Buzzing wings and a hand on Erlea's buttocks woke her up with a start. She let out a whimper and flipped over, sliding off the ridge of her bed until it jammed under her wings. Blinking, she looked up in confusion.
“We need you on the front lines.” It was a Honningbie she didn't know, a crafter judging from her tool belt. The bee looked around nervously and then tapped her. “Hurry up, please?”
Erlea staggered to her feet. Her wings fluttered for a moment as she got her balance. Mind still in a fog, she nodded. “Okay, give me a s-second.”
“You'll need this.” The bee handed Erlea a large cup of thick honey.
Erlea drained it completely, enjoying the sticky thickness that slid down her throat. She sighed and enjoyed the rush of sugar that helped clear away the fog. Licking her lips, she handed the cup back.
The other bee stepped back, her wings already fluttering as she started to take off.
“Only fighters fly! Everyone else on the ground!” came a sharp voice down the corridor.
The bee landed and ducked her head.
Erlea frowned and stepped out of her chamber. There were a lot of bees rushing past her, their wings fluttering as they rushed to whatever duties they had. She noticed there were no hunters or guards, only crafters and young ones.
Before the other bee could join them, Erlea caught her. “Where do I go?”
“The front line… oh… um, north entrance. They've broken through on the east too.” She practically ripped her shoulder from Erlea's grip. “There are monsters in the outer rings, so be careful. And no flying high!”
Before Erlea could ask more, the Honningbie yanked herself free and raced down the corridor.
Erlea turned and ran toward the north entrance.
She only made it a few yards before someone stopped her. It was an older crafter, the one that had yelled before. “Hunter! Get your cunt off the ground and fly!”
Gulping, Erlea took to the air and flew rapidly toward her destination. She moved faster than normally allowed but no one stopped her as she rocketed out of the hive and into the open-air aisles of the outer rings.
She saw bees flying above her. She started to raise to get a better view when a massive arrow screamed across the air, punching into a nearby guard's belly and out the other side. Blood and broken wings shot out in all directions as the corpse plummeted to the ground.
A scream of horror rose up. Erlea thought it was from the murdered bee but then a brilliant flash lit up the honeycombs from only one or two lanes across. It reminded her of the flash when Lazia was raped.
Erlea's heart beat faster as she lunched herself up and over the honeycomb wall. It only took her a moment to see crafters running away from a trio of rats that were attacking. The lead rat was balls deep in a stunned Honningbie, its ridged cock slamming hard and fast as if it knew it would be dying in only seconds. Cum poured out from the junction of the rat's and bee's bodies.
Another of the rats had just knocked over another bee. It jammed its legs between hers and pried them open. Powerful claws gripped her shoulders before it drew back its hips. The thick, dripping shaft bobbed for a moment. It was poised right at the spread entrance of the sunned Honningbie.
It slammed its hips forward, driving the entire thick cock into the soaked opening.
There was a brilliant flash as the bee was penetrated, her womb glowing for a moment as the rat began to hammer into her with powerful strokes that shook both of their bodies. Blood and cum splashed out across the ground.
Erlea raced over to the rats. She aimed for the third, it was lashing out at a trapped bee in a corner. Firing her RKA, it caught the creature's spine and it exploded. A few seconds later, the other two rat corpses slumped over their victims, their cocks still spurting cock into fertile wombs.
She landed, already panting hard. The stench of cum and monster was strong as she grabbed the first one and yanked hard, trying to pull the creature free from the dazed girl.
More Honningbies rushed in. One of them grabbed her and pushed her away. “Hunters kill, don't stop. We'll deal with the victims.”
Erlea almost choked with the tears but then remembered she was needed at the north gate. With a sigh, she stepped back for clearance and took off again. The arrow murdering the guard rushed back and she summoned her Barrier to protect her with the spherical shield as she flew close to the tops of the walls.
As she buzzed over the lanes, she saw too many monsters ravaging the hive. There were scores of them already busy with victims, the cries of the bees rose up along with the growing sounds of battle.
She desperately wanted to stop and slaughter every one. However she was needed at the gate which meant she had to abandoned the poor Honningbies to their fate. The only thing she could do was take rapid shots at the creatures as she passed; she couldn't even pause to see if she hit.
Occasionally, she would see flashes as goblins and rats mounted their victims. However, as the seconds passed by, the flashes faded despite the continued rapes. She wondered why some flashed and others didn't but didn't dare stop to ask.
Finally, she reached the northern gate. Spotting a group of guards aiming toward the outermost wall, she flew over to them and started to land.
With a burst, the wall collapsed into a cloud of dust, wax, and shredded paper.
