Long Goodbye and Longer Walk Home – 24
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It’s been a few days since the battle now and cleanup continues, I’m still getting used to the changes from leveling up.

For one I now eat nearly half of my body weight daily, something that concerned me at first but in the end I figure it’s about what I should expect, Olympic athletes eat a fucking ton and they can't make 7 meter vertical jumps.

Speaking of being a goddamn superhuman, I’ve had difficulty with acclimating to my new physical and mental capabilities, I’ve shattered more glassware in my hands than I’d like to admit and my eyes keep tracking flies when I hear them or spot them in the corner of my vision.

My ADD is on overdrive and honestly being able to hear and spot a gnat at 100 paces doesn’t help a fucking inch. Still, its not all bad, my higher level seems to have helped clear out the last dregs of my infection… I can still feel a lump in my stomach that I’m going to need to do something about eventually but I’m not keen on performing self surgery just yet.

The Apideans helped me get Cernunnos broken up into manageable chunks, Addie was insistent that I take the entire carcass considering my situation and I acquiesced. She tried to force the same deal for the hornets that were relatively whole but that’d be insane even with my increased appetite, there are thousands of them and while they might taste uncomfortably similar to shrimp, I'd feel bad taking them all.

We ended up compromising with me only taking a few hundred.

Not all of it was sunshine and rainbows though, the whole time I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Aside from those conversations, Addie has been avoiding me, or at least keeping conversation as light as possible. At first I thought it was because of how busy things are; butchering Cernunnos took a concerted effort, as did gathering up the monster cores from the hornets and keeping things organized in a time of crisis seems to be her primary function, but even in the evenings she’s found some way to be busy.

There were other clues too; we only seemed to be focusing on recoverable goods, unbroken potion vials and sections of hive with sealed cells full of honey. It took me a bit to realize it, but we aren’t rebuilding anything; I might not always be the fastest on the pickup, but I notice patterns eventually.


I’ve finally managed to corner her on the third day of cleanup, and now picking through a rubble heap identified as the remnants of her lab for any recoverable goods I finally come out and ask the question that's been on my mind.

“Addie, you’ve been avoiding me, and it’s obvious you’re not telling me something. What’s going on here?”

Silence. She stops picking through the remnants of her bookshelves for a moment before continuing without a response.

All at once I feel I understand; the significance of her discarding a book scorched beyond recognition isn’t lost on me.

“You... put a lot on the line for me Addie and lost a lot. We knew each other for a few hours before that shit went down and I know he wouldn’t have given up completely… but if you’d just handed me over he probably would’ve gone away for a while at least.”

“I’m sor-”

Before the word can finish leaving my mouth, she interrupts.

"Amber, no... no that's not at all its..."

She seems to brace herself before she speaks

“I’m taking the hive to the north in the hopes of seeking refuge in the territory of the [Windfather Eagle King]. You’ll always be a friend to the hive, but I can’t allow you to come with us, it’s too big a risk.”

She spits the words quickly, like she can’t hold them in for a second longer.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Because I was afraid you’d be angry.”

“Addie, I’m… not angry.”

She seems genuinely surprised and honestly, that’s fair; I’d be a bit wary around me too after the show I put on in that fight.

“Ugh, I’m really bad at this…” I gesticulate wildly looking for the word “... talking thing”

“You’ve done me a lot of good and I couldn’t be angry with you if I tried; I came here half dead and I basically started a war in the process. I haven’t really been the best house guest.“

“Also, even if you did invite me to tag along, I don’t think I’d go. Like you said, it’s too big a risk for you… besides it really wouldn’t do me much good, no offense but I’m trying to find some human civilization.”

“So, I guess what I want to say is… good luck Addie, lets hang out some time when we aren't in mortal danger.”

"Thank you Amber... and definitely."

After all of that, all I can think to do is give her a hug, or at least half of one considering my state as a permanent lefty has been reinforced.

It seems neither of us are good at words, or maybe she thinks it’s more appropriate to return the embrace; in the end its just the pair of us hugging it out when a thought occurs to me.

“Oh, also I’m surprised I haven’t asked this before now, but do you know the way to the nearest human settlement?”

“Not a clue.”

“Well… shit.”

Our emotional embrace and subsequent awkward moment are both interrupted when Amy approaches; she’s molted twice since the battle and is finally able to walk again, though flying is still a few molts away yet.

"Why do you approach Soldier 'Amy'?"

