The Bee Dungeon

After greeting Velebee, Belissar walked over to the new beehouses the karnuq had built, with all his beekeeping students fidgeting about. He nodded at them.

“Ok, let’s see how you did.”

He sent a silent command over to the First of the Ninth. She flew into the area, flying above the beehouses. She crawled inside a few of them, spending about a minute inside each one before flying to the next. She crawled into one final one, spending a minute inside…and then another, and another. The karnuq all held their breath, waiting for her to exit, but she did not.

Belissar walked over to one of them and gave her a smile.

“Congratulations, it seems she likes your beehouse.”

The karnuq in question grinned and pumped her fists into the air. The other karnuq congratulated her as best they could, though Belissar could tell their smiles were a bit strained.

“Don’t worry if she didn’t pick yours today, everyone. Another queen will be born tomorrow, so you’ll have another chance. Try to improve your houses as best you can until then.”

The other karnuq nodded and then each moved to begin reworking their beehouses. Meanwhile, Belissar upgraded the First of the Ninth’s home to an official beehouse feature, nodding towards the new karnuq beekeeper.

“Let’s give her some time to get her hive up and running, and then I’ll show you how to care for the hive…and collect the honey.”

The new beekeeper grinned and nodded at that. Belissar smiled back as he watched the First of the Ninth drink up some of the magically generated honey and begin to lay her first worker eggs. A new bee queen had found a home, and a karnuq had taken the most important step towards becoming at true beekeeper. He couldn’t wait to let Chief Rohsuak know of the success…once she returned from her own mission that day.

Chief Rohsuak marched through the Underway, escorted by Metsaitti, Leijaliuk, a group of hunters, and a couple of digging worker bees. The Tower Keeper informed her that soldiers of that variety were now available, but Chief Rohsuak declined to bring them along. It would not do to let the sigmaka learn of all their tricks.

Chief Rohsuak chuckled as she watched Metsaitti glance around far more than usual, his grip on his spear tightening and loosening repeatedly. Ah, she remembered the days when she had just received a new blessing...and wanted nothing more than to test it out.

Unfortunately for him, the group encountered no threats by the time they reached the rotcap field. A group of sigmaka were waiting at the edge of it and came to greet them, Second Queen Berbiya at their head. The sigmaka woman smiled but it seemed a little strained to the chief.

“I’m glad to see you. I must admit, we were growing a bit anxious when we didn’t hear from you. I was under the impression you wished to conduct the first trade earlier than this?”

Chief Rohsuak nodded.

“I apologize for that. We have been distracted recently, with the attack on the Tower and all.”

Second Queen Berbiya raised an eyebrow.

“You were attacked? You and the Sacred Den both?”

Chief Rohsuak smiled.

“Just a scouting party, and it was defeated with minimal trouble.”

Then she dropped her smile as she looked the Second Queen in the eye.

“However, they represent a much larger empire controlling many Sacred Dens, and we have been warned they will return in force one day. You had best inform your king and make preparations as you can, they are apparently not fond of beastkin.”

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Second Queen Berbiya frowned at that, but Chief Rohsuak returned to smiling.

“Well, that is outside of our present business. Shall we proceed with the trade?”

Clay absorbed.

Sufficient samples gathered. Clay is now available.

Rotcap absorbed.

Sufficient samples gathered. Rotcap is now available.

Belissar tried to absorb some of the honeydew and silk the sigmaka offered, but the Tower didn’t offer to absorb either. He guessed for the honeydew he would need the aphids rather than the product? As for silk…he wasn’t sure how that was made, but maybe it was an animal product as well?

“Is that it?”

Chief Rohsuak nodded.

“The first trade was a small affair, but I believe they will expand their selection in the future.”

Belissar shrugged.

“It’s fine, clay is helpful enough, right? Not sure what to do with the rotcap, though.”

She gave him a smile.

“If you placed it in the first floor Dirt Tunnels, it would be most displeasing to any uninvited guests.”

Belissar rubbed his chin.

“I guess, but would that work on a shade?”

Chief Rohsuak shook her head.

“Most likely not, but shades are not the only threat we’re worried about.”

Belissar could only nod at that.

“True. Well, did they say anything about the Tower Lords? Maybe sending challengers or something?”

Chief Rohsuak shook her head.

“Nothing yet.”

Belissar sighed.

“Got it. Well, let me know if they do.”

Chief Rohsuak gave him a salute.

“Of course, Tower Keeper.”

They had agreed it would be best to inform the sigmaka about the threat of the Tower Lords. Belissar had hoped the sigmaka might help, even just sending challengers to try and grow stronger on their own would speed up his Tower’s growth. But Chief Rohsuak had convinced him only to inform them of the threat at first so that they could gauge the sigmaka’s reaction to the news.

That felt like a waste of time to Belissar in a situation where time could be of the essence, but Chief Rohsuak pointed out they couldn’t appear too worried. The sigmaka needed to believe that Belissar himself believed he could win, or else they would either flee or possibly even try to ally with the Tower Lords. Belissar didn’t like all that, but this sort of thing was why he wanted Chief Rohsuak’s help with all this to begin with, so he followed her lead as far as diplomacy was concerned.

Instead, he focused on what he could do. He added some clay deposits to the karnuq floor’s Dirt Tunnels, then returned home to the Apiary farmhouse. He took out a tray of healing herb honey, took a deep breath, and then began to feast upon it.

He had been training his magic on a daily basis, but still was limited to just making honey, wax, propolis, or mana stingers. Nothing that Beero and her wounded soldiers couldn’t do, certainly nothing on the level of Chief Rohsuak. And he now knew from Beero and Metsaitti’s experiences that there was far more to this magic than he had found so far.

So, it was time he took a stab at it himself. Both Beero and Metsaitti grew by eating burning mana honey, so would he. Well, not burning mana honey specifically, since the Third of the Sixth had already donated a lot of her production recently. However, he generally only ate the regular mana honey for his meals, so he had plenty more types to try with.

After seeing Metsaitti nearly burn to death, though, he decided to take it slow and try the medicinal mana honey first. Surely this one wouldn’t result in a painful, fiery death…he hoped.

He felt the honey as it passed down, his throat tingling from the medicinal compounds within. He could feel as well the mana of the honey pass into his body, searching for wounds and illnesses to address. Instead, though, he tried to do what Beero had said she did. He pushed his own mana to wrap around the mana spreading from the honey and join its flow.

At first the mana just collided and pushed the medicinal mana away, causing it to dissipate. He frowned, but did not attempt the same thing again. Instead, he thought to Beero and Metsaitti’s experiences…and realized there was one thing he was missing.

“Hey, Niobee, could you help me with this mana? I’m trying to do what Beero did.”

“Ok! Will!”

Niobee happily landed on his head and began dancing around, directing the Tower’s mana into Belissar’s body. He felt the mana reach for his own and the medicinal honey’s, guiding them together. He closed his eyes and tried to let them. Of course, how could he try to learn bee magic without the help of bees?

He was reminded of something Chief Rohsuak once told him, that to grow in his magic he should reflect upon the nature of his blessing. So, as Niobee tried to assist, he thought about bees. He imagined his mana not like a flow of water, but as a swarm of little bees, each one lapping up some of the medicinal mana like honey and then carrying it where the hive needed it to go. He imagined them flying it outside of his body and storing it in a honeycomb of mana out in the air.

He opened his eyes to find that honeycomb above his hand, dripping bluish-green medicinal honey made from pure mana.

“King did it! King is best king!”

He grinned as he reached up to brush Niobee.

“We did it. You and I, working together, as any good hive should.”

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