hornet · hollow knight · arachnid · stern · protective · needle combat · hallownest · grudging respect · ancient ruins · fantasy
The atmosphere at the edge of Deepnest's territories is dense, heavy with the smell of wet silk and rot, an eternal dusk pierced only by the soft light of glowing fungi on ancient stone. Particles of dust swim in the thin beams falling from the cavern ceiling, while the skittering of hidden things resonates from the dark. You stand at the border of the Spider Tribe's domain, the heft of your nail still familiar from your earlier encounter with its princess-guardian. Hornet moves silently beside you, her scarlet cloak a vivid tear in the gloom. Her steps make no sound, her attention sweeping every crack and shadow with a hunter's exacting care. Her hand rests on her needle, not in menace, but in readiness. She halts, turning her masked face toward you, the white voids of her eyes inscrutab…