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BD - Chapter 221 - Bee Relieved
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 20:05:01 +0000 UTCBelissar was just wrapping up the last of the upgrades when Tarwantrad popped into his dungeon.
“Hi Belissar, would you mind if Nenavann came to visit? He’d like to discuss the things you told me last night.”
Since Belissar was elsewhere in the Tower, he had one of the bees watching the nexus door reply for him, letting her know he agreed. Tarwantrad left, then a short while later returned along with Nenavann. Belissar made his way over and greeted them.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Tower Keeper Belissar.”
Belissar nodded in reply…and then noticed there was no where to sit. The only seats in the Tower were in his farmhouse, the karnuq settlement, and a few by the battle meadow Shrine that the karnuq had set up for celebrations. Belissar asked the karnuq if they could help and in just a few minutes they arrived with a simple wooden table and some basic stools. Nenavann smiled and took a seat after Belissar.
“Thank you. First of all, I’d like to report on the negotiations with the Compact.”
Nenavann let out a sigh.
“Well, if there was much to report. I apologize again, Tower Keeper Belissar, but my colleagues in the Compact have insisted on a wait and see approach for the time being.”
Tarwantrad let out an exasperated sigh. Belissar just tilted his head.
“So…they aren’t going to do anything?”
Nenavann shook his head.
“For the meantime. The given reason is that they are gathering more evidence as to your character. The truth, though, is that those of us who have lived for over a millennium are resistant to change and tend to mistake passivity for patience. They are simply stalling until they are forced to accept the situation.”
He then made a wry smile.
“Well, I suppose I was guilty of those flaws as well until I saw your tower in person. I do believe that they will come around with time.”
Nenavann frowned.
“However, from what Tarwantrad tells me, time may not be on your side on account of the human Tower Lords?”
Belissar grimaced.
“Probably not. We should have a couple months at least, maybe more, but they are coming.”
Nenavann crossed his arms.
“A short time indeed from our perspective. And, to confirm, Tarwantrad reported your words correctly when she said a single human Tower Lord possesses an army of ten thousand blessed champions? Do you know anything about the average strength of one of those?”
Belissar confirmed the numbers and relayed as much information as he had about the Tower Guards’ capabilities. Nenavann hummed.
“The situation is certainly grim, but from what you have said there should still be a chance, especially considering your rate of growth. Could you confirm how often you’re performing purifications and the rate at which remnants appear before challengers?”
Belissar did so and Nenavann rubbed his chin for a while. Eventually, he nodded with a smile.
“I will not lie, the battle ahead will be as difficult as you fear. But I do believe there is hope if you and your defenders continue to supply yourself. Rest assured, the Circle will lend you their aid as well.”
Nenavann then narrowed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart.
“I myself will do all that is within my power to ensure your survival. I swear this to you on my name, on Erynmor’s memory, on the seas that have been forgotten and on the forests that have been lost, on every fair thing that remains in this world. I shall not let your tower fall.”
Tarwantrad nodded along.
“You will have my aid as well, Belissar. By both our patron gods, I will see you endure.”
Belissar’s heart began to pound as the two elves looked him in the eye with resolute gazes. His vision began to blur, and he wiped his face. So, there was a chance after all…and he wouldn’t have to face this threat alone.
“…thank you, both of you.”
Both of them smiled at him while he gathered himself. He steeled his expression and met Nenavann’s gaze.
“What do we need to do?”
Nenavann rubbed his chin.
“For now, continue to grow your tower as you have been. We will make recommendations as we can but your methods already suit your circumstances. I would recommend setting up temple areas or even rooms for the gods that have blessed your tower, it should help sworn defenders and challengers align themselves with your patrons. You may need the Rest Zone feature, though, given the rate at which remnants spawn here. Next…would you be willing to share more of your tower with me? I can make more specific recommendations based on what I see. If you managed to make any water rooms, I can also help you set them up.”
Belissar’s eyes widened a bit.
“Oh, that’s right! I recently got one, a bog!”
Nenavann’s eyes lit up.
“Excellent, that’s a start. Would you mind showing it to me?”
Belissar nodded and Nenavann stood up. Belissar led them through the shortcut room. Nenavann approved of the setup, and praised the bees when he saw them using the room to exchange information. Belissar’s opinion of the elf improved dramatically from that.
And then, they arrived. Nenavann smiled as Belissar pointed out the vaporous hemlock.
“Well done, this should be an excellent addition to your defense against the Tower Lords. Most human armies hate marching through wetlands in my experience, and that’s before considering the poisonous mist. Have any of your bees moved in?”
