The Bee Dungeon

Without delay, Belissar opened the reward.

Please select a perk:

- Bee-Type Speed Boost (Small) (Rarity: Uncommon)

- Bee Breeder (Rarity: Uncommon)

- Swarming Soldiers (Rarity: Uncommon)

His eyes widened. All uncommons this time? That was a god’s reward, no doubt. After just a second staring at the list without a single common, Belissar started to read out the descriptions.

Bee-Type Speed Boost (Small)

- All Bee-type monsters receive a small boost to speed

- May affect Bee-type rooms and features where relevant

Belissar scratched his chin. He hadn’t realized that the stat boost perks also affected rooms and features. Though, he wasn’t precisely sure how. Would moving faster apply to beehouses or the Apiary?

He shrugged though. Even putting that factor aside, making all of his bees a bit faster was powerful enough in and of itself. The battle meadow queens certainly agreed giving that they were all fidgeting about. The Fourth of the Seventh had no such hesitation and was zipping about, putting a smile on Belissar’s face.

He moved on to the next perk.

Bee Breeder

- Small increase to the rate monster bee queens produce offspring

A repeat offering and another one that was simple but powerful. Belissar would never say no to more bees, that would aid in every aspect of his Tower. More workers to forage and scout, more soldiers to fight, more gardeners to help his flower bloom, and more communers to keep track of them all. But, most importantly and unlike the first time he saw this perk, Belissar now knew that the monster bee queens could raise new queens and new hives. A small increase in the number of bees born could become massive when it meant multiplying the number of hives.

Though, the perk did mention monster bee queens, specially. Would it also apply to the bumble bee queens? The perk wouldn’t reach as far as the speed boost if not, though it was still worth considering. The First of the Fifth appeared to do so as she began cleaning her antennae over and over. The battle meadow queens as well, resumed their fidgeting. He guessed they might be torn between the two perks.

Belissar guessed that the last perk was not going to help with that.

Swarming Soldiers

- Monster bee soldiers gain a small boost to speed and strength and a minor boost to all other stats when ten or more gather together. Effects increase with numbers up to a current maximum of thirty.

- Slight boost to monster bee soldier coordination

- Applies to soldier variations but not to soldier evolutions

All the battle meadow queens froze, and then flew closer as Belissar read the description. He made an amused smile as each word drew them in more and more. He guessed he knew which one they preferred.

Indeed, the perk was powerful. It boosted all of a soldier bee’s stats with the biggest boost to their speed and strength, helping them hit hard and fast. And the current size of the soldier bee army was such that it would always remain active, so for Belissar’s soldiers it was a straight increase to their power.

It was also useful in that it made soldiers, the most common defender of Belissar’s Tower, stronger and more capable. Lancers were powerful but few in number. Sprayers introduced a new element to the army but also couldn’t fight well up close. At the end of the day, it was the soldiers who were holding the line. Boosting their power would help the majority of the army stay relevant against whatever new kinds of shades the Hunger threw at them…or whatever new kinds of enemies arrived to assault them.

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Additionally, the perk mentioned variations and evolutions. Belissar rubbed his chin at that. If he had to guess…it probably wouldn’t affect sprayers or lancers, then? What exactly would count as a variation? Did that mean it could affect the bumblebee soldiers, maybe?

If it did…the big bumblebee soldiers getting a boost to their strength could be a sight to see. Depending on if the perk affected them at all and if it did if it counted them along with the monster bee soldiers or if it counted them separately. There weren’t ten bumblebee soldiers yet, after all, as they needed significantly more honey than their smaller counterparts.

So, that was the choice. Faster bees, more bees, or boost soldiers specifically in every way. Before deciding, Belissar turned to his bees and the karnuq.

“What do you think?”

The battle meadow queens conferred and saluted to one another, then the Second First of the First flew forward.

“Think…soldier one best. Hive of hives is strongest when working together, good to make soldiers stronger when together.”

The First of the Fifth paused and quickly began dancing to the Apiary queens. A moment later, she made her dance to Belissar.

“Lots of jobs to do now, lots of flowers to gather. More bees would help, if King decides!”

Meanwhile, the Fourth of the Seventh was still zipping around.