A hail of arrows, each one longer than herself, punched out of the cloud to slam into the front ranks of the guards. They easily pierced into naked flesh of the unarmored bees and they fell back screaming. Blood sprayed everywhere as the bees collapsed screaming.
The second and third ranks of guards, half of them flying, set off a wave of energy blasts and RKAs of their own. The brilliant energies pierced the shifting cloud of dust before slamming into whatever had destroyed the wall.
She saw the outlines of the invaders first. Powerful-looking creatures easily nine feet tall with broad-shoulders and large hands. Their eyes were glowing a bright green. Many of them were moving to the side but two of them stepped out of the cloud and into view.
They looked like humanoid wolves. Standing on their back feet, they easily towered over the five-foot bees that surrounded them. They were naked with massive cocks swinging between their legs in time with their powerful strides. One of them had a massive two-handed sword. The other was unarmed but still had immense claws.
One of them, pitch-black except for a blaze of gray on its chest, look at the other. “I see a lot of honey pots.” It spoke in a low, booming growl.
“Stick to the plan, we can play later.”
Erlea didn't bother looking for direction. She launched herself into the air and began to rain down RKAs. Her blasts fired with a steady beat. Each one punched into the thick fur of the creature, splattering their chests and the ground with greenish blood.
To her despair, most of the other hunters weren't able to pierce the hide. Their energy blasts bounced off the wolf creatures, singeing hair but not doing any damage.
The creatures laughed at the feeble attempts. One of them swung his sword in a low blow. The glowing blade slashed into the front ranks of the Honningbies, cutting into flesh and shattering bone without stopping. Severed waists and heads flew back to land on the ground in bloody chunks. More sprayed the other ranks of guards as he stepped into his blow and swung into a nearby wall. The massive weapon sliced through the honeycomb easily.
When he twisted and yanked his sword back, the wall began to crumble.
One of the guards held out her hands and fired at his back, her RKAs punching into burning flesh as she fired with rapid succession. She could fire faster than Erlea but did almost the same amount of damage.
The wolf howled and staggered forward.
The other creature reached over and grabbed the bee's head, his claws easily enveloped her head clear to her waist.
Her last RKA missed, blowing a hole into the side of the crumbling wall.
The creature picked her up, her legs and trapped arms flailing helplessly. Her wings buzzed between the creature's fingers, beating so fast they were a blur. “I got the little insect,” he growled.
Without even pausing, he grabbed the bee's wings with his other claws.
Erlea felt a sick feeling slam into her.
The creature yanked down, tearing the helpless bee's wings from her body.
Erlea froze as a high-pitched scream rose up from the creature's grip. The bee's legs snapped in all directions but then suddenly went limp as clear fluids poured out from between her legs.
The wolf rotated his wrist and opened his grip. The Honningbie shuddered helplessly, her legs spread open as her pussy blossomed open. Blood-splattered breasts heaved but she made no effort to crawl or even push herself up. She was stunned and her body did the one thing all Honningbies' bodies did, preparing to get violated.
Erlea sobbed as she saw the creature toss the wings aside.
He chuckled and reached down for his cock that was already growing. The massive rod was easily three feet long, an angry black filled with thick veins. Streamers of clear fluids poured down the length, clinging to a bump near the base before soaking into the creature's fur. “Hold on….”
The first wolf, the one who had been attacked, snapped, “Fuck the insect when we get back home. Right now, kill these stingers! We'll have all the cunt we want later.”
The second rolled his eyes and then tossed the bee behind him. “Pickup!”
The ruined Honningbie landed on the ground, bouncing twice before she slumped to the ground. The broken ends of her wings fluttered a few times as more juices poured out of her.
Erlea buzzed angrily and launched her attacks again, slamming RKA after RKA into the creature that destroyed the helpless Honningbie. Her bolts tore into flesh, stripping away fur and skin.
The wolf creature howled. “Damn it, one of these is actually hurting—”
A Hookwing landed on the wolf's face. The powerful wings fluttered once as it clawed at the creature's eyes before working down around its dripping muzzle. Powerful claws dug into the thick flesh and it surged back, tearing open the wolf's throat in an explosion of blood.
There was a stunned silence as the massive creature collapsed to the ground.
The remaining wolf looked around sharply. “What the—?”
On the far side, on top of one of the walls, Nilli held up another summoning focus and began to chat. Her wings were beating to keep her up as the energies rose around her in golden wisps.
A wave of guards flew up over the wall behind Nilli and charged, energy blasts and RKAs flashing in a wave of energy and power.