All at once, the casual Addie melts away, leaving behind the regal and authoritative Adelaide; I've seen it happen several times now but it's always startling how quickly she can change her baring and just how much larger and more imposing she looks when she does.

“My queen, this one has a request, may this one speak freely?”

The formal approach, she doesn’t seem to have any other approach so I can’t fault her. She’s in what I can only describe as a low bow, front legs bent and gaze drilling into the earth as she awaits leave to speak.

“Of course Soldier, Speak your mind.”

“My Queen, this one has spent 931 seasons in your service as a soldier and it is not without great consideration that this one brings this request before you.”

It’s mental communication, but I swear I can hear the sharp intake of breath as she raises her head.

“This one would officially request to leave your service to travel with [Hive Friend] Amber Wilson; she has displayed startling competency in the art of combat, but without hive she is weak and may not survive.”

A brutal, but not inaccurate analysis of my chances; I talk a big game but that deer clown was middle of the road around these parts and I lost an arm and had a shonen-esque power-up sequence before before taking him down.

“This one and many others of the hive owe our continued survival to Amber Wilson and this one would not presume her service enough repay that debt in whole, but this one would like to try... with your leave of course, My Queen.”

Passion creeps into Amy’s voice as she speaks and she almost loses her composure before falling back into the crisp formality that is a hallmark of her personality. I can tell she’s nervous but Addie’s answer makes it clear that her anxiety is unnecessary.

“Granted. Soldier Amy, I The Wise Queen Adelaide hereby order you to accompany Amber Wilson in her travels; to protect, guide, and counsel until such time that you are dismissed or your life ends.”

“Yes, my Queen, this will not stray from her task.”

Okay… woah, some Star Wars life debt shit going on here. Wait, they're looking at me... say something Amber!

“Ah… uh… thanks.

Yeah, nailed it.


Despite the emotional moment and subsequent awkwardness, it was actually another week before we parted ways;  I needed time to heal and everyone needed time to pack.

I managed to recover pretty much everything I brought with me plus all the carcasses from Cernunnos and a good amount of the hornets, as well as all of their cores, a good sized heap of potions, reagents, and possibly a literal ton of honey.

That doesn't even cover half of it though, Addie threw together an eye patch to keep a cap on the empty socket, she didn't have time make me any new clothes for me so she just included a set of hand made sewing tools and several bolts of cloth in the massive care package assembled from goods that she claims she couldn't carry with her; a real kitchen sink situation if I've ever seen one.

Addie was insistent that I go away well equipped and I feel like I could probably support a small village for months with what I’ve got stuffed in my new ludicrously high capacity magic bag.

We decided it’d probably be best to leave at about the same time; It certainly made things dramatic, but on a more practical note it made multiple targets in the case that any enemies were planning a pursuit.

The both of us have apparently given a great big middle finger to a big power player by not laying down to die in the face of Rudolph’s evil twin and she was pretty clear in her instructions that I go directly back to the chapel.

The big gator in the lake is apparently another power player and she seems pretty certain that I’m in his good books, or at least not in his bad ones, so chilling on my little island might be about the safest place I could be.

With all the preparations in place, we said a final goodbye and set out in opposite directions.


The journey itself starts out surprisingly uneventful. 

The forest seems almost uncomfortably quiet, and aside from the occasional crackle of a branch snapping underfoot there isn’t a single sound.

We travel for three days; I wish I had something more interesting to say but literally nothing happens aside from marching along and following the trail marks I left.

It doesn't help that Amy isn’t… the best conversationalist.

While helping the grounded Amy vault a fallen tree I have an idea for an interesting bit of conversation.

“So… big trees… huh?

“Indeed, they are very large.”

Alright, so I’m not the best at this, but finding common ground is hard in the best of situations and we’re not even the same species. 

Honestly, I think I might be better at fighting for my life than talking and as far as I can remember I’ve only been doing that for the past few months.

“So… is this what it’s always like for you?”

“Could you clarify your question?”

“Sorry, I mean… fighting. Is that all that you’ve done for…” I search my memory “... 931 seasons? That’s how long you’ve been a soldier right?”

“Ah, no not entirely; this one has been assigned to scouting duties, guard duty, resource gathering, and for a short time nursery management.”

Okay, this could be something to fill the hours.

I give a short low whistle “Long career huh… why don’t you tell me about it?”

“This one does not see good reason for the distraction, our senses must be kept sharp in the case of ambush.”

Right, it's all business with her.