Belissar nodded.
“The swimming bees, the toxic bees, and the slime bees.”
Nenavann’s eyebrows lifted.
“Oh, swimming bees? I would love to see those. Slime bees are curious as well.”
Belissar pointed over the the beehouses he set up. The swimming and toxic bees were flying in and out as normal. The slime bee golem was just returning to the beehouse. It reached a hand for the entrance and a hole opened up in its palm, allowing honey slime to flow right into the beehouse.
Nenavann tilted his head.
“Is that a golem?”
Belissar nodded.
“Yes, the slime queen just made it.”
Nenavann stiffened.
“Tower Keeper Belissar. Did you just say that a slime…made a golem?”
Belissar blinked.
“…yes? Well, a slime bee queen.”
Nenavann took a deep breath.
“Did you command the slime bee to do so? As in, give detailed step by step instructions on the golem’s creation?”
Belissar shook his head.
“No, she built it on her own. I didn’t realize how good she would be at it.”
Nenavann slowly turned around to face him and began to grin.
“We can use this. Belissar, do we have your permission to inform other members of the Circle and later the Compact on the slime bees and the golems? I believe if we do, we can bring the Compact to your side far more quickly.”
Belissar tilted his head.
“I…guess I’m ok with that but…”
Nenavann nodded.
“To elaborate, you have achieved one of the great dreams of the black elves, one that has become a byword among them for impossible fantasies. You have raised an intelligent slime capable of crafting all by itself. And crafting golems, no less, a creation of no small complexity. Many a black elf would trade you anything to learn how you did it.”
Belissar blinked a few times.
“Wow…uh…”
Nenavann smiled.
“Well, I can see that you don’t really have the context to understand the magnitude of your feat. Just know that one of the major founding peoples of the Compact will consider this an accomplishment of accomplishments, and that we can use it to gain their support for you. The ability to mass produce golems alone would make them desperate to do business with you, which means they will push the Compact to open direct relations. Additionally…”
He glanced at Tarwantrad.
“There is a black elf master among the Circle as well who will be most interested in this development.”
Tarwantrad grinned and nodded.
“I guess I know whose boon we’re getting next.”
Belissar glanced between the two excited elves. He was still trying to keep up with the conversation but couldn’t help a small smile.
“I guess this is a good thing?”
Both elves vigorously nodded in reply.
After calming down from the apparently remarkable achievement, Nenavann gave Belissar some advice regarding the Bog itself. He recommended Pit Traps for the room as the wet and muddy terrain already made it difficult to tell where the solid ground was. He also mentioned that he and Tarwantrad both would be able to provide some carnivorous monster plants that were well-suited to the environment.
Additionally, Nenavann had some recommendations on different room types Belissar could develop. Apparently, flooding a Dirt Tunnels and then connecting that to a Bog might change it to a Fen…as well as providing Flooded Tunnels that were themselves a major obstacle to all non-aquatic invaders. Belissar was very much confused when Nenavann tried to explain the difference between bogs and fens until he eventually simplified it to “bog with more nutrients in the water and soil.” It would apparently be more conducive to aquatic life and less-specialized plants.
After Belissar shared Hesfalle’s recommendations, Nenavann also mentioned that Bogs had good synergy with Death, so Belissar could also try and gather excess corpses in a bog. Apparently, human armies especially hated marching through Death bogs. Belissar shivered a bit at the look on Nenavann’s face when he mentioned that.
All in all, Belissar had gained advice regarding existing rooms, proposals for developing new rooms, and a promise of new features and monsters to populate them. But more than that, he now had two fey dungeon masters’ promise of support against the Tower Lords with the possibility of much more if the slime queen making golems was as impressive as they claimed. And, above all, he had the reassurance from a dungeon master over a thousand years old that it was possible that he would survive the Tower Lord’s attacks.
That news had Belissar so relieved he collapsed to the ground for a bit once the elves had departed. The Tower Lords would not take his bees after all.
Author’s Note:
…Nenavann, it took you this long to realize that the bees are amazing and incredible and that everyone in the Compact desperately needs them? And you’ve been a dungeon master for how long again? This is why you are not best dungeon master, Nenavann. Still in the silly non-bee category, I dare say.
So, you know, do your best to support best dungeon master and maybe he’ll teach you a thing or two.
Anyways!
Will the Compact stop being silly? How will the black elves respond to the amazing and incredible slime bees? Will all this prepare Belissar for the Tower Lords? Tune in next time, to find out!
