The Bee Dungeon

The world was on fire. Every corner of it was filled with fires of every size and color, catching, blazing, sputtering out, and then catching again. The entire sky was a burning sun, the air was filled with smoke, the ground formed of smoldering charcoal, the seas made of burning oil. Hammers wrapped in fire struck melting anvils as forges behind them blazed. Hearths flickered with calmer reds as the scent of warm meals mixed in with the smoke.

And in the midst of it all, a man made of fire poked at a truly massive bonfire, stirring up the burning wood to improve the flow of air and help the fire grow. All the while, his eyes blazed, watching over every fire that had drawn his gaze.

The God of Fire smiled as he watched his favorite champion holding trays of honey packed with fire mana. It had been a joy to see her in good form once again, showing all these humans and bees what a real fire looked like. And fire honey! From bees that eagerly embraced the flames and happily settled by a volcano! Now, that was a good idea he hadn’t considered before. He was very much looking forward to tasting mead made from that honey. Bee’s little dungeon was just full of surprises.

And well worth the investment, it seemed. His favorite champion was now going to raise him some more. She had started some grand fires in her time, but it was true she getting older as the mortals did. And indeed, all fires must come to an end, the hotter they burned the faster they ate through their fuel. But then their embers could be used to fan a new flame and the cycle would continue. The God of Fire was curious to see what new flames his champion would start…

He frowned as she announced the two hunters she had chosen. He remembered them, vaguely, if he dug deep down. Not that gods could forget, per se, but the pair hadn’t really drawn his attention much at the time. They had visited one of his dungeons as children just becoming adults. The girl he hadn’t considered, she had been too young and unaccomplished for a full blessing by the time of her last visit. The boy…well, he had some skill, but that was it. He lacked the passion, the blazing heat of a roaring flame, or even the dim but steady glow of a smoldering ember. He was calm, cool, and calculating. All the things that fire was not. And he himself had but a passing devotion to the God of Fire, driven more by his proximity to the God of Fire’s dungeon than any particular loyalty.

So, the God of Fire had passed him some of the generic blessings all gods had access to and had gone along with his day. Something involving spears, he didn’t care to recall. He accepted the boys’ offerings and rewarded him as his deeds deserved, but he did not spare him any special interest.

And now the boy, grown into a man, was attempting to embrace the flames. The God of Fire crossed his arms and let out a breath of smoke. He wasn’t so sure about this plan, it seemed his champion was letting her concerns as a leader outweigh her personal encounters with his blessing. Embracing the flames in the manner that his champion had in her youth took a special mindset. Not everyone loved fire as she did. And the thing about fire was that, well, it wanted to burn. It was not so picky about what. Someone setting themselves ablaze was a nice bit of commitment to fire, but for those who did not love the flames it was as likely to kill them as bless them.

Honestly, his champion should focus more on the little bee that inspired this whole trial attempt. Now that was a girl with blazing passion!

The hunter, on the other hand? The God of Fire gave him about fifty-fifty odds. Maybe less, seeing as he was set in his ways and had walked another path for a while. In this case, his strength and experience would make the trial more difficult rather than less, and the fact that they were earned in a dungeon of Fire had no bearing here. For someone like that, it was generally better to try and act in the service of fire…by burning something other than themselves.