The Bee Dungeon

Belissar grunted as he hauled branches and logs back towards the farmhouse. Fortunately, this was something he had done before. Everyone in his village was capable of some basic logging and woodwork, as no one had such abundance that they could hire a specialist at any given time. This went doubly so for Belissar and the old beekeeper, neither of whom had extensive family assets or extensive families who could come and help.

Unfortunately, Belissar found that whatever Tower magic, and magic it was now that he realized it was mana flowing through his body, kept him free of food and drink did not extend to muscle fatigue from extensive exertion. He could very much feel the burn all across his body as he plopped another large piece of wood onto the pile he had gathered. The pile that still needed to be dried and processed into usable shapes before he could even begin to work on one of his old beehouses.

This may have been a task he was used to...but that didn’t mean easy.

The gates of the Tower opened up into the world beyond once again, and a swarm of bees flew out in a buzzing cloud. The scouts had reported back on their findings, and the queens now sent out a full wave of harvesters to gather from the flowers outside. The scouts themselves continued onward, searching for even more locations to gather from as the harvesters availed themselves of the first finds. The scouts flew beyond the immediate area around the Tower, into a more heavily forested area. The flowers were more difficult to find here with the trees and brush barring the way, but still the scouts found much to report. Some of the trees and bushes had flowers of their own, as well.

But a few of the scouts did not settle for these finds, pushing far into the forest instead. They had detected something, their antenna twitching as they caught faint wisps of a scent on the wind. As small lights seem to flicker just beyond the sight of their eyes. As something resonated with the mana flowing within them. It was almost as if something called to them.

Eventually, a handful of the scouts came across something. Something beyond the simple plants and trees that had regrown in the light of the Tower. Something far older, something that had existed in ages past, before the Hunger had ever swallowed this place.

Ancient stone ruins rose above the brush, covered in moss and vines. Stone arches and pillars crumbled, the walls and roofs they supported long gone. Ancient markings faded on the stone, wind and rain leveling out the grooves carved into the surfaces. Small flickers of light were all that remained of ancient enchantments, the barest hints of mana that had once powered wonders.

And yet...something still lingered in this place. The air held still, the leaves fell around the structure, the rot and decay seemed to hesitate. It was as if this place was pushing against time, as if something remained that wanted to preserve what memories still endured.

And the bees...ignored it entirely and flew instead to the flowers growing on the outskirts of the ruins. They began to buzz and dance about as they sampled the nectar, and then flew back towards the Tower at maximum speed.