The Bee Dungeon

A short while later, one of the bee monsters returned, carrying a more normal sized bee on her back while several more honeybees buzzed around them. The augur watched as they hovered before the Tower Lord…or Tower Keeper, as he preferred to be called. And a wise man does not defy a Tower Lord if he can help it.

“Thanks for coming. So, the God of Bees wants to say something after all?”

The bees flew about in seemingly random patterns and circles as far as the augur was concerned. But the Tower Keeper derived meaning from them, one of their many gifts from the gods. The Tower Keeper nodded and stepped to the side.

“He’s over here.”

The augur watched as the small bee lifted off of her larger counterpart’s back and flew towards him, accompanied by the rest of the honeybees. So, this was the oracle that had traveled with them? Part of him wondered how a bee who couldn’t speak with any tongue of man could be an oracle but the augur knew better than to question it. He had had the privilege of speaking with oracles in the past, as well as speaking with others who had as well, so he knew that oracles came in all shapes and sizes. A talking tree, a pool of water that imparted visions, even a pile of bones that formed words when dropped. If the God of Bees, as it were, chose a bee as their oracle, then that was their right. So, the augur rose to his feet to greet that oracle.

It did make him curious as to how he would receive the response. The Tower Keeper could translate for the bee, it seemed, but an oracle should be able to pass the will of a god directly. Besides, the augur himself had failed to understand the intentions of this god even after receiving a direct message. He did not wish to hear another filtered through the Tower Keeper.

He bowed his head toward the bee.

“I’m honored to speak with you, Oracle of Bees.”

The bees buzzed. The augur waited for a bit, then cleared his throat.

“God of Bees, I am sorry. I am sorry that I misread your intentions and allowed my liege to assault one of your Towers. And I am sorry I come before you with nothing to offer but my apologies. But…if you are willing to consider an unworthy one such as myself…please, respond to my plea, and I swear I shall do all in my power to see your will fulfilled.”

The bees continued buzzing, so the augur took a deep breath and carried on.

“…what was your intention in sending us here?”

He looked up and watched the Oracle of Bees. At first, she did not respond, just kept hovering and buzzing about as bees do. But, just as the augur began to furrow his brow, her eyes lit up. The augur’s eyes widened as the bee queen glowed with a golden-yellow light…the exact same light he had seen during his divination at the start of their trip.

The Oracle of Bees began to fly in circles and patterns once more. Her workers landed on the ground and began to crawl about. The augur watched them intently…and soon his eyes widened once more. The bees…were leaving wax on the ground. Wax in the shape of letters.

“Help tower, help oracle.”

The augur took a deep breath. So, it was true. Ruckanos had gotten it all wrong and led them into disaster with his delusions of grandeur. But the augur was no better. He knew better, and yet had not acted to stop the foolish boy. Indeed, if anything, he bore ultimate responsibility. Was it not the duty of the augurs to guide the Tower Lords to their destinies? What it not his duty to divine the will and movements of the gods so that the Conclave could respond? But he had not convinced the boy who was not yet a Tower Lord, and so the group intended to escort an oracle to her intended home had instead invaded with force.

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The augur bowed his head.

“I understand. I will see it done.”

The bees left one more word on the ground.

“Good.”

The augur took another deep breath. He could not help but glance at the beastkin still ready to stab him at a moment’s notice. Here was a Tower Lord without the Conclave’s guidance, who had no training or instruction on how to fulfill his task. Who was specifically defying what doctrine he would have known as a simple peasant, seeing as how he had welcomed the beastkin in.

And yet…it didn’t matter. Oracles were afforded special privileges and protection, the voices of the very gods who granted humanity their Towers. None but the High Council could defy them, and most of the High Council never would. If a god, unknown or not, had sent their oracle to this Tower specifically, through trial and tribulation, all for the sake of helping it? The augur could not and would not defy them, no matter what the keeper of this Tower was doing with his powers.

So he had already sworn. And so he would do.

The augur turned and bowed his head towards Belissar.

“Tower Keeper, the will of the God of Bees was to help your Tower. So, I, Sehfitis, swear I will do all that I can to help you.”

Accept offer of allegiance?

Belissar raised an eyebrow. He…had not expected this turn of events. This guy who worked for the Tower Lords and refused to speak with them…now wanted to be his sworn defender? What, really? Just what did the God of Bees say to him?!

Well, Belissar had watched Niobee’s queen mother dance instructions to her workers and could read the wax messages with his tower sight so he already knew…but that alone had been enough to convince the guy? And now he wanted to join the Tower, just like that? After all he had done?

Belissar’s eyes narrowed…but then he sighed. So, what was he going to do? If he rejected the guy…would he just keep him here forever? Toss him out of the Tower and just hope he didn’t contact the Tower Lords? Execute the old man on the spot? This was a matter of prisoners and gods and oaths, not something Belissar had much experience handling. But handle it he must, for it was the business of Tower Lords, which he was no matter what other name he chose to call himself by.

He didn’t know how the Tower Lords treated prisoners wanting to join them and he didn’t want to know. The karnuq, on the other hand, didn’t take prisoners. And he wasn’t close enough to the sigmaka to ask them. It was up to him to decide what to do.

Or was it? Belissar turned to the one other group in the room.

“Hey Niobee, do bees ever take prisoners?”

Niobee zipped over to him at his address.

“Prisoners? What that?”

Belissar rubbed his chin.

“Um, maybe…bees from other hives?”

Niobee flew about unsteadily.

“Intruders?”

Belissar furrowed his brow.

“Um, kind of. They were intruders but now they aren’t fighting.”

Niobee buzzed her wings.

“Push intruders out, sting if have to! But…other bees but not intruders…”

Niobee swayed in the air for a bit before starting to dance.

“Ah, had one worker from other hive try to follow. Lost hive, looking for new one. Worked hard, so bees let into hive. Joined hive.”

Belissar’s eyes widened and then he smiled.

“I see. Thanks, Niobee.”

Niobee zipped about happily as Belissar turned back to the old man.

“Sehfitis, was it?”

Sehfitis nodded.

“Yes, Tower Keeper?”

Belissar took a deep breath.

“I’ll let you help, then.”

Sehfitis blinked and then started to smile, but Belissar then narrowed his eyes and glared at the man.

“But hurt my bees, or the karnuq, or try to contact the Tower Lords, or anything like that, and we’re done. Got it.”

Sehfitis nodded.

“Of course, Tower Keeper.”

Belissar brought up the sworn defender description one more time.

Sworn Defender: An outsider who has sworn to defend a dungeon. Bound not to harm the core or the dungeon master, and to defend it from existential threats. Immediately gains a minor blessing from the dungeon’s patron and may interact with dungeon mana. Remnants will not spawn around a sworn defender unless they specifically intend to be challenged. Do not cost mana to upkeep, but mana may improve the bond with a given sworn defender, unlocking additional interactions with dungeon mana.

He still didn’t trust the guy. But the God of Bees had spoken to him and he was making an offer of allegiance. Supposedly, he would not be able to harm the dungeon or Belissar afterwards. Belissar could only hope that extended to the bees as well.

If it didn’t…well, he’d let the bees do what they did to intruders.

“In that case…I accept your offer.”

You have gained 1 sworn defender.

Belissar could only hope this would help him protect his bees.

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