The Bee Dungeon

PONon-Bee 378.1 - Bee-vealing the Truth

Captain Auschias stood in a semi-circle with the other captains that had joined him. In the background, the rank-and-file were taking off their armor and weapons and leaving them in a pile, then finding places to sit and rest amidst the field. All of them kept glancing over at the captains, though, waiting to find out what would happen to them.

Captain Auschias and the others were working on that now, speaking with two surprisingly familiar faces.

“I’m glad you survived, Hirkolos. I’ll admit I didn’t expect to see any of your expedition again.”

Hirkolos nodded.

“The Tower Keeper has been far more merciful to us than we deserved.”

One of the other captains tensed.

“And you...now serve this Tower Keeper?”

Captain Auschias prepared to intervene, but Hirkolos didn’t seem bothered. He stood tall and looked the other captain in the eye.

“After my former lord Ruckanos ordered us to slaughter a village of our own people, I lost faith in the Tower Lords. The Tower Keeper showed me what a Tower Lord and a Tower Guard are supposed to be.”

Captain Auschias added in his own reminder to the group.

“All of us realized that Lord Starami defied the gods he once served. Perhaps Hirkolos just realized it earlier.”

The other captains fell silent for a bit, then turned their attention elsewhere.

“What about you, augur? Does the God of Light really favor this Tower? Favor the fey, even over the Conclave?”

Augur Sehfitis gave a smile and nodded.

“She does. I have learned a great deal in my time here. I have heard the gods more clearly than ever before, I have spoken with not one but two oracles. And one important lesson that I have learned is that it is the gods’ choice who rules their Towers, not ours. If the gods choose a fair folk or a beastkin, then who are we to say it is wrong?”

The captains all looked surprised. Even Captain Auschias couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“The subhumans too?”

The augur’s expression grew serious.

“I must warn you, the Tower Keeper has beastkin among his sworn defenders and allies, he values them highly. He will take offense to the term subhuman, you should get in the habit of calling them beastkin from now on. On that count, please refer to this Tower’s master as Tower Keeper. He objects to the title of Tower Lord.”

Augur Sehfitis paused for breath and to arrange his thoughts.

“Now then, I think to start I should tell you what I know of the true origin of the beastkin. They are not the wicked kings of old, their forms are not the result of punishment by the gods. Rather, they are the first victims of the wicked kings, who experimented on fusing the flesh of men and monsters...”

While Hirkolos left for a bit, Augur Sehfitis relayed what he knew of the beastkin, the wicked kings of old, the gods, and the Tower Lords. Captain Auschias, once a contender for Starami’s elites, was privy to more information than most, but even he had not known the full truth. The captains’ questions fell aside as they listened to a story of their past much different from the one they had known their whole life...and many of the nearby rank-and-file crowded in the longer the augur spoke.

They could not help but be skeptical...but none went as far as to try and refute the augur’s words. The God of Light’s favor on this Tower was abundantly clear, she even had an offering chest at the Shrine of the Gods in their current room. Even if the fey were involved, could a servant of one of her Towers lie so heavily about her and her fellow gods? Besides, it was already clear Lord Starami had hidden much from them recently, so it was no longer hard to imagine that he had lied to them from the very start.

Captain Auschias made a deep sigh and held his head. The former Tower Guards all around them were muttering, pacing, or even clenching their fists. How were they supposed to respond to this claim that so many of the truths they held as given were false? Were intentional lies by their own Tower Lord, even?

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And then it got worse. Augur Sehfitis proceeded to explain what he knew of the present situation...and it was the worst case scenario. Lord Starami had not merely gone rogue...he had been part of a much larger coup. High Councilors Konilias and Stadvolous had betrayed the rest of the Conclave, particularly High Councilor Heigiosa and General Rippotis. The two claimed General Rippotis had indeed been here, sent by High Councilor Heigiosa specifically to make peace between the fey and the Conclave, all on the orders of the gods...and then Lord Starami had attacked him, knowingly, to keep him from returning to the Conclave. Even now, armies of monsters, much like the one Lord Starami had suddenly revealed, marched upon the rest of the Conclave. General Rippotis had left after the initial engagement to race home with the help of the fey, attempting to save the Conclave from this treachery.

