Chapter Text
Dagger - Birthplace, 1 year after the Infection started
In the beginning I was nothing but an idea. A thought my “father” willed into existence and just as quickly as he made me he called me a failed piece of junk and left me to rot. I’m glad this is where my life started. If I wasn’t a failure I would be nothing, know nothing, and feel nothing.
My father threw me away down to the deepest place of the abyss, renamed “The Birthplace”. It’s where all his failed vessel projects start. The Birthplace is where dad’s disposed carcasses of lifeless void and broken masks, that faintly resembled skulls, form the walls and give an already dark hole an even creeper atmosphere. The masks of these unfortunate vessels were everywhere. As I gazed at the top, I could even see those dead creatures made it closer to freedom than I currently was. I wanted that freedom more than anything.
I was one of dad’s first living failures in his quest for the vessel of Hallownest, so there were only a couple of us stuck in this hell. I was definitely not getting any help from my fellow “failures” because they had all given up, but I was stubborn and had all the time in the world. So I grabbed on to the nearest dead mask and started to climb the walls. It was tough at first, the horns and mask would break causing me to restart but so far so good.
Every so often dad’s newest victim would be tossed in, I would hear the wind through the cloak of the newest unloved vessel make its way to the deep floor below. Then the cracking of old masks as the newcomer arrived in its new cell.
A couple hours of climbing later and I made it to the ceiling. I looked down to see a couple other vessels attempting the climb as well, but no one was close to me. I looked back at the final obstacle, all I have to do is swing myself across the spiky roof, pull myself out of the hole at the top and I’m out. Easy. I take a deep breath test the fragments above me and grab hold. My legs are free, my only support is from my hands. I swing myself to the next horn. It breaks, but I’m not done yet. I’m too close for this to be the end of my run. I pull my right arm back up and resume my horizontal climb. I near the exit and grab its ledge. As I looked up towards freedom I saw a cloak, mask, and void creature that was thrown straight down the hole. My body jerks downward and I’m knocked out.
I wake up back on the ground with the newest arrival, a dead vessel, on my left. Shame, I guess they weren’t strong enough to survive. I pick myself up and ascend once again I pass many struggling vessels on the way back up but my memory doesn’t fail and I use the same sturdy path up. I fell a couple more times due to carelessness before I finally made it back to the horizontal part. This time I make it to the ledge without losing my grip or having a handhold break. I looked up for incoming vessels before I heaved myself up and out. As I catch my breath I hear a faint crunch. I look up and that’s when I realize that of course, there’s guards.
The first Dark Knight charges, his frontal horn pointed straight at my chin and his side horns at my eyes. His twin swords, one on each side. I take one look at this charging nightmare before I turn and run. I hear him catching up to me, as I turn to look I trip over myself and fall down another hole. How many of these damn things are there!? My last glimpse of the top was the Dark Knight’s condescending face and his outstretched sword pointing at me that I interpreted as mockery.
Longnail - Birthplace, 4 years after the Infection started
At first there was nothing, then there was hell, and I willingly charged in head first. My life started on the field of a silent battle, no voices were raised, no nail clinking off armor and other weapons, just fists and thuds. I knew exactly what to do to make it to the top. Using the one “special” ability I had, the void tendrils, I latched onto the closest victim and casually ripped the mask off their body, ending their life. I managed to kill many more this way and slowly climb my way to the top. Lucky vessels moved out of the way, unlucky vessels died by my hand. Luckily for me the pile of bodies made it a quick climb to the top, and soon enough I reached the exit of the “Birthplace.”
This surface was not the end, I looked to my right to see a sea of void with tendrils grasping for its prey, always hungry and never satisfied. To my left platforms rising up towards what looked like a lighthouse. After debating which way to go, I figured that I had a better chance going up then across the sea. So I headed off to the left, grappling up to the first platform and swinging my way up onto the next. After one particularly difficult jump I bumped into a sibling. Not knowing how to face this void creature with no mask to rip off I simply ignored it and continued climbing.
I met many more before I reached the top, avoiding each sibling. Once I got to the top and wandered inside I saw this weird creature laying still in the corner. Its oval armored body was white and pale covered fully in a sheet. Even though I had never seen a creature like this I instantly recognized it as a “Royal Retainer.”
As I looked down on it I realized they had a weapon. I needed that weapon. So I dashed forward and released my tendrils, drowning it in void. It was easier than I expected, but more importantly I got its weapon. A simple uningraved nail at least a head taller than me. I didn't care how long it was. If I could wield it, it would be just fine. I played around with my weapon a bit, getting used to the grip and weight. Then I left the Royal Retainer, no longer living, wrapped in its sheet with void still dripping out its eyes.
After awhile I jumped down from the lighthouse and continued my journey to the left. With my new weapon in hand, I felt unstoppable. Eventually I walked into a huge cavern with no top in sight. At this point I realized how naive I was thinking I reached the end. Following my need to be at the top I begin hopping and grappling up platforms as I did before. So far it was going pretty well, until about half way up I couldn’t reach the platforms. Even with the void tendrils. Stumped as to what I could do I just waited trying my best to think of some way up. So there I sat, waiting for something to happen. Days later I hear the faint footsteps of a void creature. Perfect. I continue to wait, with my prey fast approaching. As this vessel jumps up onto my platform I reveal myself and rip off its mask. Standing on top of this vessel's mask I could finally make it to the next platform. Once I was three fourths of the way up I encountered the same problem. Even though I doubted any vessel would manage to get up this high for a long time, I stubbornly waited.