The Bee Dungeon

The First of the Eighth flew back to her hive at maximum speed. She was beside herself with joy, her evolution was everything she wanted. She could now remain the main supplier of poisonous honey for King’s realm in perpetuity, because even if other bees had deadlier venom, she could enhance them with her special honey! And she could even keep supplying maddening honey, her new honey could be mixed with the old poisons too!

She wanted to start evolving her workers right away, but she had some things to do beforehand. The first of which was finding her First Daughter. The mind-maddening queen had moved a bit further away in their chamber within the Beecity, the mana of her hive was confusing and even disorienting to other bees, but she was still close enough to locate immediately.

“Queen-mother! Evolved!”

The First of the Eighth zipped around.

“Did!”

Then she slowed and approached her first daughter, rubbing their antennae together.

“Need to thank First Daughter. First Daughter was right, right about hive of hives, right about First of Fifth. First of Fifth changed, helped me evolve. Couldn’t have evolved without First of Fifth’s Third Daughter. Couldn’t have if First Daughter hadn’t made see.”

Her First Daughter’s antennae twitched, but then she broke out into a happy salute dance.

“Happy could help queen-mother! Happy queen-mother part of hive of hives now!”

The First of the Eighth had to agree. The hive of hives…turned out better than she had expected. Even the First of the Fifth had changed her ways to support the big joint hive. She still had some lingering concerns since it was the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter that was now in charge…but those were easily put aside. The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter had made a joint hive with the Fourth of the Seventh and if there was any queen who could be trusted, it was the Fourth of the Seventh. She had never had any interest in competing for influence, even back before the hive of hives developed.

The First of the Fifth really had proven herself and helped the First of the Eighth immeasurably. And now it would be the First of the Eighth’s turn to help the hive of hives.

“First Daughter…need ask help again. Going to dance with toxic bees, can come?”

Her First Daughter immediately danced a salute.

“Ok!”

She wasn’t sure how her First Daughter had turned out so well, but the First of the Eighth was glad she had.

The toxic bees were one of the few that had not moved into the Beecity, keeping their hive in the Bog. They apparently liked being closer to the flowers that made poisonous mist…and their honey was poisonous enough to make other bees feel bad. Fortunately, that was no longer an issue for the First of the Eighth as she approached their hive, though her First Daughter had to hang a bit further back.

What might be a problem was the toxic bees themselves. The First of the Eighth had no idea if the toxic bees had embraced the hive of hives or if they had kept themselves apart, like she had at first. That they preferred living out here in their own hive was not encouraging, extenuating circumstances aside. And, more than that…these were the bees that had replaced her as the suppliers of the deadliest honey in the King’s realm. They were the rivals she had tried to compete with. They were the usurpers who had surpassed her.

What would they be like? What would they think of her? The First of the Eighth had not interacted with them since they evolved. Did they see her as a rival? Were they trying to knock her down and take her place like she had hoped to do to the First of the Fifth? Would they react poorly to her new evolution, would this only intensify their rivalry?

The First of the Eighth didn’t know, but still she approached the hive. The toxic bees paused at her approach, but quickly resumed their work. A moment later, the queen crawled out of her beehouse.

And there she was. The Third of the Seventh’s First Daughter, the queen who had volunteered to evolve with exceptionally toxic honey. The queen who had made the deadliest hive in the hive of hives. The queen who had overcome every advantage the First of the Eighth had over her.

The Third of the Seventh’s First Daughter started to dance.

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“Hi First of Eighth, what need?”

The First of the Eighth hesitated, but her First Daughter sent reassuring mana through their link. She forced herself to begin dancing.

“Hi Third of the Seventh’s First Daughter. Evolved into poison-brewing bee, honey can make poisons stronger. Wanted ask if Third of the Seventh’s First Daughter wants work with? Can give special honey, Third of the Seventh’s First Daughter can give venom? Honey can make venom stronger, or can make poison nectar stronger so toxic bees can drink…”

The First of the Eighth was interrupted when the Third of the Seventh’s First Daughter burst into motion. The First of the Eighth braced herself, but the toxic queen did not dive towards her. Instead, she started zipping around in a max speed dance.

“CAN MAKE POISONS STRONGER? AMAZING, INCREDIBLE!”

