Chapter 35: To Bee Ready

Chapter 35: To Bee Ready

Belissar considered what would happen if a Tower Lord made contact with him. His gut instinct was that...it would go very badly. The gods may not have cared that a peasant had taken command of a Tower...but the Tower Lords still would. They were the ones who likely started the idea that peasants would defile a Tower in the first place. So, Belissar couldn’t imagine they would be happy to see him as the master of one.

And, of course, Belissar didn’t really need to imagine. His entire village had been burned to the ground with presumably no survivors just for being in the area when a Tower was created. He assumed the Tower Lords would continue such treatment should they discover him.

All of that meant that Belissar needed to be prepared to fight.

And at the moment...he had no confidence in opposing a Tower Lord. Even knowing some of their secrets and exposing some of their lies, Belissar couldn’t shake the image of Tower Lords as near-mythical figures commanding god-like powers and invincible armies. If anything, now that he knew about the powers a Tower and the blessing of a god could offer, he figured the Tower Lords’ strength might be even closer to the legends than he originally thought, especially those who had been around for many normal lifetimes. Who knew what sort of defenders or perks or blessings they might have in their own Towers?

And then there were the Tower Guard. They alone were a mighty army that had never lost a fight that Belissar had ever heard about. Whenever word of rebellions or bandits or shades from the Hunger came, they all ended the same way. No matter how badly things went for the local forces, once the Tower Guard were deployed to the scene the situation was handled.

So, how would Belissar’s Tower stack up against even a conservative estimate of the Tower Lords and their guards?

Belissar didn’t need firsthand observations or military experience to say not well at all. As impressive as his bee army was to him and maybe the bear folk, it was by no means large. The soldier bee numbers were, what, in the hundreds? Maybe? The low hundreds at best. Belissar hadn’t seen the Tower Guard himself but from what he had heard they certainly had more than a few hundred soldiers to spare. That meant even against the Tower Guard his current forces would be outnumbered...and he was under no illusion that a soldier bee would be anything close to a match for a Tower Guard. Even a token force would likely cut through everything his Tower had to offer like a hot knife through butter.

He didn’t imagine a pit trap or a bit of mad honey would bother them very much either. And this was all before he began to imagine what an actual Tower Lord might be capable of.

So, the answer was clear. Belissar and his bees needed to grow stronger. Much stronger. He would need thousands, even tens of thousands or more soldier bees before he believed he had even a small chance at surviving. He would need bees who could face the shade from the initial purification one on one. He would need traps and weapons that could handle people capable of great and heroic feats.

And worst of all...he had no idea how long he had to reach that level.

He had no idea where in the world his Tower was. To be honest, he didn’t even know much geography beyond his own village, much less the world beyond the influence of the Towers. If the very few and incomplete maps and tales they had access to were any indication, the Tower Lords ruled the whole known world. Belissar now had his doubts on whether that was true, but he had no idea what else could be out there if so, or how far he was from the nearest Tower Lord. They could be further apart than Belissar could ever imagine...or they could be right next door.

Which meant he may not meet a Tower Lord for an entire lifetime...or he could meet one in the next week, and he had no idea which was more likely.

Belissar realized that if he wanted to protect his bees and his Tower...if he wanted to avoid a second death at the hands of the Tower Lords...he would need to make an active effort to grow his Tower as quickly as possible. As well as to learn as much about his surroundings as he could, especially the tunnel from which the bear people had arrived.

With potentially no time to lose in the worst case, Belissar got to work right away. He took stock of all the different options he had to strengthen his dungeon...and frowned.

Well, he knew the answer to the latter was a resounding yes. He didn’t even need to ask. The bees of the Flower Meadow were training and preparing to fight each and every day. The Apiary bees were working hard discovering new honey types and the new bee types that might result. Each and every one of them was working hard to grow stronger already.

Belissar took a deep breath.

Belissar didn’t want to see them hurt...but if he didn’t take this risk now, he would risk a lot more later. He knew they could handle the shades, all the way up to the shade from the initial purification. Whatever sacrifices may result from that would pale in comparison to what would happen if they encountered a Tower Lord before he was ready.

He had to do this. It was not his job to keep his Tower’s own defenders out of harm’s way. It was, rather, his job to ensure they had the best chance of defending their home. He had to take responsibility for their lives...and apparently that would sometimes mean risking them intentionally.

He let out his breath slowly.

This dungeon master business...could be difficult after all...

But he made his choice and sent word to his bees. He didn’t tell Niobee to inform them on his behalf this time but sent his intentions directly to them. If he was going to risk their lives, he wanted them to hear it directly from him. He asked them to gather to him.

Before long, Niobee, all of the queens, and a soldier bee from each soldier spawner hovered in the air before him. They all watched him in silence save for the buzzing of their wings, waiting for him. He took a deep breath and then opened his mouth.

“I...am considering conducting another purification. You will need to fight...and you might get hurt in the process. This one is not being forced on us. But it is necessary for our Tower to grow, and I think we need to grow as quickly as we can. So, I’ll ask you now. Are you ready and willing to fight again, not just to defend our home but to expand it?”

The bees hovered still for a moment...and then they all burst into rapid flight, filling the air with loud buzzing. The Flower Meadow queens danced salutes and told him to leave it to them. The Apiary queens indicated their stockpiles were full and they were more than prepared. Meanwhile, Niobee flew up to him and he held out his finger for her. She landed on it and began a slow, but unwavering dance.

“Bees ready. Whatever King wants, we do!”

Belissar nodded at them.

“Thank you all. In that case, get ready. We’ll start as soon as you are.”