Ch 10: Hostile Hive
Imported from SF2 with no description.
“Forgive me my Dominion…I didn't mean to..." Calamity heaves, speaking faintly.
“Silence!" I growl “Enough talk, save your strength" I demand and he obeys with a guilty stare. I wanted to embrace him so badly but, now was not the time. We were deep in a hostile hive and needed to escape. My emotions were erratic, back home they expected me to be a heartless tyrant like my Sire. What a joke. I felt concern, passion, useless and scared of almost losing my Calamity to a river. Such tyranny. I jest to myself. We grew up together, shared our first kiss together. He had always been by my side longing for my affection and in return I did nothing other than ignore, reject and use to my own selfish desires. Well that was going to change, the moment we were safe and sound, I would accept him, no, them, as my mates. Inferno was just as important, she'd helped break down my defences and allowed me to open up, accept my feelings, she was worthy even if we'd only known each other for a short time.
My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of loud buzzing. A swarm of wasps approached us with bees close behind them. I prepare to defend myself when a sudden blaze of fire scorches across the open chamber from Inferno, scorching and killing most of them instantly while my tail and claws strike the remaining survivors, yellow fluid splashing out over my limbs as I strike the few down, a disadvantage to having to use my claws and tail on the majority. However it didn't bother me quite as much as the sticky flaked honey fragments between my scales, they were irritating me and made feel unclean. Grounding myself in the moment I began to look around, I sought an escape route. There are many tunnels burrowed by the giant bees high above leading who knows where, the ceiling embedded with many brightly lit glow stones. I locate the nearest passageway directly above us on the right cavern wall side.
“I cannot do this forever my Tyrant" Inferno bellows taking flight. Momentarily I marvel at such gorgeous flight manoeuvres, the display of her beautiful orange wingspan. She breaths fire over swarm after swarm of wasps or bees, which ever come near us, incinerating most of them in a single fiery wave before tucking her wings and twisting her body, spiralling down while swiping her claws and tail machete, cutting down the remaining foes with such finesse and dexterity.
“Are you strong enough to fly?" I ask Calamity, who answers affirmatively. Inferno with her beautiful scaly body swoops down and lands nearby after the current threat is neutralised. She was still restless from our earlier flight. My attraction for her has certainly increased yet I realize this is certainly not the time and place. Will you FOCUS! This is a bad habit you are developing. I scold myself. I needed to be better than this during a time of crises. The insects now remained at bay as there numbers begun to dwindle and their focus concentrated on each other, giving me time to analyse our flight path and strategy.
A much louder buzzing sound resonates from the opposite wall high above, overpowering the buzz of both the bees and wasps, the fighting almost coming to a pause for a moment as all attention turns toward the sound. I glance over myself to witness four massive hornets, twice the size of the wasps emerging from some tunnels in the ceiling. I double check my own escape route and it was clear of such fiends. The hornets had created the ideal distraction for us as the majority of the bees and several wasps shifted their attention to attack the new threat, much as both insects had focused their attention on us when we'd entered the fray, the larger insects became the focus of the battle.
“Alright I will take point, Inferno you're to fly behind me and keep the insects at bay, hopefully they stay distracted long enough. Calamity stay just below us both and remain close." I commanded and they obeyed with no quarrel. They may have questioned my orders and seemingly eager willingness to obey my Sire's every order before, even acting uppity and seducing me, but right now they trusted me to get them through this disaster.
We took flight. I kept us low over the rapid flowing river followed by clinging to the cave wall leading us up to the open tunnel above. As we approach our exit, three yellow jacket's intercept us and tried to attack us as we got close, with smooth tact they were easily eradicated between the three of us, swiping the first down with a claw, I heard a snap of Calamities jaw as it was split, the second going over my head for Inferno to blast with her flames while the third dodged my claws only to get sliced with a downwards flick of my tail before it could reach Calamity.
As we ventured closer to the tunnel entrance we were aiming for, I take notice of building activity, wasps seemed to be gathering at the tunnel entrance, were they seeking to try and stop our escape? But the insects attention was on the tunnel itself. Something's happening! I halt us suddenly just as two long antennas attached to a brown bulbous head with two black patches emerge from the mouth of the tunnel, followed by the first couple of long legs the beast emerging used to pull itself through the passageway. More legs escaped the tight tunnel, connected to a bulky black body with faded transparent orange wings. The yellow and brown stripped abdomen which ended with an enormous needle stinger was last to leave the gaping hole.
This tremendous monstrosity of a hornet was twice the size of the other hornets and was being assaulted by the wasps that had been at the tunnel entrance, they didn't seem to phase it in the slightest as it simply kicked them away or ignored them entirely as they tried and failed to breach its tough carapace with their mandibles. I had hoped it would fly off and engage the other bees as we hovered unnoticed from below. Unfortunately as the hornet took flight it slowly turned on the spot to face us, it's almost deafening buzzing washed away the sounds of the other insects all around as it focused on it's desired prey, us. Fortunately, I had noticed it's slowness wasn't for dramatic effect, that was its weak point, it was too slow, we could out manoeuvre it.
“Hold!" I roared watching as the hornet began to close the distance, the other two obeyed though I swear I heard an audible gulp from Calamity even over the roar of the giant beasts wings as it got closer. “Dive!" The moment the command left my lips, all three of us dip our noses down and swoop below the hornet as it continues with its momentum along it's path through the spot we'd been hovering. “Tunnel!" My voice is strained as I pull myself up against the dive, flapping straight up towards the passageway the hornet had emerged from, gaining a little distance as the hornet took a wide arching turn to pursue us.
The tunnels constant curving, dipping and rising kept us ahead as the hornet had to regain speed at every turn. The darkness soon devoured us leaving us to rely on our darkvision. Thankfully I knew the tunnel would never narrow seeing as the hornet had traversed this passageway, clearing anything out of it's way and leaving it clear for us, given no more had been following it.
When the path began to straighten out the hornet was able to get close enough to strike at us with its long needle stinger, bringing its abdomen beneath itself to carry out the attack. Luckily, the accuracy of the hornet was lacking and each attack slowed it down, with our swift flying we managed to keep ourselves out of harms way, but how long would that last? Inferno was falling behind, most likely from exhaustion. Calamity was barley keeping up too. I had to think of a solution. My breath attack would effect the other two, wiping them out and I'm pretty certain Inferno was spent which left Calamity. Which, as we climbed almost vertically was...perfect!
“Calamity!" I call out. “On my command, rain down acid on the bug, Inferno swap places with Calamity and get under me!" I direct, glancing down and see Inferno putting the last of her energy into swapping places with the green dragon as he falls back a bit, the moment she was under me I hook my forelegs under her wings and clasp my hind legs over her hips, taking her weight into my arms and giving her a reprieve as I carry her upwards. Now we just needed to stay alive until the tunnel twisted around enough to break line of sight. The hornet had two more chances on hitting us with its stinger before daylight shone down from the rising burrow. It almost succeed on stinging Calamity the second time, barely missing him.
As we take a slightly sharper turn and lose sight of the hornet for just a second I yell out “NOW!" and as commanded, Calamity twists round and released a mass amount of green bile like substance. The acid falls down on the hornet just as it turns the corner itself, no time for it to dodge, immediately the acid clings on and begins melting its exoskeleton, the enormous insect lets out a painful shriek and crashes back down into the turn, falling from sight. Hopefully, as the hornet lands deeper into the tunnel for the final time, it would at least temporarily block the passageway and stop any other would be pursuers.
Finally, we escape into the daylight.