Chapter 74: Happ-Bee Celebrations

Chapter 74: Happ-Bee Celebrations

Juosiutik returned to the camp to find Chief Rohsuak waiting for her, as her mad dash had not gone unnoticed. The chief had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, flanked with hunters she was about to send out to ensure the girl’s safety. Juosiutik looked away sheepishly.

“Well, I trust you have a good reason for running off like that?”

Juosiutik flushed but couldn’t help but break out into a smile.

“Let me show you!”

Chief Rohsuak shook her head and dismissed the hunters. Juosiutik then led the chief over to her tent. Chief Rohsuak noticed the pot and walked over to it. Her eyes widened as she detected a familiar scent.

“Is this...?”

Juosiutik nodded.

“It is. I did it.”

Chief Rohsuak turned to her and gave the girl a warm smile. She walked up to Juosiutik and pulled her into a hug.

“Congratulations.”

Juosiutik’s eyes moistened again but she shook her head and returned the embrace, then broke out and stepped back.

“Thanks, but that’s not all. I...rushed out because I wanted to offer the remade potion to the God of Bees and the Sacred Den Master who helped me figure it out and well...”

Juosiutik held out her hand and formed the honeycomb pattern once again.

“The God of Bees approved.”

Chief Rohsuak blinked a bit before making a wide grin.

“It seems further congratulations are in order, champion.”

Juosiutik’s face lit up.

That night, the karnuq held a grand celebration. For the first time since their sojourns began, one of their own had been blessed by the gods, worthy of becoming a champion capable of great deeds. Tyhgak was upset someone had beaten him to the punch. Juosiutik gloating to him did not help.

And in the midst of it all, one young karnuq woman hung at the edge of the celebrations. She was small, for a karnuq, about the same height as the Sacred Den Master. She slouched as she sat on a log at the edge of the camp, sitting alone as she sipped from her mug.

And as Belissar put up the last cloth flap, the Shrine of Bees began to glow...followed by the entire beehouse. Soon the whole thing lit up with golden light and Belissar was forced to shield his eyes. Words appeared before his eyes.

New feature detected. New feature unlocked.

Bee Barracks now available!

Belissar’s eyes widened. He now felt the thrum of mana flowing through the wooden walls of the structure. He gently walked up and placed a hand on it.

Bee Barracks

Mana Upkeep: 10 (5 due to Blessing of Bees)

Current Occupants: None

Slight boost to monster bee growth rate, medium boost to combat monster bee growth rate, slight boost to coordination for bees housed within. Houses multiple colonies.

Belissar stepped back in a daze, and then began to grin. It seemed the Tower and the God of Bees liked his work. But, of course, even they were not the ultimate judges.

He turned to find the soldier bee army waiting behind him. Their queens had come out of their hives and now flew ahead of their army as well. Belissar smiled at them.

“Well, what do you think?”

A slight gust blew into Belissar’s face as the bees danced hundreds of “amazing, incredible!” aerial motions all at once. He chuckled and then stepped to the side.

“In that case, enjoy!”

The bees all saluted as one and then burst into motion. The soldiers flew back towards their hives as the queens gathered in a circle and began to dance to one another. Soon, swarms of workers were flying into the barracks, the queens directing them to specific frames which they immediately began filling with honeycomb. Belissar watched in awe as the mana of the barracks began to stir, speeding up the construction. In fact...if his eyes weren’t deceiving him, the wax structures were growing faster than the bees themselves could build them. He guessed that was why this thing costed mana. And it made sense. The beehives could make honey without any bees at all, so wax alone was a given.

Above all, the bees were flying more rapidly and dancing more excitedly than Belissar had seen in a while. That alone made him beyond proud of what they had built here. He turned to Niobee.

“I’m going to skip the purification for the night and let them get settled. Can you let them know if they ask about it?”

“Ok!”

Niobee flew off to join the other bees. Meanwhile, Belissar quietly excused himself and made his way back to the Apiary farmhouse, humming a tune as he walked.