The Bee Dungeon

POBee 379.1 - Bee-briefing the Hive of Hives

Frelis took her slime rose back to the Bog where the swimming, slime, and toxic bees made their homes. She found a patch of mud on the shore of a large body of water, one that had passed from puddle to a full pond, and began to dig.

She had been so excited when the slime rose was allowed to join the fight. Through her slime rose, she could join her queen mother’s hive on the battlefield, to fight as her queen mother, the First of the Fourth loved to do. But not once did she ever stop and imagine what might happen to the slime rose, the flower that she had raised. The flower that had fulfilled her greatest wish and earned her a place in the Hive of All Flowers.

She never imagined that anything could happen to the slime rose. It had grown so much bigger than her, bigger than any monster bee! Its vines could stop a shade and pull it down into the mud! And if it was ever damaged, it could regrow almost immediately! As long as it had water and mana, nothing could ever kill it!

Or so she had believed, until a single hive-burner burned it down to its core.

Once Frelis had dug a sufficient hole, she gently picked up the core with her mandibles. The core had regrown a tiny little root and a tiny little stem. Both of them moved across her mandibles, trying to wrap around them even though they were too small.

Frelis buzzed her wings, but spread soothing pheromones and mana towards the core as she placed it down into the hole. Then she zipped off, flying back towards her hive. She flew right towards her queen mother, and then she did the unthinkable.

“Queen mother, need honey, can take?”

Once upon a time, Frelis despaired that she could not make enough honey for the hive as a worker. Now, she was asking to take some of the hive’s honey away.

Her queen mother danced her reply without hesitation.

“Ok! Take whatever need.”

For a brief moment, Frelis was stunned her queen mother would give up honey so easily. But she quickly pushed it aside and started asking her sisters for help. Soon, she was leading sisters carrying honey back towards the Bog.

She directed them to the hole and had them begin pouring the honey down on top of the slime rose core. Frelis knew the slime rose could absorb nearly any liquid to fuel its regrowth, but that liquids full of nutrients and mana would help it best. So, she brought the most nutritious, mana-packed liquid she knew of, even if she had to take resources away from her own hive and her own queen mother. She would not only help her flower regrow, she would help it grow back stronger than ever, so strong that nothing would be able to burn it.

Because she was never going to let her flower get hurt, ever again.

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter gathered in the center of the Beecity with every queen in the hive of hives. Even the queens who lived outside of the Beecity had come, along with bumblebee queens, butcher bee queens, bloodsucking bee queens, and the stingless bee queen. Even some of the carpenter and lumber bees had come, despite them not having hives of their own and so only being loosely connected to the hive of hives. The guardian angel bee queen wasn’t visible, but the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter could just barely sense her mana watching from one of the walls.

Today was a great day for the hive of hives. Together with the fair-King things, bear-King things, and skunk-King things, they had stung the hive burners. Hive burners that had not only wanted to burn the hive of hives, but that had hurt King and burned his hive in the past according to the Conduit. King and all his hives were now safe.

Taken from novelhall, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

But the hive of hives could not merely celebrate. All queens of the hive of hives had now gathered to discuss the battle and various issues that had arisen. And this time, the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter did not hesitate to share her opinion first.

“Will start. Third of the Sixth’s fire helped against fire, but hive burner used wind, blew bees away. Fourth of the Seventh’s hive helped, but got blown away with big wings. Think need more breeze bees. Fourth of the Seventh, can raise breeze bee daughter?”

The Fourth of the Seventh happily spun around.

“Ok! Will!”

Of course, if the Fourth of the Seventh was going to raise more queens and drones, the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter would also have to raise more queens and drones along with her. It would make the hive of hives better and stronger to have more of their children.

The swimming bee queen, the Third of the Eighth, joined the dance.

“Can raise queens too? Didn’t have enough bees to fight in water rooms, wasn’t able sting hive burners.”

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter danced her agreement.

“Water one’s monsters strong, stung many hive burners. Need bees fight with next time. Will give honey to raise daughters, should send to water rooms.”

She then turned to the Firstborn.

“Battle queens want dance?”

The Firstborn took up the cue and began a rapid dance.

“Bumble helper’s idea amazing, incredible! All hive of hives worked together, attacked together, flew through wind together. Hive of hives should practice, use more.”

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter fully agreed with that.

“All queens will send bees so can train. Should ask bumble helper if have more ideas?”

The Firstborn danced a rapid salute, then turned to Beero. Beero didn’t hesitate or stumble over her dance steps this time as she danced among the queens.

“First Dronecaster taught hive of fallen how use wind after Fourth of the Seventh’s First Minister taught him. Hive of fallen asks help, want learn from all hives how use more things.”

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter immediately agreed. Once again, the Fourth of the Seventh’s children First Dronecaster and First Minister had led the way, showing the hive of hives new things. She really was amazing and incredible and now the hive of the fallen and the whole hive of hives would benefit from it.

At this point, she turned to the Fourth of the Fifth. The digging queen was vibrating heavily, nearly buzzing as she held in the dance she clearly wanted to dance. As soon as the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter turned to her, she let it loose.

“First Digging Assassin ready to evolve! Amazing, incredible!”

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter couldn’t help but join the “Amazing, incredible!” dance.

“Will send swirled honey right away!”

The digging assassin truly had done something amazing and incredible this time. The hive of hives already knew how deadly her stings could be, she had defeated entire invasions on her own in the past. But now she had brought down the biggest hive burner the hive of hives had ever seen, one even the fair-King things were scared of. There was no doubt in a single bee’s mind within the hive of hives that she deserved to evolve and the hive of hives would spare no resources to assist her. The “Amazing, incredible!” dance spread to all the queens present.

When the dance finally calmed down, the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter brought up another of her personal observations.

“Should also give more resources to Fourth of the Seventh’s Second Daughter. Water one’s monster strong in mana storm, flower one strong in magic forest. Bees should try learn how. Beero and hive of fallen still learning wards from ward one? Can teach Fourth of the Seventh’s Second Daughter?”

All of the bees danced their agreement. The Fourth of the Seventh’s Second Daughter had adapted to the magic forest, becoming a chromatic monster bee who could guide others when the forest tried to trick them. But the fair-King things had done so much more with the magic forests and the mana storms than just moving through them: with ward one’s help flower one had created an attack so powerful the entire room felt it, while water one’s monster was able to kill one of the most powerful hive burners with the help of a mana storm. If the bees could learn to do something similar, they could stop the hive burners entirely on their own.

Beero danced a confirmation on her part.

“Working with workers, should learn soon. Will teach Fourth of the Seventh’s Second Daughter once know how.”

The dances then picked up, as more and more queens identified improvements that could be made to the hive of hives. The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter took a step back, just letting the mana of the hive of hives flow through her.

The hive of hives had won a great victory for King. And now, with all the new ideas the battle gave them, they would grow even stronger. They would keep King and his hives safer than ever.

And she would raise and empower a bunch of the Fourth of the Seventh’s own children in the process! It was going to be amazing and incredible!