Erlea woke up giving birth.

The pleasures of having life growing inside her was nothing compared to the overwhelming pleasure of feeling of a living being crawling out of her pussy. It stretched her opening, the ridges of the naked goblin child caressing against sensitive nerves as he squirmed and twisted his way through her tight passage. Tiny claws, blunt and soft, caught on her outer lips. With surprising strength, he pulled himself clear and landed in a puddle of her juices.

She shuddered with the wave of pleasure that wracked her body. More excitement poured out of her as she tried to pull herself into a sitting position but her muscles were weak. She was still stunned despite not having her wings pinned or creatures holding her down. Her weakness came from the creature that had just crawled out of her now taut belly.

Gasping, she slumped back to the ground. Her chest heaved as she drew in fresh lungs of air. A whimper rose from her throat as the afterglow of giving birth rippled through her body, consuming her thoughts and desires.

She felt sated. She never realized how much she was seeking it but the intense relief of giving birth was more than she could ever hope for in her life. She sobbed with happiness, tears burning her eyes as she stared up into the sky as the ripples of teased her senses.

The goblin child, already half grown, hissed at her. It turned and raced away.

There was another hiss and then a wet smack of the creature being crushed to death. Blood splattered across Erlea's body, hot and searing along her naked, abused skin.

With a gasp, she looked up as Billie stepped in. The Kever warrior's armor was scratched and scored. Her shoulder plate was wrapped to the rest of her body with a Honningbie's tool belt. Even from a distance, Erlea could tell it was coated in blood.

The beetle woman rubbed the blood dripping from her massive two-handed hammer on the ground. Then pulled her hand apart. The weapon dissolved into black mist which sucked up into her armor.

She smiled at Erlea as she approached. “Finally lost, huh?”

Erlea whimpered, unable to find the strength to speak.

Billie squatted down, her armor creaking, and pulled a strand of sweat-soaked hair from Erlea's face. “It's okay. We all lose eventually. Was he your first?”

Erlea nodded slowly, the tears rising up again.

“Damn. Saroia was hoping you'd lose your ass to something bigger like a Deep Terror or a Howling Troll. You know, something with a big cock and a bit of stamina. But a goblin?” She raised an eyebrow. “You lost to a fucking Green Goblin?”

“I-I—” Erlea struggled with the words.

The beetle woman's face softened and she caressed her knuckles against Erlea's cheek. “Don't say anything. It doesn't matter who finally got your pussy, all that matter is that now you don't have to worry about it.”

She grinned brightly. “At least Kevers don't have to deal with that affinity. We're fucked in different ways.”

“Y-You don't? Then—”

Billie smiled comfortingly at her and slipped her armored hand underneath Erlea's shoulders. With an easy strength, she helped the helpless bee into a sitting position. “I'll explain Kever libidos later. Don't worry, little bee. Just take a deep breath. The first is always feels the best, it doesn't matter if you are a bee, beetle, or moth.”

Erlea fought back her sorrow. It wasn't for the goblin child, she didn't care about it even if she had just given birth to it. There were easily half a dozen other ones that must have been born before she recovered from her rape.

Billie looked at her for a moment and her face softened. “Oh, bee.” She hugged Erlea tightly. “I know, it sounds like your life is over but it isn't. You are still one of the most powerful and deadly Honningbies I have ever known. Once we get over this, you'll go back to having a happy life of teasing goblins, getting knocked up, and slaughtering every living things around the hive.”

Erlea wrapped her arms around Billie and hugged her tightly.

“The key part is getting ready to fight again. We have these damn creatures, whatever they are—”

“Black Shucks.”

“Shuck?” Billie snorted. “They are called Shucks?”

Erlea nodded.

“What a stupid name. Well, these Black Shucks are really fucking powerful. At least four hundred points and both of us are only in the hundreds. They are nasty but HKAs and RKAs seem to do a good number on them. It cuts through their resistant defenses.”

Billie wiped the tears from her face. “Come on, bee. I have a score to settle with these damned Shucks and I need to get you back to the hive. We're losing badly and Saroia is pulling all able hunters and guards to the Queen's Chamber to protect your queen. Come on, get up.”

Together, they stood up.

Erlea sniffed as she tested her wings. To her relief, they beat slowly. Flakes of dried ooze broke off and cascaded to the ground in a cloud of sparkling purple dust. She beat harder and faster until her wings buzzed and she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Just as her toes started to take off, she could feel the cut from the goblin attack start to tear more and landed quickly.

“You aren't going to fly away?”

“I was injured by the goblins. Besides, you can't fly, right? I can't leave you.”

For a moment, there was a haunted look across Billie's face. “But I wouldn't blame you for running away. It… maybe it would have helped.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. Reaching over, she slipped her arm around Erlea's waist and held her tight.