“All of them! Any! Amazing, incredible!”

Belissar chuckled as he turned to the karnuq. Most of them were staring blankly or furrowing their brow. Chief Rohsuak made a wry smile and shrugged while Metsaitti rubbed his chin. He slowly lifted his head to make eye contact with Belissar.

“All of them have their use but…Sacred Den Master, from what I have seen, you prefer to minimize casualties, correct?”

Belissar nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Metsaitti crossed his arms as he nodded.

“In that case, it may be wiser to strengthen your army than to expand it. Though, I speak only as a warrior, so I cannot tell you which will make your Sacred Den strongest overall.”

Belissar nodded and hummed to himself. Metsaitti had a point. A general speed boost would make it easier for his bees to dodge attacks. A boost to every stat for soldiers would correspondingly help in every way, making it easier to dodge attacks, easier to survive getting hit, and easier to defeat the enemy before they attacked in the first place. Bee Breeder, on the other hand, gave him more bees, but didn’t make the individual bees any more resilient. It could be useful for overwhelming the enemy and absorbing casualties…but only if Belissar was willing to take casualties in the first place. More powerful bees also meant he could tackle more purifications and expansions, acquiring more floors and choices in the process.

Though, Metsaitti did say he was thinking as a warrior. If Belissar tried not to think like a warrior…that would be thinking more like the First of the Fifth than the battle meadow queens? More bees not only meant more soldiers, but more workers and gardeners as well. More workers and gardeners would mean more honey. More honey would in turn mean even more bees. And not just more soldiers, more honey could allow the army to evolve more sprayers and lancers or could let the bumblebee queens raise more of their larger soldiers.

Bee breeders would also help regarding new bees and flowers. More workers and gardeners would boost cross-pollination, meaning more and new kinds of flowers as well and faster spreading flowers. And bee breeders would directly help new queens set up their hives, with implications when new types of bees arose. For example, the Tower Guard had marched right through the Dirt Tunnels unopposed because the regular soldier bee army couldn’t fight there either. If, however, the digging queen had expanded their hives and accumulated a decent batch of soldiers, Belissar could have attacked the Tower Guard while the wyverns were unable to fly at all. Or if the burning queen had an army of her own, then he could have considered fighting in the Lava Field and letting the mini-volcano do some of the work for the bees.

Belissar frowned. This time, he wanted all the options and so had a hard time deciding which. Did he want to make the bee army stronger directly? Or did he want to focus on aspects of his Tower besides fighting? And how should he pick when one would help the other as well?

He felt Niobee land on his head.

“King ok?”

Belissar glanced up at her and smiled. Indeed, there was one other bee who hadn’t spoken yet.

“What do you think, Niobee?”

“Whatever King chooses!”

He chuckled at that.

“And if you were choosing?”

Niobee paused and her dancing slowed.

“If…Niobee chose?”

Belissar nodded.

“Please, I’d like to know what you think.”

Niobee fell still. Then, slowly, she started to tap out unsteady steps.

“If Niobee chose…Niobee wants stronger bees. Need to sting enemies without losing bees. Won’t let anyone hurt King again.”

Belissar’s mouth curled up a bit. Niobee…had a bit of an aggressive streak, didn’t she? He reached up and brushed her back.

“And I won’t let anyone hurt the bees.”

Belissar made his choice.

Swarming Soldiers selected.

He decided that the brave soldier bees deserved the boost. Time after time again they risked and sometimes gave their lives to protect him and all the other bees behind them. He would not forget them or all that they had done, even if lancers could pierce their foes, sprayers could attack at a distance, or the karnuq could hold the line in their place.

He would reward them for their sacrifice, and in the process make them stronger and more capable of handling whatever else came their way.

He closed his eyes and turned his Tower sight to all the soldier bees in the dungeon. The battle meadow soldier bee army training for its next battle. The construction squad helping the karnuq build a roof. The Apiary soldiers standing guard by the room to the core. Beero and the others demonstrating their dance to their new members.

He stirred up his mana and sent it towards them.

“Thank you, for protecting our home.”

Every single soldier bee in the Tower paused…and then burst out into rapid salute dances.

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