“Counterpoint, knowing about each other's skills and history could be useful. Besides I have a ton of abilities for detecting danger and we’ve got three eyes between us, that should be enough, right?.”

“Six.”

“What?”

“I have five eyes, one on each side of my head and three in the center while you have one.”

Taking a closer look, she’s not joking; three marble sized black spheres peek out from the tufts of soft fuzz on her forehead, you learn something new every day.

I got her to use a first person pronoun, I think that might be progress.

“If anything, this proves my point; I had no idea about that… honestly I should change my question. Give me some info about apideans, if I don’t know anything about you, how can we be an effective team?”

I’m not sure if bees can sigh, but Amy gives it her best shot before finally responding. 

“Very well, where should I begin?”


It might’ve started as a distraction on the long walk, but when Amy asked that question, I decided to do my best to learn everything I could about Apideans.

First important thing, regardless of their similarities, they aren’t bees.

Apideans are bee-like for sure, but they’re much more varied in their diets. They’re actually full on omnivores; their usual fare is indeed honey, but they also eat and enjoy fruits, vegetables, and even meat.

Also unlike the bees that I know, they’re capable of molting even after they reach adulthood and do so semi-regularly to replace damaged or ill fitting sections of carapace as they grow. 

I hadn’t really thought about it much after the battle what with all the blood loss, but it does make sense for them seeing as they’re much much longer lived than bees; evidence tells me that they regularly live longer than humans... unless humans in this world regularly live upwards of a few hundred years. Side note, Amy is close to 300 years old.

In the course of the conversation I also learned a few snippets about Apidean culture; they don’t tend to have or use names because they communicate through that hive mind link that I tapped into when I beat the system into letting me ‘party’ with the soldiers.

They all have a unique ‘voice’ that acts as an identifier and generally speaking only Queens have names to distinguish them from one another, and even then its more likely they’ll get an epithet like “Wise Queen” or “Warlike Queen”. 

Addie got her name from her human friend and found it entertaining enough to keep and Amy seems to be enjoying hers even if I did pick it at random.

Another difference I hadn’t really considered was the fact that not every Apidean is Addie’s offspring, in fact only one is. Their queen isn’t the sole breeding female of the hive, they’re capable of and engage in independent reproduction.

They don’t even need to stay in a hive and while there is a hierarchical structure and some tradition involved in hives, they can leave at any point; though that’s rare according to Amy.

I think that might have something to do with the forest being so dangerous, but I don’t really have a lot of information on what other places in the world are like.

Still it tells me that they can live independent of a hive, similar to certain species of solitary bees that existed on earth.

We cover a lot of ground, a lot more than I can really summarize, but I'm pretty sure I have the basics down at least.

Honestly I wish we could keep that going for a while longer but more pressing concerns draw my attention away.


An almost imperceptible crack disturbs the silence of the forest, I would’ve let it go but the faint tickle at the back of my skull makes me think twice.

“Wait... what was that?”

Before Amy can answer my question, a few hundred pounds of claws, teeth, and fur do; a wolf gives up stalking and leaps from the brush.

“[Disengage]!”

The world blurs as I speed backwards out of its path and draw my new dagger, an almost void-black spine of metal with a cross guard inlaid with silvery metal etched in an insect wing motif; can't lie, it feels a whole lot better in the hand than my original one.

The wolf looses a low growl as it recovers and takes an aggressive posture, hackles raised and pearly teeth bared.

Wolves move in packs… usually, but that last one was an idiot. There have to be more.

Focusing my hearing I can hear very faintly the sounds of breathing and heartbeats; the one I’m staring down broke ranks first but the rest seem to be watching.

Heartbeats! Count them… ten? maybe more.

“Amy, we’re surrounded, at least ten. Are you good to fight?”

Keeping my eyes locked on Mr. eager, I shuffle up next to Amy and we stand back to back.

“I am not so infirm as to require your protection, or did you forget I came to protect you.”

“Alright then… let’s rumble.”

So... not exactly the release date I was expecting or hoping for and a wee bit shorter than I would've liked, but here it is!

Amber has a new companion, Addie and the hive are on their way to seek refuge in the territory of a more understanding ruler and there's about to be another fight scene which will probably take up the bulk of the next chapter and show off some of Amber's new toys.

Seeing as there are no changes in Amber's status, I'm gonna go ahead and call things to a close without another status or else I'd feel like I was padding.

That said... my lateness is not without reason, I got caught up in designing something special... actual monster stat blocks are on the way!

Next chapter should be coming sometime next week!

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