The Bee Dungeon

A man stepped into the Sacred Den, immediately assaulted by a rise in temperature so sudden it felt like being hit by a solid wall. A stone causeway stretched across the center of a stone-walled room with two rivers of lava flowing to either side. The man tried not to grimace as noxious fumes rose from the rivers and assaulted his nose, his powerful sense of smell a severe detriment at that moment.

The man himself was unfortunately dressed for the occasion, wearing a suit of chainmail. The metal began to heat up almost immediately, only his thin tunic underneath saving him from vicious burns. Even still, any contact between his limbs and the armor would definitely leave a mark. But the multiple layers also caused him to cook within his own clothing. He was already sweating something fierce and had the fight the urge to let out his tongue and begin panting. Additionally, the fur on his arms and legs did not help matters, and the fur on his bushy tail was already drooping. Not for the first time, his wolf-like features had come back to haunt him.

But the sooner he moved, the sooner he could leave, so he pressed onward. He walked past the gigantic bonfire crackling before the banner of the God of Fire, taking a moment to bow at the Shrine of Fire before continuing onward. He turned to the left and stopped before a double door, flanked on either side by other wolfkin like himself. These, however, were not clad in chainmail but in obsidian-black plate armor with visored helmets with triangular protrusions for their ears. And, despite being far more heavily clad than himself, they did not give any sign that the heat bothered them in any way. He was not a little envious of those who had been blessed by the God of Fire.

He gave his name and then one of the guards stepped inside. A moment later, they returned.

“Wait here.”

He held back a frown. Waiting next to a divine bonfire and two rivers of lava was not exactly easy for someone without the God of Fire’s blessing. But that was the point, he knew. One arrived for an audience with the Inferno Empress at her convenience, not their own.

Only after he was completely drenched in sweat did a torch next to the gate light up. One of the guards nodded and opened the door.

“Enter.”

The man gulped and made his way inside. He now walked into a throne room made of pure black obsidian, lit by large trenches of fire that stretched down the center in a pair. Fire wisps danced in and out of the flames, twirling tongues of fire into all sorts of shapes and patterns. Golden suits of armor lined the room holding weapons with bright red blades.

And at the end of the room was an empty throne made of obsidian and gold. A black-furred, three-headed dog that was larger than the man was tall curled up and napped. It stirred slightly as he approached, one of the heads watching him with one of its eyes. It began a low growl as he reached the end of the fire trenches, still a ways away from the throne.

A moment later, smoke began to billow into the room and coalesced around the throne. Two bright red eyes appeared in the midst of the dark cloud before the smoke began to disperse, though a thin layer of it still hung around. And then, finally, he saw the form of the Empress herself. She had long and thin ears poking out of the obsidian helmet that covered the top half of her face. Black, leathery wings wrapped around her, obscuring most of her body from view as she leaned back against her chair.

The man spread out his arms, fully exposing his torso towards the throne before kneeling down on one knee.

“All hail the Inferno Empress!”

She glanced at him, red orbs occasionally glimmering in her helmet as her eyes reflected the flickering flames to his sides. She opened her mouth and spoke with a low, raspy voice.

“I have need of my servants.”

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The man remained kneeling.

“But of course, my empress. Speak and your command will be done.”

She made no movement, though the smoke surrounding her slowed for a moment.

“You are to fetch me some bees.”

The man couldn’t help but look up and tilt his head.

“…bees, Your Majesty?”

The orbs in her helmet flashed to life and the smoke picked up. The man quickly bowed his head once again.

“Of course, Your Majesty! It shall be done immediately!”

The Empress nodded her head.

“It had better. Do not forget the fate of the last tribe that displeased me.”

The man held back a gulp. What few of that tribe had survived had subsequently been exiled from the lands of the Empress, doomed to brave the Underway until they were caught and consumed by the Hunger. There were very few worse fates.

“That is all. Do not return until you are successful. I shall expect you soon.”

With that, she rose to her feet and finally unwrapped her wings, extending them wide. The smoke condensed and wrapped around her, obscuring her from his view for but a moment. And in that moment, she had vanished entirely. ℞ÂꞐɵᛒΕṢ

The man rose to his feet and left the Sacred Den as fast as was permissible within the Empress’s halls. Whatever his mission, he could not afford to delay…

A man with a young appearance sat at a wooden table set up outdoors, giving him a full view of the streets lined with trees. He was dressed in flashy clothing colored red, yellow, and orange, causing him to stand out from his surroundings. Everywhere, flowered vines wrapped around buildings of white and golden wood. The man himself sipped his tea, his pointed ears drooping a bit. It was…a bit bland, for his tastes. But well, few among his people appreciated spices the way he did. The God of Fire’s blessing could have unexpected side effects.

Across from him sat a woman with an equally young appearance, sipping her tea with a smile. She wore a simple, green gardener’s dress with a brown apron, and had flowers tied into her hair. The man grinned.

“So, I take it we have an agreement?”

The woman smiled and nodded.

“Of course. I am curious, however…”

The man made a wry smile.

“Why bees?”

The woman nodded.

“I have not known you to be interested in anything that was not flammable…”

She paused, and then narrowed her eyes.

“Urubran, you do not plan on setting them on fire, do you?”

Urubran raised his hands and shook his head.

“No, of course not. It’s a mission from the God of Fire. Apparently, I am to earn the blessing of the God of Bees.”

The moment he said the name, the woman jolted and her back straightened.

“…there’s…a God of Bees?”

Urubran made a small smirk.

“Apparently so.”

The woman immediately slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward but the man stopped her by raising his hand.

“Calm down, Tarwantrad, I’m going to tell you.”

Urubran chuckled as Tarwantrad didn’t back down in the slightest, staring at him intently.

“Apparently, I must raise a number of hives of at least rare rarity, though to my understanding most bee queen variants are rare to begin with? Then, I must build homes for them. Moreover, the mission will not be considered complete until the bees are sufficiently happy. So…could I request your assistance with that?”

Tarwantrad nodded her head.

“Indeed, I would not allow you to make them unhappy in the first place, so I planned to deliver them to you personally. The gods know how long it took to teach you how to take care of the simplest plant.”

Urubran was about to retort about her nearly starving the first Fire monster he gave her but Tarwantrad had already looked away from him, rubbing her chin and muttering to herself.

“I was certain they were happy and I certainly have the variety. Maybe it’s specifically the build homes for them part? Interesting, I had always let them take care of themselves for I believed they knew best how to build their hives but is that not the case? Should I have been building homes for them all along? Or perhaps it was awareness? I didn’t know there was a God of Bees before, after all. If only I could hear from them myself…”

Just then, Tarwantrad froze.

“Ah…”

Urubran grinned again.

“Got it too, huh? I was honestly wondering why it came to me instead of you. Must have something do with the gods themselves…”

Urubran stopped, and then sighed. Tarwantrad was completely ignoring him. Again. He sipped his tea instead and shrugged. He couldn’t say he didn’t expect this. The news that there was a God of Bees was always going to shock her.

Tarwantrad suddenly snapped out of her daze and began nodding with all her mind.

“Yes! Of course! Right away!”

She immediately rose from her feet and grabbed Urubran, yanking him up and causing him to spill his tea.

“Come, Urubran! We have work we need to do right now!”

“Hey, wait a minute, Tarwantrad! Let go of me! I know you’re excited but I can’t just up and leave my dungeon unattended! And look, we haven’t even paid for the tea yet!”

Tarwantrad tossed a bunch of coins onto the table before dragging Urubran off, heedless of his other complaints.

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