The Bee Dungeon

Belissar froze and stood still as a flood of challenger blessed messages filled his vision. A quick glance with his tower sight showed him the Tyhgak's squad all cheering and playing around with mana wrapping around spears and arrows, while that one karnuq smith was kneeling before the Shrine of Bees with tears in his eyes.

"Huh."

Belissar tilted his head. With Hirkolos also receiving his own blessing, five people had received blessings today. Just enough to reach a goal Belissar had largely forgotten about.

Mission: Help ten challengers receive full blessings completed!

Reward: Rare Bee-type monster choice

Belissar slowly began to smile. He scarcely stopped himself from opening the choice then and there. Only his desire to share the choice with his bees and advisers held him back, he couldn't help but look forward to their reactions. Tarwantrad would be ecstatic.

However, such things would have to wait, and not only for the convenience of the post-purification celebrations. At that moment, Belissar received an urgent message from the karnuq and bees watching the border with the sigmaka…

"You wish to form an alliance?"

Second Queen Berbiya nodded in response to Chief Rohsuak's question. The two were sitting a table set up just beyond the rot cap field, with Fourth Queen Pezuya and Metsaitti sitting next to their charges, and a soldier bee standing on the table itself.

"We have considered your warnings about the invader that assaulted your Sacred Den. King Ratuatapi has decided he cannot stand idly by while you, our neighbors, are threatened. We are willing to lend you our aid should those invaders return."

Chief Rohsuak smiled.

"No doubt the Tower Keeper will be pleased to hear it. And you hope the we will reciprocate?"

Second Queen Berbiya made a small smile as well.

"Indeed. King Ratuatapi hopes that we both will stand together against anyone seeking to threaten us. He also hopes that his warriors will be permitted to challenge your Sacred Den."

Chief Rohsuak glanced over at Fourth Queen Pezuya.

"I will have to confirm with the Tower Keeper, but I believe he will be agreeable to that, provided your warriors make sure not to harm any of the tower's residents."

Fourth Queen Pezuya scrunched up her face but nodded in the end.

"We will do as the Tower Keeper wishes."

Chief Rohsuak and Second Queen Berbiya then discussed some further details before breaking to report to their respective authorities.

Belissar nodded repeatedly with a smile as Chief Rohsuak reported.

"That's great!"

Belissar paused his nodding, however, as Chief Rohsuak furrowed her brow.

"…that's good, right? Is something the matter?"

Chief Rohsuak sighed and shook her head.

"No, you are right, this is a good development overall. I…don't wish to damper your spirits, Tower Keeper, but I do feel I must warn you that a leader must consider every offer from all aspects, even if a good one."

Belissar frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Chief Rohsuak crossed her arms.

"In this case, the sigmaka are offering to help you with your enemies, but in return they want you to help with theirs. Are you willing to send your forces to fight enemies that haven't attacked your tower yet?"

Belissar was about to respond when he paused and started to imagine that sort of situation.

"Maybe? Hm…"

The sigmaka…well, he didn't really know the sigmaka all that well when it came down to it. Besides their initial talks, Belissar hadn't interacted much with them. If they ended up fighting another group that Belissar didn't know, was he willing to send the bees and the karnuq into danger to help?

"Hm, could we just agree to help each other if the Tower Lords attack? Maybe the Hunger, but not people we don't know?"

Chief Rohsuak nodded with a smile.

"That's possible. It will depend on if the sigmaka are willing to agree to a limited arrangement, but I will relay your preferences to them."

Belissar let out a sigh. Dealing with the sigmaka was always so complicated. Still, it was great that they were willing to help against the Tower Lords. Complicated situation or not, he couldn't help a small smile. Perhaps his Tower wouldn't have to face ten thousand Tower Guards on its own after all.

As the sigmaka walked home, Second Queen Berbiya glanced at Fourth Queen Pezuya. The fourth queen rolled her eyes.

"Out with it, Berbiya, you clearly want to ask me something."

Berbiya decided to take that opportunity.

"Why did you support me on this?"

Pezuya huffed.

"Besides the chance to put Penaseconza in her place, you mean?"

Now it was Berbiya's turn to roll her eyes.

"You don't like me any better than you do her. I wouldn't expect you, of all people, to want to ally with the Sacred Den you wanted to attack, not even for that purpose."

Pezuya let out a deep, exasperated sigh.

"It's my job, Berbiya, to protect our king and our people by eliminating anything that threatens them. I thought to eliminate a potential threat while we still had the opportunity to do so, but we discovered it too late. The Sacred Den was already too powerful for us to deal with, not unless all our people took up arms and paid a price in blood we cannot afford."

Pezuya stopped and turned to look Berbiya in the eye.

"So if an invader arrives who can threaten the Sacred Den? We will have absolutely no hope of resisting someone that powerful. They will then be able to do anything they want to us."

She let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders.

"At least this way, we'll have the chance to train some of our warriors, so that maybe we might have some ability to protect ourselves. And make ourselves even more dependent on the goodwill of a Sacred Den master, but what choice do we have? As it is, I cannot defend us even against the threats we know, much less any greater ones that might appear."