Captain Auschias already suspected the General Rippotis they had engaged was not an imposter after all, this only confirmed his worst suspicions. He and every one of Lord Starami’s Tower Guards had participated in a great betrayal of the Conclave and everything that they stood for. All while the very Tower they had besieged and the fey they had attempted to kill had been attempting to save it. All on behalf of a man who had lied to them their entire lives.

He understood perfectly clearly now why the God of Light had chosen to break her silence for Beroura, a boy who wasn’t even an augur. He understood now why the God of Dragons had revoked his blessing but otherwise gave no punishment when he broke his oath to Lord Starami. He understood now why the gods had opposed them openly when they assaulted this Tower. And he understood now why Lord Starami had grown so desperate after the “General Rippotis imposter” had disappeared.

Captain Auschias nearly collapsed as the weight of it all fell upon him. In the end, he could only seek refuge by focusing on more immediate practical concerns. He understood that the augur was largely keeping them busy and pacified as the battle raged. He could not help but listen to what the man had to say...but now he had to find out what was going on and what would become of his troops.

After all, he had broken his oath before his patron god, deserted his sworn lord, betrayed the Conclave and the God of Light and now was told that much of what he had fought for his entire life was a lie. Protecting the soldiers who trusted and followed him was about all he had left.

“So, Augur Sehfitis...can you tell us what’s going to happen now? What the Tower Keeper’s intentions are for us?”

The augur did not reply immediately, adopting a far-away look that indicated his attention was elsewhere. A moment later, he took on a solemn expression.

“I just received word that Lord Starami is dead.”

The entire room went silent. Most of the former Tower Guards glanced at one another or else stared into space. Captain Auschias himself had no words at first.

Lord Starami was dead. Even after abandoning him, even after knowing the gods themselves opposed him, his former Tower Guards found it hard to believe. They themselves had chosen to surrender to the fey rather than oppose Lord Starami directly because of his power, defeating him had seemed unthinkable.

And yet, just moments later, new shortcuts appeared in the room. Tower Guards who had remained loyal to Lord Starami marched through with their hands held high, escorted by fey, subhumans, and insect monsters. They were forced to give up their weapons and armor before being sent to join Captain Auschias’ group. Notably...all of these Tower Guards still had their blessings. They had not broken their oaths, but were captured by the fey nonetheless.

The only way that could happen was if Lord Starami had been defeated.

Many of the newest prisoners were in bad shape and heavily wounded. Captain Auschias grimaced when a swarm of white and red bees came through a shortcut and surrounded them. He feared their captors were about to make an example for them all...

The bees landed on a Tower Guard who was groaning on the ground, so heavily wounded he couldn’t even fight back. Some of his companions attempted to intervene, but they were blocked by bear subhumans and buzzing bees. Captain Auschias’ followers turned to him, but he stood still, doing nothing. He couldn’t do anything. If he attempted to intervene, many more of them would die. If the Tower Keeper wanted to make an example of those that insisted on fighting, then that was his right as the victor. Lord Starami had done the same to subjugated Towers in the past.

As if to hammer home the point, Sehfitis narrowed his eyes and shouted.

“Do NOT harm the bees, not if you want to live.”

So, the former Tower Guards grit their teeth and clenched their fists, but could do nothing as the bees jabbed their stingers right into the man’s wounds...

But then the man stopped groaning. The bees began to seal his wounds with wax, stopping his bleeding. The man quieted.

“Did they kill him?”

Captain Auschias, however, shook his head.

“No, look.”

The man was no longer groaning, but he was still breathing. His breathing even stabilized into a calm and steady rhythm. And now that he was no longer bleeding...he was probably going to make it. Captain Auschias projected his voice as he spoke his conclusion, so that all the Tower Guards nearby could hear it.

“They’re healers.”

The former Tower Guards then watched in surprise as the healer monsters went from one wounded soldier to the next, patching their injuries and injecting them with Recovery mana. After finishing with the newest prisoners, they even flew through Captain Auschias’ people. None of them were heavily wounded, but the healer monsters still checked on them. Not until every last minor cut was sealed did the healers fly away.

When Captain Auschias turned back to Augur Sehfitis and Hirkolos, both of them were smiling.

“I think you should understand now, the Tower Keeper does not wish to kill you.”

Captain Auschias barely managed a dazed nod.

“Is there anything you can tell me about this Tower Keeper? You haven’t mentioned anything about him yet.”

Augur Sehfitis stepped to the side and pointed towards another shortcut that just appeared.

“You will find out yourself. He has requested your presence.”