Evolution

All at once, the hornets begin swarming, barely giving enough time for you to grab Camilla and launch yourself into the air, sailing straight up alongside the tower. It's taller than you thought, at least a dozen stories, but you soar past the top in no time at all.

"Keep that shield up!" You yell in your companion's ear as you dive and roll past an impossible number of hornets. Scrapes and punctures appear on your skin and wings, the lances rarely being deflected by Camilla's shield anyway. You keep casting recompense to take out at least some wasps, but you know it's not a sustainable tactic. You can slowly feel your mana draining with each cast...or that might be the blood loss.

You land on top of the tower, finding some unarmed hornets seeming to be continuing the construction. While they retreat down the tower, you release Camilla, letting her stand on her own as you both continue to gape at the sheer magnitude of the hornet army.

"Why are they still so aggressive? We killed the queen, so they have nothing left to protect!" Camilla levels her blade, her back against your wings.

"Ever heard of ****?" You lift up the queen's shield and sword, mimicking Camilla's stance. Taking a deep breath, you wait mere moments for the incoming onslaught, no fewer than two attempting to strike you with each charge before flying off and rejoining the swarm. Desperately, you hold off your attackers, hoping Camilla is capable of doing the same. You consider taunting, but that only works against a single foe. "You doing okay, Cap?"

"Better tha-ack!" Her voice is cut off as you no longer feel her presence against you.

"Cap?!" You momentarily turn your head, spotting her kneeling before one of the hornets, the latter pulling their lance free of your companion's chest. "Camilla!" You angrily send a dark elemental bolt to her aggressor. "Get away from her!" You taunt as well as you attempt to use your wings to cover her from harm. You flip her over as blood drips from her mouth, a gaping hole where her heart would be. You feel several stabs against your wings, causing a few feathers to come loose as you attempt to heal your fallen ally.

You stop for a moment, staring at one of the feathers that falls to her chest. Angelic Protection used one of Ariel's feathers... Taking the risk, you shove the feather into her wound as you continue healing her, praying for Philanthrope to be able to grow back most of a heart.

You continue to feel the **** on your wings, now also feeling it on your body proper as a number of hornets charge in sync. I have to do this. I have to do this. I have to do this. I will do this. Wave after wave of your healing energy pours into Camilla, getting stronger and stronger as the waves of the hornet strikes continues. You feel a surge of strength as you stare into Camilla's eyes. She coughs, spatting her own blood. She has a weary look in her eyes, but that's leagues better than an empty, glassy stare.

"Come on, let's get out of here." The piercing attacks of the hornets seem to fade a bit as you lift her up, her wound mostly closed. Lifting up the queen's sword that you dropped to heal Camilla, you wait for the next wave of hornets to hit you before shooting forth, feeling more wind that you're used to on your wings. You're much faster, easily swooping between lunges that would have scraped you before. It's no time at all before you escape from the midst of the swarm, looking back as they begin chasing you. One at a time, you send light elemental bolts into the swarm, focusing on the ones tailing you more closely. You're much faster than the hornets, eventually moving past what you assume the range is for your bolts and focusing your efforts on flying away.

You weren't paying attention to where you were flying, but you realize you'd gone the wrong direction, heading southeast instead of toward town. Getting lower to the tree line, you take a wide turn and begin heading to the southwest, much closer in line with where you're headed. As you get further and further away from the hive, you begin to feel the fatigue take hold, and need to dive beneath the trees to rest.