The Bee Dungeon

And so, Belissar decided…to check out the waiting perk choice first. Maybe whatever he got there might sway his decision…

Please select a perk:

- Piercing Stingers (Rarity: Uncommon)

- Gardener Planting (Rarity: Rare)

- Hardened Wax (Rarity: Common)

Belissar’s eyes widened. A rare perk? Most of the perks he had seen were limited to common or uncommon, so this was unexpected. Still, he wanted to consider his choice carefully, so he put aside the desire to select it immediately and read out the perks in order.

Piercing Stingers

- All stingers gain increased penetration

Well, he wasn’t sure what he expected, but that description still seemed a bit…brief. He supposed though that little more needed to be said. He had learned firsthand with the turtle shade that his bees had trouble fighting anything their stingers couldn’t pierce. This perk would directly address that issue. It needed nothing else to appeal to him.

The Flower Meadow queens need no encouragement either. They perked up and began fidgeting as Belissar read out the perk. Belissar didn’t need to ask why. They felt bad after the soldiers proved unable to pierce the turtle-shade’s defenses. This perk would help prevent that from ever recurring, make the soldier bee army strong and more capable of handing new threats in the future. It was certainly something to consider.

But well…it was the next perk he had his eyes on.

Gardener Planting

- Gardeners not only pollinate plants but carry and plant their seeds.

- Boosts seed growth of plants pollinated by gardeners.

- Boosts rate of cross-pollination of plants pollinated by gardeners.

Belissar rubbed his chin. On the one hand, for a rare perk to only affect one type of bee, the gardeners, seemed a bit limited in Belissar’s eyes. And it wouldn’t even make them any stronger for fighting shades. That made sense since gardeners were a worker evolution not meant for combat, but it still stood out to Belissar given his recent concerns regarding purifications.

But at the same time, it was a rare perk! Rare! Belissar figured there had to be some reason this one wasn’t common or uncommon. Besides, the Apiary queens seemed interested in it as well. So, Belissar took his time and thought about what he had read.

Then, he froze and his eyes went wide.

Gardeners would now help plants make more seeds and more cross-pollinated seeds, and then carry and plant them. What came to Belissar’s mind…was the recent slime flower. The slime flower that was a non-bee monster spawner. It was something he was unlikely to find in the reward choices, and even now that he had access to it the Blessing of Bees made it quite expensive. However…he had received it without spending a choice at all, and paid no mana upkeep for it. And that…was because it had grown on its own. And that meant that…plants could and had grown without Belissar spawning them directly, either as a resource node, trap, or general room feature.

So, for example, what if the gardeners helped the slime flower make seeds…and then carried and planted them elsewhere in his Tower? Could he get more slime flowers…and therefore monster spawners…without expending any mana whatsoever? What about mana flowers and their Ground and Fire versions? Additionally, if the gardeners were carrying them around…could he have them carry the seeds to other rooms? Could he put slime flowers in the Flower Meadow to reinforce the defense? What about the gravilion flowers or the thorny roses? Could he get free traps spread across the Bee Barracks and beyond? If he got new flowers, could he place just a single node and then let the gardeners spread them all across his Tower so that every hive could access them without him spending vast amounts of mana? If he made new rooms and had this perk, maybe he wouldn’t have to add as many flower nodes to them, if any.

When he thought of it that way…this perk seemed powerful indeed. The growth of his bees was tied to the quantity and variety of flowers he could offer them. An option to expand that quantity and variety with no further investment of the Tower’s resources could not be overlooked.

It was still true, however, that this perk would not increase the strength of the bee army directly. Additionally, it would take time to take effect, much like Cross-Pollination had. This perk was an investment for the future that would leave the present up to Belissar and the bees and defenders he already had.

Additionally, there was one final option.

Hardened Wax

- Monsters and room features may produce harder and denser wax

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Belissar…didn’t want to discount this one out of hand. Harder wax meant stronger hives, right? That could certainly prove useful. This perk was certainly not a bad one. But well, he couldn’t help but feel it was not as impressive as the other two offered here. ŗАΝȏʙĚš

So, should he strengthen the stingers to address the growing defenses of the latest shades? Or should he enable monster bee gardeners to spread flowers beyond their nodes? Additionally, he felt he should not consider the choice alone. He already had chosen a new room, the Lava Field, for his first choice. He had a second choice to make which could provide a second new room, a second perk, or more mana. Additionally, his current DP income would soon enable him to purchase a new monster, new room, or several new room features as soon as tomorrow. So, what would be the best choice not only out of these options but considering all the others?

For the Lava Field, the choice was obvious. A new room would very much appreciate new flowers. The same went for it he chose a second room choice. And new rooms could mean new flowers to cross-pollinate, so speeding up that process would also help.

