Chapter 438 - Bee-searching New Challenges

After taking care of the First Chimeric Cuckoo Bee, the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter made her way to King’s hive. She did not go to King himself this time, though, instead flying for the spawner of King’s soldier bees. There, she found the soldiers dancing among themselves, discussing something apparently.

The soldiers had been fine and it was not her duty to manage their hive…but she had still failed to give them appropriate attention. That was a failure she had to atone for, so she came to dance with them in person.

“Hi, soldiers of King’s hive. Don’t have mana honey, right? Need any? Hive of hives can provide.”

The soldiers danced a salute as she approached, then considered her question. One of them started to reply.

“Don’t need for hive, but need for King’s work. Uses lots of honey, but makes King happy, so want do more.”

The other soldiers all joined the dance of the first to signal their agreement. The First Daughter’s wings fluttered. The soldiers were requesting honey not for themselves…but so that they could expand King’s work?

Truly, they were not part of King’s own hive for nothing. The First Daughter could do nothing but agree.

“Will deliver all need, right away!”

The soldiers all began a happy dance, while the First Daughter swore never to forget these amazing, incredible bees ever again.

***

Belissar awoke in a pleasant mood. The introduction of the First Chimeric Queen to the hive of hives had gone better than he had feared, she seemed to need less convincing than the dragon hatchling had! And the knowledge she could use larva moltings instead of live bees was a weight off his mind, it would be possible for the chimeric bees to grow without hurting the bees. It was even convenient for the bees, Belissar had seen them clearing out cocoon and molting debris here and there and now they had something to do with it all!

After his morning routine, Belissar checked on his new meadery…and found a pleasant surprise. The soldier bees that helped him previously had started making mead on their own, using the base recipe he had taught them and honey delivered by the hive of hives. Belissar enthusiastically thanked them, if the soldiers would make standard mead every day, then he’d have a long and enduring supply that he could share all while he’d be free to experiment with new recipes!

He longed to get started, but he had important work to do today first. There would be a new chimeric queen spawning today that needed to be introduced to the hive of hives, he had the mission completion reward from raising a cuckoo bee monster that he needed to decide on, and he probably needed to check on the former Tower Guards soon. But before any of that, Belissar decided he would first handle matters of the gods.

The God of Flowers specifically, as the God of Light had advised him to pay her special care. Belissar figured the first thing he should do was create some sort of challenge dedicated to her, so that challengers to his Tower might choose her as their patron god. Plus, he had the honeydew delivery challenge for the God of Bees and he had the Altar of Fire in the Dragonvein Volcano Room for the God of Fire, the God of Flowers deserved a place in his Tower too.

He was going to think about it himself…but then he realized there was no reason to do this alone, not when he had access to two dungeon masters of Flowers who might help. So, he sent word to Tarwantrad and Lord Aratodel, asking if he could come visit them sometimes.

Tarwantrad enthusiastically agreed right away, so Belissar headed over to her dungeon first. Tarwantrad met him right at the other side of the gate, bouncing on her feet all the while.

“Hi Belissar! Welcome!”

Belissar couldn’t help but smile back.

“Hi Tarwantrad, thanks for having me.”

Tarwantrad beamed.

“Of course, come over anytime you want! I got your message, you said you wanted to see my challenges for the God of Flowers?”

Belissar nodded and Tarwantrad grinned.

“Well, right this way then…is what I want to say, but there’s someone you should meet first.”

Tarwantrad motioned…towards empty air. Belissar tilted his head at first, but he soon caught sight of something small moving towards him. As it approached, Belissar realized it was a honeybee worker, but…different, somehow. Her chitin seemed shinier, as if reflecting the light, her hairs seemed softer and fuzzier, her eyes felt deep and vast somehow.

And she was not of the hive of hives, Belissar did not feel her in the hivelink as he did other bees. Yet…he felt connected to her regardless, both in his mana…and in something deeper that he could not identify.

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The bee approached while Belissar pondered these things and began zipping around him. Belissar put his thoughts aside and lifted his hand, preparing to create some honey for her…when the bee spoke.

“Belissar best dungeon master!”

Belissar froze. There was only one being he had ever heard say that.

“Are you…?”

But before he could say anything more, he found that the bee had vanished. Only a faint tingling at the edge of his mana remained, and the faint taste of honey. He turned to Tarwantrad with the question he hadn’t been able to ask and she returned a warm smile.

“She wanted to greet you, as the God of Flowers greeted me in your Tower.”

Belissar glanced up at the sky and slowly began to smile.

“Hi God of Bees. You’re the best patron too!”

Belissar could have sworn that his mana buzzed in response, but the feeling faded as quickly as it came.

After that, Tarwantrad led him through her dungeon, bringing him to its very entrance. Tarwantrad’s first room was a basic Flower Meadow, much like the ones in Belissar’s own Tower, only with a greater variety of flowers. Her meadow looked like it was made of rainbows with all the different colored flowers blooming across the field. The shrine at the room’s entrance had a statue of the God of Flowers made out of branches and vines covered in blooming flowers, not unlike how the God of Flowers had actually appeared.

