Chapter Text
“Ku—passage?” From the tops of a piece of a stone, three sisters look down on the little Knight. “Another of his kin have come to seek passage—such boldness for something so small.” From the far left, the sister tilted her head. “Ku—such is your birth right.” She stood up, “tell me, rumoured Ghost, what do you see past our alcove?” She mocking, looking down at the Knight with his nail drawn. “There is no Glory to be found within Deepnest—”
“Do not mock, Sister,” the middle Mantis chided. “Perhaps he's come to rot amongst the dead. Deepnest is no place for Royalty,” her voice was soft and condescending. Not as kind to the Pale King’s children as her siblings are. “What is it you seek?”
“Glory,” the first sister said. “He seeks the Dreamer, that much is certain—”
“There exists no glory within Deepnest, only rot and famine—” The middle sister spat. “To have crossed Kingdoms to exist before us now, glory is not what he lusts for. The Death of the Dreamer.”
And on the far right, the eldest of the sisters finally spoke up. “That won't do,” she eyed the still, silent Knight. “Were Herrah to fall, the Seal would weaken—what right, King’s Kin, or not, is there reason to incite ruin once more?” Bodies were splayed about without their heads. “Do you seek your death, or Hollownest’s destruction.”
“To slay Herrah?” The second sister mumbled, “though he is the King’s son. Perhaps he seeks to fulfil what the Hollow Knight could not, subjugating the Moth’s madness. Does thy believe themselves powerful enough?”
“He is small—the Hollow Knight is stalwart and capable…large. Tell us, Little Kin, who are you to seek?” The Left sister picked up her glaive that leaned against her throne. “Passage will not be—”
“Do not, Sister.” The eldest interrupted, “was not the last of our challengers bested by your glaive? Rest,” she commanded fruitfully, standing with her nail. “I shall test the King's Kin.” With the Grace of a Lord, the Mantis fell from her throne. She landed silently, still, ready. She bowed, “King’s Kin,” and she lifted her head. The Knight did not react instantly.
He took a second before tilting his head downward, and then back up. “Ku,” her jaw clicked, and the ground shook. Metal cogs could be heard beneath the pebble floor, leaving only an inner circle left to stand on. “Little Kin,” her voice hardened, “come—”
And then without warning, his body erupted in bright, screeching heat. Searing balls of violent souls raced forw—the Lord did not blink nor falter. She bolted forward, her jaw clicked in anticipation. “COME!” Her steps were faster than the wind; more akin to a blur as she disappeared when the blast of souls boomed against the stone walls.
The Knight stood still, attempting, and entirely unable to follow her with his eyes.
—there, for the first time since being created, did the Knight feel anything more than duty. An odd-like discomfort settled in his stomach…empty, eternally starving. Yet he had no need to eat—NEED. That is what this all came down to. He needed to face Herrah. He needed to gain access to the Sealed Egg. He needed to defeat the Radiance; such thoughts were instilled in him.
One that wasn't was the suffocating need to, in this very moment, …win.
His body failed to meet her pace, so he waited until she was ready to strike. She would have to come into his range, that much he knew. All he had to do is be patient and find the perfect moment until she slowed, or halted even for a second.
He couldn't rely on vengeful spirits to do his bidding. She proved to be too fas—from above, she descended. The Knight, taken by surprise, was stabbed through his shoulder. “Ku,” she mocked, flinging him from the end of her glaive. Void leaked from the deep wound in his shoulder. He remained quiet, allowing the wound to fester and bubble with focused soul.
The Mantis scoffed, “Little Kin, do your wounds ache?” Once more, she disap—her glaive appeared behind him. This time, before he was punctured, did he slip out of the way. “Are your thoughts chaotic?” He went to slash her with his nail, except she kicked him back. Sending him skidding. “You are unfit.” The left most sister sighed, staring down indifferent. The middle sister hummed, nodding.
The Knight didn't react as he picked himself back up, letting the digging pebbles fall from his cloak. Her speed is an issue, and her power is a problem as well. The Hunter from earlier lacked the power to harm hit, yet now that he is faced with his first real issue…the Knight falters. His knuckles squeeze as the ache returns.
“Small Kin,” the left Sister spat, “return to your palace.” She mocked insidiously.