For a second perk…it could go either way? He’d just have to hope that the second perk choice contained an option to match whatever he chose? And then the DP purchase…well, since he’d first have to decide what to purchase, that choice would largely depend on what he decided here, and so what he thought his Tower needed most. Although…if he thought about it that way, a perk choice in the DP store was far more expensive than a room choice.

That ended up settling it for Belissar. If perks were harder to come by and he was undecided what to do otherwise, he may as well pick up another one now. He could go for new rooms from the DP shop and more mana from the daily purification. And in that case, he may as well see what other choice he would have before he decided on the first perk.

Uncommon Perk Choice selected.

Please select a perk:

- Enhanced Toxins (Rarity: Common)

- Alluring Honey (Rarity: Uncommon)

- Bee-type Strength Boost (Minor) (Rarity: Uncommon)

Well, no rare choices this time. The first was a repeat, a general buff to toxins. It may have been common and humble…but Belissar realized it shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. After all, he had a lot of toxins now. Most of his bees had their stingers, from workers and queens to soldiers and lancers. The sprayers attacked solely through toxins as well. And then there were the various poisonous plants and mushrooms he had, and the poisonous honey that resulted. Could Enhanced Toxins boost a Sticky Honey Trap equipped with Maddening Honey, for example? Even though the perk itself was not that impressive, it would impact most of his Tower’s defenses on account of the abundance of toxins, and that made it worth considering.

Alluring Honey

- Honey may be given an enticing scent that makes it more appealing, especially to corrupted entities. Impact on non-corrupted entities depends on type of honey used and the nature of the entity in question.

Belissar found that one curious until he read the line about corrupted entities. So, if he was reading this correctly, this made the shades want his honey? At first he wondered why he would want that…until he realized that would mean he could use honey as bait for traps against shades. Or…perhaps he could use it to draw shades in different directions? Thus far, all the shades had moved straight towards the exit of any given room, save in the Dirt Tunnels where the twisting maze made it unclear which way was forward. That was ultimately why he cut down some of the Pit Traps in the Flower Meadow, since the shades just didn’t venture off to the sides.

But what if he could entice them that way? That alone could allow him to buy additional time during purifications. It would also make his traps more reliable to boot, taking some of the pressure off the soldier bee army.

Bee-Type Strength Boost (Minor)

- All Bee-type monsters receive a minor boost to strength

Belissar was about to gloss over this one…until he realized that it was not the average boost perks he saw in the daily purifications. No, this one specified that it applied not to a specific bee, but to all bee-type monsters. So, all of his monsters, at least until the slime flower did its thing.

Belissar nodded his head as his plan coalesced.

“So, I’m thinking of taking Gardener Planting for more flowers, and then one of the other perks to strengthen our defenses. Um, does anyone have another ideas? And do you like any of the next three perks in particular?”

Of course, the bees did not have any other ideas, for once he stated his the only answer he got was “whatever King chooses!” Chief Rohsuak shook her head as well. Belissar still wished she’d just tell him what she thought outright, but she apparently had no intention of defying his decision here, so he’d just go with what he thought best. As for the second choice…the Flower Meadow queens were split between Enhanced Toxins and Bee-Type Strength Boost. The First of the Fifth flew a bit unsteadily, on the other hand.

“Honey…more appealing? Make enemies want? Why want that?”

Belissar nodded at her.

“If it draws a shade’s attention, we can use it to draw it into traps.”

The First of the Fifth picked up speed, dancing to indicate her understanding…and following with a “King best king!” dance. She did not, however, indicate any specific preference for the perk after understanding it.

Belissar rubbed his chin once more, taking his bees preferences into account. Alluring Honey would work well with his traps. He hadn’t been able to rely on them in a while now…but perhaps Alluring Honey would change that? Especially if the gardeners started to spread some of the trap plants around. On the other hand, either of the other two perks would strengthen his bees directly. As powerful as traps might be, it generally came down to his bees, especially since the Hunger would ultimately adapt to the traps over time. And then, finally, Enhanced Toxins could improve both bees and traps, though it was a common perk.

Belissar glanced once more at his bees, then made his choice.

Gardener Planting selected.

Bee-Type Strength Boost (Minor) selected.

All Bee-type monsters receive a minor boost to strength!

The bees had been concerned and subdued due to the turtle-shade. They had been worried about their inability to fight. So, Belissar wanted to both make them stronger and to cheer them up. He was going to reward them for their efforts and reassure them that he believed in them. And he felt that boosting all of their strength directly was the best way to do that.

The bees all began to stir as the Tower’s mana flowed through them, the Flower Meadow queens in particular. Belissar looked directly at them and smiled.

“I’m counting on you.”

The Flower Meadow queens joined together in a salute dance, followed by all the rest.

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