Erlea hesitated but then hook her arm over Billie's shoulder. It was a relief to lean on the far stronger woman. She gasped as she felt aching joints protest but her pregnancy had help to recover her energies.

Together they walked out of the chamber and toward the hive. They moved slowly and avoided the sounds of battle and the other monsters that were invading. No matter which path they took, Erlea could hear the wailed of raped bees and the sounds of death in all directions.

“Billie?”

“Yes?”

“What happened?”

The Kever said nothing for a few dozen chambers. Then she sighed. “I was guarding one of the groups heading over to the Mildekie Trees, the moth city. Fifty guards and hunters, about two hundred virgins and two hundred crafters. We were keeping to the ground, quiet and hidden. We even managed to get four of the moth girls to shield us with illusions.”

Erlea felt the anticipation rising inside her. There was nothing good that was going to happen, but she knew that Billie needed to tell the story as much as she needed to hear it.

They stopped when a pack of Shucks came racing by a few lanes over. Their heavy footsteps shook the ground as they peered over the broken walls. They were heading away from the hive. Their glowing weapons could be seen fading.

Erlea peered at them, a deep dread filling her. She would never be able to defeat them now that she had an affinity to simple goblins. “Where are they going? Why aren't they attacking the hive?”

“Some monster Nilli must have summoned. I couldn't get a good look when I was sneaking into the city. A… Shuck had cornered me though and I was about to get my ass smeared across the ground when this black tentacle came bursting through the wall. It just grabbed him and popped his head off.”

Billie sighed and then chuckled. “See, that bee was able to save us and she had an affinity to fucking rats of all things.”

“Nilli's gone.”

Billie's smile froze. “W-What?”

“The Shucks got her. I… I think I summoned that thing.”

The beetle woman looked at her and grinned broadly. She squeezed Erlea's waist tightly. “See? A little goblin isn't going to stop you. Now we just have to get to the hive. Your little tentacle monster is ripping through those fucking Shucks, I hope they get their asses raped for what they are doing to this place.”

They kept their head down until the glow of the swords faded. Then they continued along the lane, moving slowly as they strained to listen for Shucks, goblins, and even rats.

It took almost a half hour to go four hundred yards. Pressing their bodies up against the outer wall of the hive proper, Erlea looked around. They were underneath the gouge that the tentacle monster had torn out with its fall.

“Think you can get us into that?”

Erlea glanced down at Billie and then up to the damage. It was too far to fly and the beetle woman was too heavy. “No, I can't….”

Billie sighed and shook her head. “It was worth a chance. We have to get you inside.”

Erlea noticed that she said “you” and no “we.” There was more to the unfinished story. It didn't really matter though, if the beetle fighter was supposed to be escorting virgins to the forest, there was no way she could have made it back. She closed her eyes tightly in despair.

When she opened them again, Billie was staring away from her and toward one of the entrances in the hive were twenty Shucks were tearing at the door with their claws. Shredded paper and wax resistant but it was only a matter of time before they forced their way in.

“I-It was an ambush,” whispered Billie, her voice cracking. “Ten Shucks verses almost five hundred bees. There wasn't a chance. They just… they just came in ripping wings off and tossing them aside. Innocent girls, virgins, helpless little bees. They were….” Her voice trailed off.

Erlea hugged Billie tightly. “I saw,” she said, “I know.”

The look Billie gave her told her everything. They couldn't say the words but they both knew exactly what had happened.

“I failed them.” Billie sniffed. “I couldn't save them.”

She flexed her hand and it formed a long, glittering sword. “I'll save you though. I will save at least one of you.”

Erlea sighed and looked at the raging Shucks. There was no way either of them could win the fight. She glanced up at the ruined gap and then down to the wall. Trembling, she reached over and pressed her hand to the magically hardened paper and wax. It was almost a foot thick and strong enough to stop Shucks.

Gathering her power, she concentrated on it. Golden flames surrounded her hand, lighting up the darkness as she brought her RKA to bear on the only home she knew.

Billie spun around with a gasp. She looked over her shoulder and then planted both hands over Erlea's. It snuffed out the light.

“This is going to hurt,” Erlea said.

“Don't care,” came the terse response.

No more words were needed. Erlea bore down and fired her RKA directly into the wall. It slammed into the surface, shredding it almost instantly. Wax melted around her hand but her firing RKAs were enough to protect her from the damage. The burning paper was also vaporized by her attacks.

Billie's grip tensed but she said nothing.

When Erlea pulled her hand away from the smoking opening, there was a narrow passage into the back of some Honningbie's chamber.

Billie grinned. She shook her smoking hand. “Good bee. Come on, let's get you to the Queen's Chamber before those Shucks get there.”