BD - Chapter 112 - Burning Bee-cisions! (Patreon)

After thanking the gods, Belissar asked Chief Rohsuak to accompany him and for Niobee to gather the queens. He didn’t like to interrupt them during the day, but he felt it was worth doing so in the present moment. Afterall, they had rewards from not one but two gods to decide on.

Soon, all the relevant parties were gathered at the second floor’s Shrine. Belissar felt that location appropriate this time since the God of Fire’s brazier was there, and they were deciding on his rewards. He stepped forward as the bees arrived and gathered around him, smiling at the Third of the Sixth.

“Hi everyone, thanks for coming and sorry to interrupt your work. But, thanks to the Third of the Sixth evolving today, we fulfilled missions from two gods, and now have two choices to make.”

The Third of the Sixth fidgeted about, trying not to break out into a happy dance while Belissar was still talking. The other bees turned to face her but likewise waited for Belissar to continue.

“Ok, so, we have a room feature choice from the God of Fire, and then a cross-perk by both the God of Bees and God of Fire.”

Chief Rohsuak’s eyes lit up at the mention of the God of Fire, while the bees began buzzing and pacing about at the news. Belissar brought up the choices and began to read them out.

Select Room Feature:

- Fire Spout (Rarity: Common, Type: Fire, Trap)

- Metallurgical Furnace (Rarity: Common, Type: Fire, Crafting)

- Mini-Volcano (Rarity: Rare, Type: Fire, Ground, Trap)

Fire Spout

Type: Fire, Trap

Mana Upkeep: 5

Description: A nozzle that will spray fire in a straight line when triggered. Providing flammable materials may change effects and behaviour.

Metallurgical Furnace

Type: Fire, Crafting

Mana Upkeep: 5

Description: A furnace intended for processing metal. May require additional fuel or mana to process certain materials.

Mini-Volcano

Type: Fire, Ground, Trap

Mana Upkeep: 50

Description: A small volcano just peeking out of the ground. Will launch burning rocks in the direction of invaders. May also emit ash clouds and slowly flowing lava.

Belissar couldn’t help but whistle at that last one. He had heard tales of volcanos before, but had never seen one himself fortunately. It certainly sounded impressive. He turned to Chief Rohsuak.

“Um, have you ever seen a volcano?”

Chief Rohsuak nodded, staring off into the air with a nostalgic smile on her face.

“In a Sacred Den of Fire. Imagine a mountain pouring smoke into the sky, with rivers of liquid fire running down its slopes. Shooting stars soar from its peak before colliding into the ground, and the entire thing can explode into a wall of superheated smoke that reaches from ground to sky.”

Belissar gulped. He wasn’t sure why Chief Rohsuak was happy about that memory, but he could certainly see how it might help his Tower’s defense. However…the feature’s cost was as impressive as its supposed effects, and could pay for a lot of flowers or bee spawners. The other issue was that, as of now, Belissar had no good place to put it, unless it would fit in the Dirt Tunnels. Because besides the tunnels, all of his other rooms happened to be flammable, and he wasn’t sure his little firebreaks would be enough to deal with rivers of liquid fire or burning rocks flying through the sky, even if the volcano was a small one. And would something intended to launch rocks into the sky work in the Dirt Tunnels? He wasn’t sure. If it didn’t…then this would be a purchase for the future, when he could get more rooms. Either a new, less flammable room, or maybe just another room slot so he could put an empty Flower Meadow with nothing in it that he minded being burnt to the ground on the regular. That last idea…actually had merit in general, though.

Additionally, there were two more options. Fire spouts were far less dramatic than mini-volcanos but also far more contained in their effects. Belissar could see an easy use if he put them at the bottom of his Pit Traps, or in combination with the Sticky Honey Traps. The bees wouldn’t have to risk dropping flame radish slivers any longer in that case. And those spouts could be especially effective in the tight corridors of the Dirt Tunnels, assuming they worked there. If so…maybe Belissar wouldn’t have to trap shades in Pit Traps at all before setting them ablaze.

Still, that was spending a choice, and a reward from the God of Fire himself, on a capability he could somewhat match. Though, the part about adding fuel for different effects had some promise. Maybe it would be like the Sticky Honey Traps and he could make fires with different effects? And if honey or wax worked as the fuel, then he could get started on that right away.