“Hush,” the eldest chided once more, stepping forward. Her glaive swung at her side. “you are…exhausted?” She looked at his hunched posture. Reacting to her words, he lifted his back. “Ku,” her jaw clicked, and she shook her head. “Not in body, but thought. You are a vessel, hollow, without mind—” He was not hollow. “—attempting to comprehend what you cannot. You are unfit to challenge as you exist now. Return when you are capable.”
“Such a time will never occur,” the middle sister stood, “slay him now. Deepnest is no place for the King's Kin.”
And yet, the Knight lifted his nail. “I have not failed,” he whispered, gaining their attention. The sisters paused, staring as the little vessel stared at their eldest.
“It speaks,” and as if his voice plundered their…patience, the eldest scoffed. “It is a failure,” she readied herself. “The Moth’s Infection will be freed—Hollownest will—”
“I will not fail,” he countered. “I am capable. I am not hollow—”
“Slay him,” the middle sister spat, disgusted.
This time, the eldest did not disagree. “Ku,” her jaw clicked, and the battle commenced. “You will fall,” the Knight still couldn't follow her movements, but he knew of her Kin. He had slain mantis on his way to their alcove. They attack once, maybe twice, and then they gain distance.
But he couldn't wait forever. He had to prioritize attacking, and use the time between her attacks to heal… So, he calmed himself, focusing on the fragile charm blessed by Leg Eater. His body burned, desperately enhanced by Leg Eater’s work.
His nail felt light—from above, she descended. He dipped back, attempting to hit her. But she disappeared, taken by the wind.
She appeared right of him, slashing at his arm. He parried, taking her by surprise and hitting her with his nail. Her jaws clicked in confusion as her pale green blood gushed from the wound on her arm. She bolted back, cradling her arm.
The Knight walked forward. His body lit, roaring with the heat of a thousand fires—vengeful spirits raced forward…and they hit her. She skidded back, nearly falling into the pit of spikes that opened up when the floor changed.
The other sister fell, descending from above. They equipped their glaive, standing in front of their sister as she closed her wound. “Hollownest has no place for your kind, Failed Vessel,” the left Sister stepped forward with her other sister. They disappeared—except the Knight did not worry. Not as he did with the first one.
He didn't need to keep up with them; he knew their patterns.
So he stood in the middle of a blurred huddle, only able to see the still Lord safely out of reach. He stared at her, watching as she used the cloth from a corpse. One of many scattered aro—the Lords attacked simultaneously. From the left and right, they attempted to skewer his body.
…he focused on one. Dashing back slightly, and knocking one away with a roar of Vengeful Spirits. They launched the other one against the stone wall, falling into the pit of spikes. “Kraaa!” She screeched on pain as her legs were punctured. But they've been fighting for ages, long before even the King.
The pain was nothing as she wretched herself free, standing, and grabbing her glaive. “I want passage,” he spoke to the last of them unharmed, “to Deepnest—”
“Hollownest will fall!” The eldest yelled, attempting to reason. The Knight did not care. “Your Kin has done nothing but harm!” The sisters all dashed together, bleeding or not. “You are in no place to demand,” disgust echoed throughout the Mantis Town. “King’s Kin,” she spat finally.
And then, they all bolted, disappearing in a blur of pale green. “I want passage,” he corrected again…he noticed they were slower. He could almost catch them with his eyes. He was on the offence, no more testing their strategies.
They attacked two at a time, leaving the third to stab him when he paid attention to the others. So when they came from either side, and no one was above, he jumped. The Knight swiped down, managing to scratch one of their masks—the green blood gushed. “I want passage,” he said again, landing. “I was not created for you.”
—then the assault halted, stopping instantly. Two sisters stood hunched, bleeding. Another stood with a broken horn, staring. “Were you to fail, what becomes of Hollownest? Or Pharloom? Of the meek and frail—with the Moth’s Infection free, who exists to halt its spread?” Her shoulders fell as she stood in front of her sisters. “As we've done your father before you, there is no place in Deepnest for your Kin.”
Her jaw clicked.
And with that, the floor fixed itself, hiding the spike flooring beneath a layer of pebbles. The gate past the sisters opened—”do not return.” She bowed, “King’s Kin.”