The creature's sword cut through the ranks of the guards easily, the sharp blade cutting them in half. A shower of blood and severed wings plummeted to the ground. Their attack only slowed him down for a few seconds. He stepped forward and jumped straight up, easily outdistancing the height of the wall Nilli used for her perch.
At the apex, he grabbed his sword with both hands and brought the shimmering sword down directly for the chanting bee.
“No!” screamed Erlea as she shot forward. Her Barrier shimmered around her as she raced to protect her friend. She flew up the wall, arcing over it to bring herself directly between Nilli and the terrible weapon.
The creature's sword slammed into her shield with deadly force. The translucent honeycombs surrounding Erlea flared to life for a moment. Then as the individual cells were overcome, they flashed before cracking.
Surprised she was still alive, Erlea panted as she first looked at Nilli who was still concentrating on her spell and then up at the creature.
Green eyes glared at her and a low growl shook the air. It beat against her chest. The creature tightened its grip, twisting the hilt of the weapon. “I'm going to break your wings off, fucking insect, and rape that throat until you burst,” he growled. His breath fogged her barrier.
Erlea groaned under the weight shoving her barrier down. With a shaking hand, she reached up and pointed directly into the creature's eyes. Without a word, she fired an RKA. The energy blast easily passed through her shield and shot straight through the glowing green orb.
The back of the wolf creature's head exploded in a shower of brains and bones. It rained down on her Barrier, coating it, as the creature slowly tilted back. Its sword slipped from its grip and the heavy weapon fell to the ground. The creature's body fell in the other direction. The hole in its skull steamed as it fell to the ground, crushing the still twitching bodies of the severed guards.
Shuddering, Erlea landed next to Nilli. Despite the horror of the fight, she was growing hotter with the violation of the bees around her.
The image of the broken-winged Honningbie swam in her head. Would she ever recover? Would she be stunned forever?
Her thoughts were bringing a rippling heat to her pussy. Part of her, the sick part, wanted to know what it felt like.
“Erlea!” Nilli hugged her tightly.
“I'm sorry, I couldn't—”
The ground shuddered.
Erlea looked back as more of the wolf creatures stepped out of the clearing smoke. When she saw eight of them, all armed with swords and cocks half-hard with anticipation, she whimpered. She couldn't take them.
“Those are Black Shucks,” gasped Nilli.
“What are those?”
“No, they can't be. Those are four hundreds!” Her voice was rising in fear. “We can't fight four hundred point monsters! Not so of them.” She gulped and staggered back, her wings beating but no air moving.
Beyond the eight Shucks was a ninth. This one wasn't armed but had a large cage strapped to his back. He leaned over to pick up the bee that had her wings ripped off earlier. Rolling her over, he poked her a few times until she twitched. Then he reached back and shoved her into the cage with scores of other ruined Honningbies. Without looking up, he moved to another still-moving bee and did the same.
Erlea gulped and she felt overwhelmed. Knowing that the creatures were each four times as powerful as herself was one thing. She had dropped one of them on her own but facing eight made Saroia's words true, she would always lose.
A few hundred feet away, another section of the outer wall suddenly collapsed. Even though she couldn't see clearly past the cloud of dust that rose up, she spotted at least half a dozen sets of glowing green eyes.
Even though despair was dragging her hopes down, she couldn't give up. She had to try saving the hive until the moment she lost. She ground her jaw together. It may be seconds, but that would be more seconds for the others to find safety.
Erlea stepped back as she steeled herself. “Nilli, got another summon ready? Do you want me to summon something or protect you casting?”
Nilli whimpered as she dug into her belt. She pulled out two other focuses and held it with her Hookwing focus. “I only have three I can use easily. They have killing attacks but not against this many.” She turned and looked up at the hive. “Unless….”
Wary, Erlea checked the wolves. They were taking their time, stretching and chuckling as they waved at the settling dust and brandished their weapons.
Nilli sighed. “I need something more powerful but I don't have the endurance. But, if I can summon something big enough, it can defeat them when I pass out.”
She looked at Erlea with tears rolling down her cheeks. “I'm sorry, I have to go back for my black book. It's the most powerful summon focus I have.”
Erlea nodded as dread filled her. She looked at the approaching Shucks. “I can hold them off,” she lied.
Her body was hot with anticipation. She was going to lose. She had no doubt that they would do the same thing as the other bee: snap off her wings and throw her into a cage to be raped forever. This fight was going to be her last, maybe her last breath.
Gulping, she steeled herself. “For the hive,” she whispered. Louder, she said, “I'll be here.”
Nilli looked at her. “I'm sorry.”
