The Bee Dungeon

First things first, Belissar apparently had some decisions to make.

Please select a room:

- Forest (Rarity: Common, Type: Nature, Field)

- Apiary (Rarity: Uncommon, Type: Bee, Resource, Settlement)

- Dirt Tunnels (Rarity: Common, Type: Ground, Labyrinth)

Part of him wanted to make a choice immediately but he held himself back. He had made his first choices haphazardly, and while it had worked out who knows what might have happened if he had known what he was doing? Maybe zombies or clockwork puppets could have killed that monster with ease. Maybe an enchanter’s lab would have had features he could have used to defend himself without days of prep work.

Belissar had long lived a life of shutting up and getting to work, but now his job was to think and make decisions. So, think he did.

Forests were good habitats for bees, their natural environment, even. And greater access to wood might increase his options if Belissar had to build another fire. He could also build other structures as well, maybe some walls or fences might help? Well, that was assuming he could get his hands on some actual tools...

An apiary was where he grew up, and obviously having a place for his bees to call home should help. Especially now that he was blessed by the God of Bees and was going to be relying on bee monsters.

And then dirt tunnels...yeah, Belissar didn’t really know what to make of that. He did know there were wild bees that dug in the dirt, if he got monster bees that did something similar maybe they’d like a place like that?

So, the question was which of these options would be the most helpful for his bees...and which of these options would help him fight off the Hunger?

Belissar looked up and found the conduit bee hovering around him.

“What do you think? A forest, an apiary, or some dirt tunnels? What sounds good to you?”

The bee answered without hesitation.

“Whatever King chooses!”

Belissar resisted a sigh. He should have expected that.

So, saddled with the burden of leadership, Belissar thought...and thought...and thought until his head hurt. And he thought...that maybe he should check the other options first.

He definitely wasn’t just putting it off because he had no idea what to pick yet.

Please select a monster:

- Monster Bee Soldier (Rarity: Common, Type: Bee)

- Monster Carpenter Bee (Rarity: Common, Type: Bee, Nature)

- Monster Digger Bee (Rarity: Common, Type: Bee, Ground)

Belissar rubbed his chin as he looked over the options. Soldier bees...definitely were something that could fight. Carpenter bees sounded like something that would like a forest, while digger bees were exactly the bees he was thinking about for the tunnels. But...what would monster versions of those bees actually be? Would they be like the monster bee queens, practically normal bees save for their ability to understand his words and intentions? Or would they be something else entirely?

Belissar sighed. If only he had some way to check them beforehand...

As he thought that, the words shifted. He saw the image of a bee about the size of his hand.

Monster Bee Soldier

Vitality: Minimal

Strength: Minor

Speed: Average

Magic: Minimal

Defense: Minor

Resistance: Minimal

Special: Minor

Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Death Blow, Brood Offspring

Spawner Upkeep: 10 (5 with Blessing of Bees)

Description: A monster bee specialized for combat. Significantly larger than a regular bee, with a stinger large enough to deal physical damage, and has more dangerous venom as well. Still weak alone but dangerous in numbers. Note: Monster bee queens with developed hives may spawn monster bee soldiers once unlocked.

Belissar blinked and then smacked his forehead with his palm. Once again, his ignorance of all things Tower-related came back to haunt him. He apparently could gain more information on these choices, if he bothered to ask.

Well, it was better to learn late than never. He went ahead and checked the next option. He saw a black bee just a bit larger than his current monster bee workers, with sharper mandibles.

Monster Carpenter Bee

Vitality: Minimal+

Strength: Minimal+

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Speed: Average

Magic: Minimal

Defense: Minimal

Resistance: Minimal

Special: Minimal

Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Wood Cut

Spawner Upkeep: 1

Description: A carpenter bee that has accumulated enough Nature mana to become something more. Sharp mandibles meant for boring into wood allow for painful, if small, bites.

Next came the digger bees. They were, like the carpenter bees, a bit bigger than the worker bees but still largely bee-sized. They were brown and gray and very fuzzy, with short little wings and thicker mandibles.

Monster Digger Bee

Vitality: Minimal+

Strength: Minimal

Speed: Below Average

Magic: Minimal

Defense: Minimal+

Resistance: Minimal

Special: Minimal

Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Dig

Spawner Upkeep: 1

Description: A digger bee that has accumulated enough Ground mana to become something more. Likes to burrow and tunnel, may ambush enemies from the ground.

That...actually helped quite a bit. It seemed monster bee soldiers were related to the monster bee queens and workers, while the carpenter and digger bees were different sorts altogether, each specialized to certain environments. So, Belissar could now choose between strengthening his current hives with combat-specialized members, or gaining new and more versatile bee types that were about the same as his current bee workers in terms of fighting.

