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BD - Chapter 266 - Ex-Bee-ditious Education
🕑 Added 2025-05-02 20:05:01 +0000 UTCBelissar opened and closed his mouth repeatedly without saying anything as the spiderkin girl danced about. Fortunately, his mind was jolted back into functioning by a message from the Tower.
Accept offer of allegiance?
Belissar pushed through his surprise and attempted to organize his thoughts. He went ahead and asked the first question that came to his mind.
“You know who I am?”
The spiderkin girl responded by speaking and dancing simultaneously.
“I know! You’re King! Best King!”
Belissar tilted his head.
“How do you know?”
The spiderkin pointed at him and then waved her hands towards the bees all around her.
“King and hive of hives’ mana taught me! Queen mother too! Said we belong to King now!”
Belissar frowned. Ah…and right away, she brought up the delicate issue he had avoided thinking about. How was he supposed to explain to this kid that he had killed her mom?
“Oh…and, you’re ok with that? With your queen mother…not being here?”
The spiderkin girl nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! Queen mother said King beat and killed, so King is king now! Strongest king! Best king!”
Belissar just blinked at that. So…she already knew? And it wouldn’t be an issue? Once again, Belissar found himself struggling to keep up with the situation.
While Belissar tried to comprehend what was going on, he heard Sehfitis, Nenavann, and Chief Rohsuak muttering behind him.
“A mana-based method of educating them as eggs? Fascinating. Terrifying, but fascinating…”
“So that’s how the old humans raised and trained so many spiderkin so quickly…”
“That explains a great deal. I suppose that’s why they can fight after hatching…”
Belissar slowly began to compile the information he had.
“Ok so…you know who I am…and the hive of hives too? So you…will listen to me? You won’t try to attack me or the bees or the karnuq…or anyone else?”
The spiderkin girl shook her head.
“Only if King says to!”
Belissar was still overwhelmed by this whole turn of events…but he started smiling. It was clear, at the very least, that the spiderkin eggs weren’t innately hostile. He went ahead and answer the message from the tower.
You have gained 1 sworn defender.
The spiderkin girl grinned and resumed dancing about as the Tower’s mana filled her. But she abruptly paused and turned her head, then spun around and rushed back towards the other eggs. Belissar glanced over at them and saw that another one was hatching. The soldier bees helped that one too and soon a new spiderkin girl had hatched.
The first spiderkin girl crawled up to her sister and hissed, spreading her clawed hands and clacking her mandibles. Her sister quickly scampered to her feet and hissed back. The first spiderkin girl then pounced on her and the two tussled across the ground, poking at each other with their legs, clawing at each other with their hands, and even trying to bite each other with their mandibles.
“Ah! Wait! What are you doing?!”
The bees responded to Belissar’s panic and swooped down, pulling and buzzing at the two spiderkin girls until they separated. They continued hissing at each other until Belissar ran over to them.
“What’s going on?!”
The first spiderkin kept her eyes on her sister, while her sister’s eyes widened and she let out a “King!” shout.
“Queen mother said King is king but not queen mother so need to decide who’s queen mother. Little sister wouldn’t submit so have to make her.”
Her little sister interrupted the salute dance she had started to hiss at her older sister.
“I’m queen mother! You submit!”
The first spiderkin hissed right back.
“No, you submit! King already accepted me into hive of hives! I’m first!”
Belissar stood between the two hissing spiderkin.
“Wait so…you fight to decide who’s queen?”
Both of them nodded.
“Strongest is queen mother.”
Belissar frowned.
“Are you going to hurt each other? I don’t want any of you getting hurt badly?”
The first spiderkin shook her head.
“Only if she won’t submit. And we won’t hurt too badly. Hive of hives said King doesn’t like it when minions die.”
The other spiderkin girl hissed at her sister but also nodded her head.
“You submit! Then I won’t hurt!”
The spiderkin girls went back to hissing at each other. Belissar turned to the Second of the Sixth.
“Can you bring your hive, then?”
The Second of the Sixth danced a salute. Belissar sighed…and then stepped out of the way.
“Ok just…don’t hurt each other too badly.”
Both spiderkin girls nodded and then immediately pounced on each other and resumed their fight. There was a lot more scratching and biting and blood than Belissar was comfortable with, but neither went for the throat or the eyes or anything so he held his tongue.
Eventually, the first spiderkin girl managed to get on her little sister’s back and put her in a chokehold, ending the fight in her favor. The Second of the Sixth’s hive moved in to check the two spiderkin, but neither of them had any serious injuries. The first spiderkin girl ran around cheering and throwing her hands up into the air, while the second one plopped on the ground with a frustrated expression. Belissar walked over to her.
“Hi…are you ok?”
She looked up at him, scampered to her feet, and immediately began a salute dance.
“King! I’m fine, will help queen mother fight for King and hive of hives. So…can I still join the hive of hives?”
Belissar gave her a smile.
“Of course.”
You have gained 1 sworn defender.
She immediately began to run around and cheer just like her sister.
