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“Damn pale thing.”
Tiso wasn’t just mad, he was angry. He told the Knight to come down into the caverns to face them in battle, but they didn’t. Little did Tiso know, the Knight didn’t give a shit about them—they knew his destiny.
The bug wasn’t sure why the caverns were filled with orange-eyed monsters, but he didn’t really care about the specifics. He was looking for the Colosseum of Fools, and he was going to find it, no matter what.
But to stretch his legs against a worthy opponent—that was a dream. Tiso sensed a strong aura from the Knight, and they wanted to see if it was exactly as it seemed.
But the Knight wasn’t traversing the caverns at this time.
“Agh,” thought Tiso with irritation.
He stepped into the abandoned village that used to be in the Forgotten Crossroads, and he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“COME OUT AND FACE ME, COWARD!”
Two gates on either side of Tiso closed; the bug braced himself for battle. Maybe it wasn’t the Knight, but he’d relish whomever it was.
Gruz Mother materialized right in front of the bug; she had gotten her ass kicked by the Knight at the beginning of the game, but Tiso’s voice allowed her to reincarnate.
She thought she wanted to fight, but Gruz Mother couldn’t help but notice the way Tiso’s blue hood hugged his face in just the right way. He looked handsome, yet extremely intimidating and mysterious. The shield reminded her of simpler times, before she became one of the worst opponents in Hollow Knight.
Tiso’s armor was clad against his body—Gruz Mother thought it made him look all the more alluring.
“Foul Beast,” mumbled Tiso. “Take this!”
Tiso threw his shield at Gruz Mother, and it slashed her face. She didn’t want this though, she was merely bound by the powerfulness of the plot.
“And this!”
Tiso jumped up and grabbed his ricocheting shield, throwing it again with more force. The shield opened up and revealed its sharp tines, and it collided with the wall before flying at Gruz Mother. She dodged and tackled Tiso, and also caught his eye.
“Those eyes…” thought Gruz Mother.
When the shield came back to Tiso, he threw it again.
“And how about some of th—“
Before Tiso could say Brooding Mawlek, Gruz Mother swiftly tackled him again. The bug went flying and hit the white gate behind him.
“So what, are you going to kill me?” Tiso questioned vehemently.
“No.”
“DO IT!” yelled the bug.
Just then, Tiso was able to hear her thoughts.
“So charming…”
Charming?
“And strong…”
Strong…
“Be mine…”
Yours?
At long last, Tiso and Gruz mother came to the mutual understanding that they didn’t want to be bound to the plot of Hollow Knight, for they both knew what it had in store for them.
Following this, Tiso and Gruz Mother fled the Crossroads, leaving behind only broken rocks and other traces of their decisive battle.
They’d begin anew, without the interference of Team Cherry or that blasted Knight.
They were happy, so very happy.