You are too weak, monster."