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Tik Tik freezes at the edge of her illusory barrier, noticing the subtle yet insidious fracture in the wall she had erected for the first time. The masking spell shimmers at the perfect angle that if she were to drop her guard by being distracted with a kiss, it would go down.

The bee queen whimpers, lying on the inside of the cell. "T... Tik Tik?" she whines.

"Nothing worry about," Tik Tik responds. However, she flicks her fingers as she presses her other hand to the barrier wall, slowly passing through the fog of magic that keeps their cell separate from the outer chamber.

A flicker off in a nearby cell makes her spin and fling the spell she prepared in its direction, lighting up the chamber and showing off the desiccated tunnels that once housed the buzz of the once industrious bees.

Iridescent reflections alert the kobold of the danger she anticipated. Tik Tik sweeps her arm, the magical blast turning and following the flicker of light from her target.

It's no bee.

"Vaspaja?" Tik Tik growls just as the attack makes contact.

"Yow!"

The voice echoes through the chamber as its owner falls to the ground with a crack, and Tik Tik gasps.

"Cynwrig?"

"H... hey, Tik..." the beetle groans, rubbing his head. "Found ya, finally."

The kobold lifts her friend up, dusting off his blue and shiny shell. "Tik Tik thought you caught by wasp!"

She immediately points at the beetle, mana flowing into the point, her voice taking a much more serious tone. "Were you caught by wasp?"

The beetle boy falls on his knees, waving all four of his hands. "Nuh-nuh-no! I got separated from you, but I never got close to her! I saw the whole thing--how she captured you and threw you into that pit and how you escaped and--"

"So you knew Tik Tik was in trouble and did nothing about it?" the kobold asks, lowering her hand and her gaze. "Tik Tik thought you wanted be her bodyguard."

"I... I am your bodyguard. I couldn't have faced her alone. She's too big. She's too scary and... where are you going?"

The kobold already heads past the beetle, passing down through the corridor. "Tik Tik going find Vaspaja, and Tik Tik will defeat and save Colony."

"That's... insane!" Cynwrig flitters in front of her, his hands outstretched. "She's a powerful necromancer, as strong in her magic as the Dark Queen Estrasa was in hers, and we had an army to fight against her."

Tik Tik waves her hand, and the magical force shoves Cynwrig aside, allowing her to pass. "It only took powerful friends to face her, and Tik Tik is more powerful now than back then."

"You can't know you're powerful enough!" Cynwrig pleads.

"She make Tik Tik mad."

"Then, you aren't thinking straight. Let's think this over, you and me, and plan this out."

"If you think you can't fight Vaspaja, then Tik Tik have job for you you can do easy."

"W-what's that."

Tik Tik points to the cell, covered in her magical illusion. "Protect the Queen. She is key. Once Tik Tik get rid of Vaspaja, then Queen can heal colony."

"You sure that makes sense?" Cynwrig asks, stepping toward the cell. "After all, everyone's already under her control and..."

Cynwrig's words trail off once he sees Tik Tik's stern gaze leveled at him.

"Just be careful okay, Tik Tik?"

Tik Tik nods and conjures her floating disk, flying away and leaving Cynwrig alone.

Frowning, the beetle turns to the hidden cell. "Your majesty?" he asks in a soft voice. "I'm here to protect you. Don't worry."

The queen wraps her arms around her legs, curling up, pressing her chin to her knees. Her red eyes peek up at the approaching beetle, a soft gasp rising. "You are the one the drones flew with."

"Excuse me?"

"On the nuptial flight so long ago."

Cynwrig rubs the back of his head. "Ah, r-right, that... that wasn't exactly the best experience," he says, his wings twitching.

Tilting her head, the queen asks. "Why not? Did we not have fun impregnating that other queen?"

"Huh?"

She taps her forehead. "The memories we shared are in here," she says, another hand upon her chest. "And here."

"Oh, so, I guess they all didn't die in horrific dick explosions."

The queen giggles.

"What's so funny?"

"Maybe it's perspective," she shrugs.

"How's that?"

"So many drones can die, but as long as their memory remains and they do what they were born for, they support the colony." She strokes her abdomen.

"But this we're facing... that I'm facing, it's an actual death. If this... thing inside me is born... it'll destroy me... destroy our only way to produce more queens, and we'll fall.

"Y... you're falling back into despair!" Cynwrig shouts, grabbing the queen by the shoulders. "You can't do that!"

"W.. What?"

"You and Tik Tik were here together, figuring out your trauma. Bu.. But you have to fight it. You can't let it win! It's... just like me."

"Wait, you heard us. You... saw us?" The queen gasps, cupping her face, her antennae swaying back and forth.

"Of course, I... oh, r-right. Y-yeah, I kinda... uh..."

"It's okay," The queen says, patting him on the head. "We banged that queen together. You're my bro, bro!"

"B... bro...? Tik Tik's our bro, too! We need to do something to help her!"

"You're right," the queen says, stumbling. "But what can we do?"

Cynwrig hops up, supporting her over his shoulder. "I have an idea if you think you can keep up, bro!"

She nods. "Then let's go, bro."

And so the two leave the safety of the cell, traveling deeper into the dark and charred hive structure, the beetle carrying the queen.

Further back the way they came, Tik Tik approaches the buried mountain fortress, taking a deep breath, cupping her hands over her cheeks, and then bellowing out, "Vaspaja! I challenge you to a duel! Let the pact be sealed!"