Berbiya did not respond at first, letting Pezuya's words hang in the air.

"Perhaps…if all goes well, you will not have to do so alone."

Pezuya scoffed, but did not object. The two walked the rest of the way home in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Since Chief Rohsuak wouldn't meet the sigmaka again today, Belissar put them out of his mind. Not that he could focus on much else besides the choice lingering at the edge of his perception. He hardly paid attention to the daily purification, and barely managed to wait through the celebration.

But now, finally, he was gathered with the queens and the karnuq. Tarwantrad had regretfully declined to join them as she had a prior commitment, but strongly requested Belissar let her know about the new bees as soon as possible.

Tarwantrad or no, though, Belissar smiled as he glanced around.

"We have a reward from the God of Bees, everyone."

The bees broke out into happy dances while Metsaitti's and even Chief Rohsuak's eyes widened a bit. Belissar finally got to open the reward.

Please select a monster:

- Monster Bee Dancer (Rarity: Rare, Type: Bee)

- Monster Bee Berserker (Rarity: Epic, Type: Bee)

- Monster Bee Assassin (Rarity: Rare, Type: Bee)

Belissar smiled at the sight of all rare options and even an epic…until he realized he could only pick one of them. He took a deep breath as he launched in to them.

Monster Bee Dancer was a repeat but he was glad to see it again. He still wasn't entirely sure what they did, but a bee type that made all other bees better could be a solid choice. Depending on what the other two were, that was.

Monster Bee Berserker

Vitality: Average

Strength: Below Average

Speed: Average

Magic: Small

Defense: Minimal

Resistance: Minimal

Special: Above Average

Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Death Blow, Swarm Rage, Fatal Regeneration, Brood Offspring

Evolves From: Monster Bee Soldier and evolutions

Description: A monster bee soldier evolution. This bee shows no mercy or restraint to enemies of the hive. Upon taking damage or seeing a fellow member of hive take damage, the bee will launch into a rage that will only end when the offender has perished, boosting its strength and the potency of its venom.

Should this bee suffer fatal damage before the enemy has fallen, it will expend everything it has to ensure the enemy's demise. The bee will burn all its mana and lifeforce powering an immense regeneration that will keep it temporarily active after death and restore missing body parts even from complete destruction. It will use this regeneration to repeatedly sting and rip itself apart, leaving as many stingers to continue pumping venom into its foe as its mana can regenerate. Every blow conducted during this rampage will become a death blow.

Belissar pursed his lips as he looked over the preview. The berserker was a bit larger than a lancer, but where the lancer was sleek and focused the berserker was bulky and thorny. Its chitin was jagged and angular, with sharp edges and points all over its body. Its stinger was heavily barbed with wicked hooks, made specifically to get caught in a foe. It also had huge, serrated mandibles and even its legs had sharp claws. This was bee made for battle.

On the one hand, this was also a bee made to die. It took a bee's fatal sting to a new level and would only show its true power in its final moments. But on the other hand, what a power that was. This was without a doubt the most powerful individual bee monster Belissar had seen thus far.

It was powerful enough that Belissar felt compelled to consider it even despite its self-fatal tendencies. This could be a powerful defender for his tower, and in the case where such a powerful defender was required, bees would likely die if he didn't have something like the berserkers. If he could steel himself to raise berserkers, every berserker that fell might save many more of their sisters if they took an invader with them.

Still, Belissar did not like the idea of bees born to die, or encouraging them to do so. He could not help but pause.

Well, he had one more option to consider first.

Monster Bee Assassin

Vitality: Minimal

Strength: Small

Speed: Average+

Magic: Minor

Defense: Minimal

Resistance: Minimal

Special: Below Average

Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Concentrate Poison, Analyze Weakness, Death Blow, Brood Offspring

Evolves From: Monster Bee Soldier

Description: A monster bee soldier evolution. This bee aims for maximum damage with a single sting. It carefully observes its prey with mana-imbued sight, seeking out weak points and blind spots. Once it has determined an ideal location to sting, it concentrates its venom, heightening its potency beyond other soldier types, so that even a single sting may prove deadly. Its stinger is also capable of stabbing deep to strike at vital points within, or puncturing holes through defenses that cannot be fully avoided.

It avoids open confrontation if at all possible as it is quite fragile, though its speed and innate death blow mean it can still be dangerous even if caught.

Belissar crossed his arms as he looked over the assassin. It was actually a bit smaller than a normal soldier, with darker and duller coloring that didn't stand out as much. It had an enlarged abdomen for its size with a long and thin stinger, almost like a cross between a lancer's and a medicinal bee's. It had unusually large eyes as well that seemed to glow faintly with mana. It, perhaps, didn't paint as intimidating a picture as a lancer or archer, much less a berserker.

But perhaps that was the point? Apparently, they were supposed to try and attack enemies from a blindspot with a deadly poison. That would go along nicely with the Enhanced Toxins perk he had just taken, not to mention the new toxic bees. A toxic assassin that could concentrate its already deadly venom that was then enhanced by the perk sounded extremely dangerous indeed.

So, the question was…which of these powerful options would be best for his Tower?

Belissar took a deep breath…