The third option was a non-combat feature. Furnaces to process metal had obvious uses for the karnuq given they had metal tools, so presumably knew some blacksmithing. And Belissar had just gone and made a bunch of metal ore nodes for them, so furnaces would be exceptionally useful right away. But, he did wonder if it was worth using an entire feature on. If the karnuq knew blacksmithing than surely they knew how to build a furnace themselves, right? He had even unlocked some features for things he had built himself. So, he turned to Chief Rohsuak.

“Um, do you know how to make a furnace?”

Chief Rohsuak thought for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Much of our knowledge has been lost, but we should be able to put together something useable. Likely not as well-made as one created by a Sacred Den but…well enough for basic use. Furnaces would certainly be appreciated but you do not need to consider it necessary.”

Belissar nodded and turned to the bees, but they didn’t have much to add this time. The Third of the Sixth looked excited at all of the options offered, while the other bees seemed a bit uncomfortable given the way they were shifting around. He guessed bees in general didn’t love fire, with one exception among his queens, so it looked like it’d be up to him to decide.

He mostly ruled out furnaces, given the karnuq could handle that themselves. With Muuraqi’s blessing for stone-working, it shouldn’t be all that hard, right? Well, Belissar didn’t know what went into building a furnace but he’d take Chief Rohsuak’s word for it. That left the impressive but expensive choice or the weaker but more immediately useful choice. He turned to Chief Rohsuak once more.

“Um, you know fire and the God of Fire it seems so…any opinion?”

Chief Rohsuak rubbed her chin and hummed a bit before once again slowly nodding.

“A word of caution. Volcanos are powerful but they are uncontrollable. Do not build one half-heartedly, and do not deceive yourself that you can contain it. If you are going to make one, you must commit to it, and understand that its power is beyond your control. It will bring great devastation, certainly to your enemies, but to yourself as well if you are not careful. Treat it with the respect it deserves.”

Well, that nearly settled it for Belissar, as he had no confidence in respecting or controlling a volcano at all, given Chief Rohsuak’s description of it. However, he held off from deciding right away, for he wanted to read the next choices first.

Select a cross-perk (Bee/Fire):

- Honeyed Fuel

- Fire Resistant Bees

- Buzzing Embers

There were no rarities this time, and each perk was colored half in golden yellow and half in bright red. Belissar began reading out their descriptions.

Honeyed Fuel

- Flammable honeys and beeswaxes have increased potency as fuel sources

- Fires started with honey or beeswax deal more damage

- Fires started with honey or beeswax with special effects inherit those effects with greater efficiency

That perk would obviously play into one Belissar’s main tactics with the Pit Traps and Sticky Honey Traps, making them more powerful. If he was reading both the descriptions right, it might also work with Fire Spouts, should he choose them. And the part about the fires inheriting special effects from the honey…well, maddening fire certainly sounded harmful.

Fire Resistant Bees

- All bees gain increased resistance to fire and heat

- All bees gain increased resistance to smoke and ash

This one was simpler and more straightforward in its effects, but by no means less desirable. Making his bees more resilient in general was always a priority for Belissar since he didn’t want to see a single one hurt if he could help it. Making them more resilient to fire and smoke in general would help if he was going to use more fire in his defenses. Sure, the burning bees seemed like they were already fire-resistant, but it could mean the difference between one hive fighting the enemy and all of them when there was fire around.

For example, if he chose the mini-volcano and set up a room specifically for it, this perk might enable his bees to enter and fight in that room as well.

Buzzing Embers

- Embers and sparks from flames move and swarm around nearby enemies

- All fire attacks may spawn additional embers and sparks if they do not inherently do so

That was a curious one that had Belissar tilted his head. It sounded like it would…make embers come to life and attack? It said swarm around so maybe it would make embers act like bees? That was a curious idea, though Belissar had trouble visualizing what it actually would look like. He ultimately decided to just consider it something that would make any fires stronger.

So, honey and beeswax that made fires stronger, bees that were more resilient to fire, or stronger fires in general? Along with a choice between flame spouts that might be able to be fueled by honey and wax, or a dangerous and expensive mini-volcano? What, exactly, should he choose?

Author’s Note:

…next time, that is, muahahahahaha! The author, um, definitely doesn’t need more time to think about it. And definitely isn’t hoping lots of readers will express their opinions and make the decision. Definitely not. There’d be a poll if the author was hoping for that!

Because, you know, a lot of this sounds like non-bee stuff so eh. Except for the obviously amazing and incredible parts that the God of Bees collaborated on! Those are obviously the best, Belissar!

Anyways!

What will Belissar decide on? What do the bees think of all this? Will Belissar add something…non-bee related to the Tower? Tune in next time, to find out!