Tarwantrad then pointed to the exits…as there were multiple doors. She first pointed towards one right next to the dungeon’s main entrance. There was a sign pointing that way, as well as a small dirt trail.

“So, this is something you’re just starting to do, but those of us with larger dungeons can afford to separate some branches, or series of rooms and floors that don’t lead to the end of the dungeon. They aren’t that useful for defense, as the Hunger always seems to know which way leads to the core, but because of that they’re useful for rooms you don’t want the Hunger to damage. That way is my gathering branch, full of rooms set up with lots of resources and minimal danger, all of which are designated safe zones. The people of Viryaskog and other herbalists from across the Land of the Fair go there to gather useful flowers.”

Belissar nodded along.

“Ah, kind of like what I did for the karnuq? I just put the floor’s entrance and exit right next to each other in the same room, so that the Hunger could go past the floor without going through their home.”

Tarwantrad smiled.

“Exactly. I’m not sure if you’ve checked this or not, but if you have a branch room that does not lead deeper into the dungeon, you can change the settings on its entrance like you can with shortcuts. I have this one set to bar the Hunger’s way, as well as any free-roaming monsters and dangerous wildlife.”

Belissar’s eyes widened. He had not, indeed, checked that…and would now have to. He’d feel much, much better if the Hunger couldn’t reach the karnuq settlement at all…or the rooms the bees called home. It would apparently take those rooms out of his defense altogether…but if a shade reached any of those rooms, his defenses would have already failed, so the peace of mind would be worth it.

“I’ll have to rearrange things when I get back. Niobee, can you ask a bee to remind me about that?”

“Ok!”

Tarwantrad giggled and then continued pointing the room’s exits. She pointed to the door at the far end of the room, straight down the center of the room from the dungeon’s entrance.

“That’s the way that leads to my dungeon’s core, and where all of my defenses are set up too. Meanwhile that one over there…”

She pointed to another side entrance near the front of the room, on the opposite side of the one leading to the foraging branch.

“…is my new challenger branch.”

Tarwantrad led Belissar to the challenger branch. Inside, Belissar was surprised to find an open field, with only a handful of flowers. Instead, there were a bunch of buildings and a handful of clear areas made of packed dirt. There was a forest at the far side of the room and a room entrance leading into it, but the room itself seemed to have no challengers or remnants. He turned to Tarwantrad and tilted his head, the elf giggled at his expression.

“Surprised? This isn’t the challenge area itself, but the place where challengers can prepare for or finish their attempts. Those empty areas are where challengers gather and organize themselves before starting. That building is a cafeteria run by my aunt, where the challengers can get a meal or buy some extra rations to eat along the way. That one over there is an infirmary with a healer from Viryaskog and some of my healing monsters, they’ll give emergency aid to anyone who’s severely wounded. And this one here is the watchtower.”

Belissar was a bit confused by the last one, given that said building was the same size and shape as the others and only a single floor. Tarwantrad led him inside instead of explaining, once inside Belissar understood the name. A bunch of those clairvoyance wards Wardmaster Varilold had used during Starami’s assault had been set up all along the building’s interior while a bunch of armed silver elf warriors and flower monsters lounged around. Tarwantrad gestured towards one of the wards.

“We keep watch of the challengers from here, and keep an emergency team to intervene if any of them get into trouble. I don’t make things easy for them, after all.”

Belissar glanced at the ward Tarwantrad pointed to. A group of silver elves tried to pick a flower in amidst a forest…only for thorny vines to rip out of the ground and assault them.

“I let the flowers and the ecosystems grow naturally in my challenge rooms, many are not dungeon monsters at all and will not hold back against challengers. The challengers are supposed to gather certain flowers while battling the remnants, but if they do not learn about and respect all the flowers in my ecosystem, they will find themselves battling the environment as well. But those who know and respect flowers…”

She pointed to another ward. There, a different group of silver elves approached a flower. One of them knelt down, placed a single finger on the base of the flower, and gently shook it. A small cloud of pollen drifted from the flower, only when it stopped did the elf gather the plant.

“…will find the challenge easy. That particular flower releases a puff of poisonous pollen when disturbed, unless you gently vibrate it as a buzz pollinator would. Then you can disperse the pollen safely and pick the flower without issue.”

Belissar rubbed his chin.

“Huh, that could work for my Tower too. The challengers would have to forage flowers like the bees do, maybe they could even bring the flowers to the bees in exchange for honey? Then it’d work for both the God of Flowers and the God of Bees?”

Tarwantrad blinked…and then beamed.

“That’s a great idea, Belissar! I’m sure both gods would love something like that! Maybe I should get my bees involved with mine too!”

Belissar and Tarwantrad thus began to discuss their challenges, what they might learn from each other, and how to integrate Flower and Bee challenges…much to the pleasure of their patron gods.