“Go,” Erlea commanded. Spinning around, she fired RKAs into the nearest invader. This time, she knew to aim for their throat and face and her blows were effective as she blasted chunks out of the creature.
As the first one fell, a giant Shuck stepped out of the cloud. It was easily three feet taller than the others with brilliant green eyes creating a haze around its face. It pointed up at Nilli. “Archers! Get that one! It's a mage!”
The booming voice shook the air and squeezed Erlea's chest. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched three Shucks with crossbows race forward, kneel, and aim up into the air.
Erlea spun to see Nilli was flying straight for the landing platform. She remembered that the summoner had her quarters near the top. Nilli's defenseless body was tiny in the dark night but given how smoothly they were aiming, the Shucks weren't going to miss.
They were going to kill her.
Buzzing loudly, Erlea fired one last RKA into the throat of a nearby Shuck and launched herself after Nilli. Her wings beat rapidly as she tried to close the distance. Her entire body vibrated with the beat of her wings.
The first arrow whizzed past her, cutting through the air with a punch. It clipped Nilli's wings, tearing one of them off.
Nilli screamed as she immediately plummeted. The end of her now ruined wing beat furiously, spraying blood across her milky skin.
Erlea tried to fly faster. Her heart slammed into her chest as she reached out for her friend, trying to envelop her in her Barrier before the next arrow struck.
The world blurred and then tightened around her target. She was only yards away and rapidly closing.
The second arrow caught Nilli's leg. The broad head didn't even slow down as it sheared through her thigh and disappeared out of sight. The severed limb spiraled away as a streamer of blood marked Nilli's fall.
“No!” screamed Erlea. She pushed herself to her limits and grabbed Nilli from the air. The bee's body was slick with blood but Erlea managed to wrap her arms around Nilli's arm and leg to stop her fall. “Nilli!”
The older bee was trembling, blood spraying out of her leg as her entire body grew hotter with every passing heartbeat. Pussy juices poured from her pussy as she was too stunned to do anything but fall.
Erlea sobbed and kept flying, racing up toward the platform as she tried to outdistance herself from the arrows and prayed that her Barrier would save both of them from the archers.
A howl shook the air. She glanced over her shoulder to see the massive Shuck jumping after her. His naked, hairy body flew straight for them, the wind whipping past it. It landed on one of the honeycomb walls. When he jumped again, the wall exploded underneath his paws.
Erlea's wings beat rapidly as she failed to push herself past her limits.
Green energies exploded from the Shuck's outstretched paw. A massive, translucent green sword appeared. It was almost as tall as him. He pulled back and swung his weapon with all his might.
Erlea cringed as she saw it swinging toward her.
Her Barrier caught the blade but shattered instantly. The sharp edge slashed between Erlea and Nilli, cutting through Nilli's arm and other leg with brutal power.
An explosion rocked Erlea's world as she was throw back across the hive with concussion force. It caught her throat as she felt the world grow dim. Everything turned into heat as her body pulsed hotly. Stunned, she could do nothing but sail over the ruined honeycomb walls as she saw more Shucks breaking through the outer gates.
Her body slammed into a papery wall with bone-jarring force. The wall crumbled around her, absorbing the blow as agony coursed up her. She slumped forward, her body burning with need and submission. Her pussy was just as hot as thick juices poured out of her sex.
She felt a hungry desire flood through her. She needed to be impregnated, she needed to be violated. It became an all consuming thought as her legs grew slack with her need.
Painful seconds passed. Any moment, the Shuck was going to reach her and rip off her wings.
To her surprise, her senses came back first. She gasped and sat up. Every part of her body in agony from the impact with the wall. Shuddering, she wiped the blood from her face and realized she was still holding Nilli's arm. With a gasp, she dropped it.
The Shucks were still invading but there were none near her. There was no one else either, no bee or creature.
She coughed and tasted blood in her mouth. Her breasts and arms were covered in it but she couldn't tell if it was Nilli's or hers.
A booming voice echoed out. The massive Shuck was standing on the remains of a wall and bellowing out commands. His glowing sword lit up the hive in a hellish light as he pointed to the main construction.
Erlea glanced up. Nilli said there was a summoning focus that would help. She just had to reach the top. She didn't know if she could work it but there wasn't anyone else who could try.
She tried her wings. They were still working but the joints burned with the effort. She felt broken and ruined. Pushing back all the pain and fear, she took a deep breath and forced her wings to beat. Her pussy tightened with her determination, her petals closing back up. Then, without creating the barrier that would reveal her presence, she took off and flew up into the night.
There was salvation in Nilli's focuses. Erlea just had to survive long enough to reach them and call for help.