The First of the Eighth hovered in place, just blankly watching the other queen zipping around her. That…was not the response she expected…

At the same time, three other queens were also meeting in the bog. The First of the Fifth’s Fourth Daughter and the Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter flew over to the First of the Fifth’s Seventh Daughter’s beeswax golem. It was a bit harder for the Seventh Daughter to move around as her honey-slime also acted as her hive, so her elder sister and the thermal-mining queen had come to her. The Seventh Daughter had her mobile hive lift its hands for the other two queens to land on, while she oozed some of her honey-slime out onto the golem’s shoulder.

She started them off by spinning around within her honey-slime.

“Evil one’s golems amazing, incredible! Beat strong hive-burner!”

Her Fourth Sister joined her “amazing, incredible” dance. The Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter’s antennae twitched, though.

“Should still call evil one ‘evil one’? Should call golem one?”

The Seventh Daughter buzzed her wings, sending ripples through her honey-slime.

“Destroyed mobile hive!”

The Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter stepped slowly but continued her dance.

“But fixed mobile hive? Then helped protect King, taught how make golems? Is not like hive-burners?”

The Seventh Daughter paused and considered that. Someone who destroyed a hive, especially the mobile hive that represented the Seventh Daughter’s new purpose, should not be forgiven! But, it was true that evil one had fought for King and the hive of hives. And evil one did also say he would teach them how to make better golems, so he would help the Seventh Daughter’s purpose too.

She thought for a while, her antennae twitching and her wings buzzing here and there, causing her honey-slime to sway. Eventually, she came to her decision.

“If evil one teaches how make strong mobile-hives, then will call golem one.”

The other two queens danced their agreement. With that settled, the Seventh Daughter resumed the original discussion.

“But for evil one to teach, need metal slime-bee…”

The Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter’s antennae drooped.

“Sorry, didn’t work. Daughter tried mate with First of the Fifth’s Seventh Daughter’s drone, but didn’t evolve.”

The Seventh Daughter couldn’t fault her.

“Daughter didn’t evolve after mating with Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter’s drone either…”

The slime bee queen and the thermal mining queen both drooped their antennae and wings at that. King had given them a mission and, so far, they had failed. Neither was sure what to do from there.

The Fourth Sister’s antennae twitched about for a bit, then she started a few slow steps.

“What if…shouldn’t raise daughters?”

The Seventh Daughter perked up just to buzz.

“King asked to!”

Her Fourth Sister spread calming pheromones before continuing her dance.

“King and evil one want slime bee that can make metal golem, right? Thought could evolve daughter, but what if new bee can’t evolve? What if need older queen evolve? Like First of Eighth and Third Sister, just evolved after made new honey type. Or queen-mother, evolved after swirling honey.”

The Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter slowly joined the dance.

“Queen-mother evolved into strong Ground queen…”

Her Fourth Sister danced an agreement.

“Exactly. Maybe shouldn’t raise daughters, but try do yourselves? Maybe Seventh Sister can learn use metal honey? Or Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter can learn use slime-honey?”

The Seventh Daughter turned to face the thermal mining queen.

“Could try? Can give slime-honey if give metal honey, see if can use?”

The Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter danced her approval.

“Metal flowers growing in King’s new metal room! Should have enough to give.”

The Seventh Daughter considered the idea. Learn to use metal honey herself, instead of raising a daughter? Then…then she could be the one to keep making mobile hives, instead of just one of her daughters. She could keep working on the new purpose she had found.

Her antennae and wings perked up. She was starting to like this idea, even if it wasn’t exactly what King had asked for.

“Ok! Will try! Fourth Sister can talk to evil one while try, learn how make golems?”

Her Fourth Sister’s wings fluttered.

“Me? Talk to evil one? But…am not slime or thermal mining queen. Can’t make mobile-hives like you, can’t use metal honey or honey-slime…”

The Seventh Daughter picked up speed, zipping about within her honey-slime bubble, making the whole thing jiggle.

“Fourth Sister good at designing mobile-hive, figured out how make look like King! Wasn’t able do until Fourth Sister showed how! Fourth Sister learn from evil one how make strong golems, then teach me and Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter so can make with metal honey and honey-slime!”

Her Fourth Sister stood completely still for a moment, then she danced a salute.

“Ok, will learn, then will teach sister!”

The three queens then split, Fourth Sister to go find evil one, the Seventh Daughter and the Fourth of the Fifth’s First Daughter to prepare their honey exchange. Seventh Daughter had her hive start making more slime-honey with renewed vigor.

After all, if this all went well, perhaps one day she might make mobile-hives for King that were as strong as evil one’s, capable of stopping even the strongest of hive-burners.

If that day came, then even she would stop calling evil one ‘evil one’!

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