Comments
Thomas V.
That was a powerful oath that Nenavann swore. Silly non-bee or not, Erynmor’s memory is not something he invokes lightly. Lovely chapter, thanks!
Blank
I wonder if we'll have get a kamaitch[ mythical weasels that hide in desert storms to deliver thousands of cuts in a second] inspired bee! Maybe the butcher bees will developed bladded wings, maybe even in addition to honey they gather bones to sharpen as weapons they equip to their wings.
Ralph Smit
If he got a fen if he drys it out and burn it you got a deadly floor dont think it is good idea for normal bee but for fire and smoke no problem
BelligerentGnu
But why intelligent *slimes*?
Presten
I'm just pleased we will potentially bee getting some golem experts. I'm a simple military industrial complex kinda guy.
Touch
I expect maybe insertion of what one of the tower master was working on, or his affinity/theme mentioned even a few times that is DIRECTLY related to this one, making Mc achievement more real and authentic. In a sense he luck out to something truly good, not just a few words that it is good, telling us instead of showing.
Durphymcbob
I mean the Nexuses have a mind of their own,i don't know if they would even want that, and it's a good idea to stay on their good side.
Fernando Oliveira
Valid. I figured they'd need some adaptations. Maybe they'd end up as a cross breed of the swimming and the vulture bees, like a piranha bee? That'd be cool. We should ask them about possible fairy grove varients. I'm unsure how they'd change but I'd be cool to find out.
phantom
I mean what do you expect? A whole pov about what a faction in the fae society cares about a bunch of chapters ago just so that this reveal has warning? We are pretty much blind to the fae society so of course we have no idea what would be big accomplishments.
phantom
A bog is not really vulture bee's ideal environment but reading on them they should not struggle too much. They still need to adapt to that environment and the death mana though. As interesting an idea as the death bog is he currently has no defenders that can operate in it. Though it probably wouldn't hurt to have it in the box. Personally I wonder what happens when you put death mana in a fae forest. They said those forests were the norm for them so they should have an idea of variants of it.
Durphymcbob
Another entire floor of rooms dedicated to defense would be useful. Plus it woul dhelp keep the bees safe.
Durphymcbob
I mean their was a tiny bit or foreshadowing in chapter 188.2 - Compact Deli-Bee-rations, The leader of the Black elfs when they met at the circle was called Forgemaster Ughlarer, Which means we do know that their is a crafting culture in the Black Elfs, Its a little bit, but its something that shoes that crafters whould be interested in something that can mass produce golems.
Lisa
By my count, he currently has 17/24 rooms. There’s an open slot on floors 1, 3, and 6, and floor 5 is indeed empty. So adding Flooded Tunnels as a defensive room is entirely doable. He might want to move most floors up one and dedicate the two bottom floors to defense rooms.
mly85lc
So would it bee to out of characters if this dark elves had culture of crafting challenge, between tower master like soo me your best work on whit limitations to grafting on y,z while doing x-gatecory golem?
Fernando Oliveira
Thanks for the chapter. Loved it. Always nice to see nenavann and tarwantrad. I expect they'll directly aid belissar against any threats. Getting their help with the development of new rooms is wonderful as usual. Lol. Doesn't a fen vs bog have something to do with acidic levels of the water? Could be something else. Lol. A death bog sounds awesome. The butcher bees would love it. We should add some fish and have the swimming bees hunt them?
Touch
I find it greatly reduce the “sense” of accomplishment greatly for Readers, without context how “great” this actually is, it seems to come out of nowhere and overblown. Probably a bit of foreshadowing is definitely needed in this case
Durphymcbob
Thanks for the chapter! Ah Nenanann! Good to see him again and to get some more help on the water rooms!. And theit being a race of crafters who whould love to meet a smart crafting slime bee queen, well thats good, and it seems like we will get to meet someone who is a master crafter of golems probably they should be able to give some tips on how to improve the wax golems! Bellisar does really need to set up some more defensive dedicated rooms doesnt her he only has the Dirt tunnels, LAva field, volcano floor, and the fairy grove. With the Battle meadow to hold the line at the end, all of the other rooms have bees and or kurnuq living in them, and we know he doesnt like having hives in the dedicated defensive rooms. How many open room slots does he currently have? Plus if i remember correctly he has an entire empty floor right?
Black Esper
Thanks for the chapter. The non-Bees are being silly again. On the other hand is their wisdom benificial to the BEES. What with new environments to evolve and plant new Flowers 🐝😉
