The Bee Dungeon

Belissar nodded in approval as he watched the first karnuq beekeeper feed the bees and back off. Velebee’s lessons seemed to have worked, the First of the Ninth had been wary but not overly aggressive. Though, he wasn’t sure if that was due to Velebee’s teachings or the more cautious approach by the beekeeper, but either way she seemed to have a plan and it seemed to be working.

Satisfied he wouldn’t need to intervene, he moved to finish up Beero’s barracks.

The First of the Fifth watched the first honeypots as they crawled out of their cells. They were roughly the size of a newly born queen, with large abdomens to match, though their abdomens featured several depressions ringed by large hairs. They didn’t cost quite as much as a soldier, but closer to that than to a worker. It was a notable expense, though one she could manage. And since she had workers on full-time honey processing, her hive already had suitable candidates for the evolution. She had been able to start evolving them immediately.

And now came the moment of truth. The First of the Fifth would not pass up any opportunity to improve her honey quality, but she still had her apprehensions. She was introducing an entirely new factor into her well-tuned processes, even giving up some of her most skilled and experienced workers to do so. Would these new bees fit into her process, or would she need to rework the entire method to accommodate them? If so, would it be worth disrupting her entire production line, especially at a time when the soldier bee army needed to replenish losses and new bees had joined the hive of hives?

Her eyes were glued to the honeypots as they crawled out of the nursery and towards the honey production lines. They were slower compared to before, unused to their greater size, which only increased the First of the Fifth’s worries, but they made it. They took up positions right in the intake lines, where the foragers would drop off the nectar and pollen. A moment later, foragers were passing them resources.

The First of the Fifth was taken aback as she felt the honeypots’ mana stir. She watched as the honeypots began the process of bubbling…but not solely with their mandibles. No, bubbles of nectar began to form in the depressions on the honeypots’ abdomens, held in place by their specialized hairs. They began to vibrate their bodies as well, increasing their own temperature to the precise level the First of the Fifth preferred for evaporation.

Then, the bubbles shrunk down as the honeypots pulled the nectar back inside…and formed again in another row of depressions after some time digesting. The First of the Fifth buzzed her wings. The honeypots could apparently perform multiple rounds of digestion, bubbling, and evaporation within their own bodies, a process that normally required several bees for each bit of honey. And, with each stage of the process, the mana density of the nectar grew as the honeypots’ own mana constantly circulated through it.

When it was done, she watched as the honeypots pooled the completed product in a cup of chitin where their stingers would normally be. Regular workers could lap up the honey with ease, and then transport it to the cells for to either raise brood, refill the long-term stores, or prepare deliveries for other hives.

Before any workers did, the First of the Fifth crawled to the nearest honeypot and sampled the honey herself. Her workers knew to wait for her to test the honey, only once she had determined its quality would she decide where it would go, and only then would they resume their work.