Well, the monster bee soldiers had the obvious advantage of being something that could fight more directly. They were the first bee Belissar had seen that justified the name “monster bee.” Yet, the choice wasn’t so clear when Belissar thought about it. The descriptions of their stats didn’t seem that powerful and they were still quite small compared to a human...or a shade of the Hunger. So, would they have been enough to take down a beast like that? Their stingers looked like they would definitely hurt, but would they be enough to kill?

On the other hand, carpenter bees could apparently cut through wood. If Belissar had those and they could listen to him like the other bees could, he could gain a lot of options. They could cut through dandelion stems and twigs on their own, so that Belissar wouldn’t need to pick each one personally. Depending on how good they were at cutting wood, maybe they could even cut through branches, or process wood further. If so, that would make it much easier for Belissar to build a fire next time. Or maybe even more. Maybe he could build fences and walls...or a wooden spear.

He...wasn’t sure any of that would stop a shade like he had faced, but it was something to consider.

He wasn’t so sure about digger bees. Sure, they could definitely dig, it was in the name after all, but would they be able to dig something like a pit trap? That seemed....like It would take quite a while for little bees to accomplish. But still...Belissar’s plan wouldn’t have been even remotely possible if it weren’t for the pit trap, so there was merit to digging holes.

He didn’t feel ready to make a choice there yet, so he went back to the room choices. He tried to see if he could bring up more information on each...

Forest

Type: Nature, Field

Innate Features: Wild Plant Growth Boost

Mana upkeep: 10

Description: An open area filled with trees that restrict visibility and provide cover. Excellent for Nature type monsters and features. Excellent for resource production.

Apiary

Type: Bee, Resource, Settlement

Innate Features: Beehives

Mana upkeep: 10 (5 due to Blessing of Bees)

Description: A farm dedicated to beekeeping. Comes with beehive nodes that produce honeycomb. If Bee type monsters are available, may settle in beehives for a slight boost in brood growth and beehive productivity.

Dirt Tunnels

Type: Ground, Labyrinth

Innate Features: None

Mana upkeep: 5

Description: A network of tunnels dug directly into the ground. Soft walls mean new tunnels may be dug by defenders and invaders alike, and that plants and fungus may take root with ease. Excellent environment for Ground type monsters and features.

The room descriptions didn’t give as much detail as the monster ones, but it was something. Unfortunately, it didn’t answer Belissar’s current conundrums. Apiaries, like he thought, were specialized for Bee monsters but not in the way he thought. They appeared to be more focused on the production of honey than on the growth of the bees themselves. Which...would be excellent if he was still a beekeeper but didn’t seem that useful against the Hunger.

Unless, again, he was missing something about being a Tower Lord? Why would the gods include such an option? Could he somehow sate a shade’s hunger with honey?

He thought back to what he knew of the Tower of the Gods and the Tower Lords. The Tower Lords certainly were said to have great wealth, but every story he was told of the Towers depicted them as defending against the Hunger and protecting the land. Were options like this just a reward for the Tower Lords themselves? Or would the production of honey play some role in the defense he couldn’t see?

Belissar shook his head. He didn’t know what he didn’t know. And he still didn’t know what to choose. It sounded like a forest might be more useful for the defense, if only to have access to more firewood, but maybe the slight boost in brood growth of the apiary might be more useful? He still wasn’t sure.

And well, he still had some more choices to view.

Please select a room feature:

- Basic Resource Plants (Rarity: Common, Type: Nature, Resource)

- Sticky Honey Trap (Rarity: Common, Type: Bee, Trap)

- Rest Zone (Rarity: Common, Type: Recovery, Zone)

Belissar blinked repeatedly, as this latest set of choices came with yet another set of questions. First of all, some kind of...honey trap? Was that an answer to why the apiary was a room choice? Could he use his own bees’ honey in the honey trap?

And then...what was a rest zone?

Rest Zone

Type: Recovery, Zone

Mana Upkeep: 5

Description: A safe zone where challengers can rest. Remnants won’t pass into the zones, and zones provide slight healing, as well as slightly boosted stamina and mana recovery.

Belissar held his head. Challengers? Remnants? What did any of that mean? Were they supposed to be something important? Were challengers his monsters...or the shades from the Hunger? That...that couldn’t be right. Why in the gods’ names would he ever want to let a shade rest and recover?!

It felt like the more information he learned, the more questions he had. He was no closer to making a decision than he was when he first started. If anything, he was more confused, and far less certain in his ability to make the right call.

And he still had one more choice he hadn’t even checked. Belissar groaned.

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