“Yay! King is best king!”
The first spiderkin girl proceeded to challenge each and every one of her siblings as they hatched. Belissar asked the soldier bees and the Second of the Sixth to keep an eye on them, then rejoined his council to discuss the situation. He looked over to Chief Rohsuak in particular.
“So…that’s that, then. They aren’t hostile after all, so I won’t hurt them. Can you let everyone know?”
Chief Rohsuak gave him a salute.
“I’ll speak with everyone as soon as I return to our settlement.”
Belissar thanked her for that. He glanced around at the others. Sehfitis was muttering to himself, but stopped once he noticed Belissar’s gaze. He shook his head.
“I’ll admit I’m out of my element, Tower Keeper. The nature of different beastkin was not my focus. And…proving that the spiderkin are not innately hostile and can be raised by others? You have already reached unprecedented territory as far as the common knowledge in the Conclave is concerned. I have no further or objections, I will follow your lead regarding the spiderkin.”
Hirkolos made a sad smile.
“I’m just glad we won’t have to fight kids.”
Nenavann smiled as well.
“I, too, am pleased that things have turned out this way. If I may ask on behalf of the Compact, what do you plan to do with these spiderkin, Belissar? They seem to have accepted you as their authority.”
Belissar rubbed his chin for a moment. Honestly, just getting the karnuq to calm down about the spiderkin eggs had been such an ordeal that he hadn’t managed to think about what he’d do if the spiderkin weren’t hostile. In the end, he just shrugged.
“I’ll let them live in the Tower and I guess try to help out as they can? Same as the karnuq, I suppose.”
Nenavann’s smile grew.
“Then I have nothing to be concerned about. I look forward to seeing what the spiderkin will become under your guidance.”
Belissar then looked up at the bees. The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter danced on behalf of the assembled queens.
“Spider-King things said want to join hive of hives, should take care of?”
Belissar smiled.
“That’d be really helpful. Thank you!”
The queens all began happy and salute dances, while Niobee danced on his head.
“Will help too!”
Niobee then took off and lead the queens to fly over to the spiderkin. The first spiderkin girl had apparently subdued all of her siblings in the meantime, as she stood over them. Her face lit up and she ran towards the approaching bees.
“It’s Conduit! And queens of hive of hives! Hi!”
Belissar grinned as wide as he could. The spiderkin would apparently get along with the bees, and that meant he would certainly get along with them. He had made the right decision taking them in after all.
***
Belissar spoke a little more with the Circle masters before they left. He had already determined he could agree to the counteroffer with just a few minor adjustments, so it didn’t take long to finish their business. He then focused on the spiderkin kids and getting them set up.
In the meantime, the bees had been taking care of them. Belissar found them setting up in the Orchard grove. The spiderkin were spinning webs and using them to set up basic tent-like shelters around the bottom of the grove, with the monster bee trappers observing with great interest and helping as they could. The bees had already brought over trays of honey for the spiderkin to eat as well, Belissar saw one happily lapping up the honey so it seemed they could eat it without issue.
“King!”
Niobee, the First Daughter, and the first spiderkin all spotted him and rushed over at once. He gave them a smile.
“Everything going alright?”
Niobee happily zipped about.
“Good!”
The first spiderkin nodded vigorously.
“Good! Hive of hives gave us food! Are helping us set up homes! It’s amazing, incredible!”
The First Daughter zipped about as excitedly as the other two.
“King! Drones can work with spiderkin’s mana, connect to hive of hives! Can talk with through communers, make part of hive of hives! Is amazing, incredible!”
Belissar’s own excitement rose to match the three.
“That’s amazing, glad to hear everything is already going well. Please let me know what else you need, we can build you a house or even a new room if somewhere else would be more comfortable. Maybe show them around once they’re settled so they can see the rest of the Tower?”
Niobee, the First Daughter, and the spiderkin all danced in unison with the same reply.
“Ok! King is best king!”
Author’s Note:
Ah. Non-bees that know how to dance, know the hive of hives, and know that King is best king. Quite bee-like, so not silly after all! These are non-bees we can get behind!
The silly Compact should take notes. This is how you introduce yourselves to King!
Anyways!
How will the spiderkin fit into the Tower and the hive of hives? Will the other non-bees learn from their example?
Comments
Coleman
This is vearing off into troubling territory. Sad skitter noises and all that. Ancient web novel history aside this is a turning point. The lore was caught up to the plot and terrible secrets of man have come to light. Not that that is any business of Bel honestly. A big happy hive is good for everyone. Though they are going to need a cold room soon to hold all the meat that is going to be coming in soon.
Fernando Oliveira
Thanks for the chapter. Loved it. The spiderkin are adorable. Watching the firstborn fight her siblings for the right to be queenmother was cool. The drones can connect them to the hive of hives, that's amazing. I wonder if it's because of them "feeding" off the tower's mana. We end with then setting up tents in the grove room. Adorable. Loved it. Looking forward to your return after your week off.
