Chapter 231: Collaborative Bee-cisions
A small turtle shade crawled through the Dirt Tunnels and, for once, did not get stuck in the very first Pit Trap. Not through any merit of its own, however, but because Belissar had moved the Pit Traps out the way today. As the shade lumbered through the empty tunnels, a small patch of dirt began to stir. A moment later, a small bee, just a bit smaller than a soldier, launched from the ground abdomen first. Her stinger jabbed into the turtle’s behind, right where its tail connected to the rest of its body. The turtle growled and swung its tail about, but the bee had already dove back down into the dirt.
The turtle swung about for a bit, but no further attacks came, so it eventually continued on its course. But as it meandered on, it began to slow down, even further than normal. It growled and began to thrash about, its thorns swaying about. It had no opponents to lash out against, however, so it did nothing but swish through the air and mix the dirt.
Soon, even its thrashing began to slow. It collapsed onto the dirt and moved no further, fading away a minute later.
All hostiles defeated.
Purification successful.
Belissar smiled. The Fourth of the Fifth had worked hard and the first digging monster bee assassins were now ready. Their first battle had proven everything Belissar had hoped. One single sting brought down a small turtle shade without risking any bees or karnuq save for the quick attack by one assassin. The shade had been defeated in the first room even without any traps whatsoever. Belissar turned to the Fourth of the Fifth waiting beside him.
“Great work! It’s perfect, this is really going to help our defenses.”
The Fourth of the Fifth broke out into a happy, barely coherent “King is best king!” dance.
The Tower’s defenders celebrated the victory as usual, with Hirkolos now joining in. He had been hesitant as always, but since he had participated in a purification at this point he caved when Belissar insisted. The celebration’s fare had expanded as well, roasted rabbit now joined the usual honeycomb, fruits, roots, and mushrooms, along with the seasoning herbs the Fourth of the Seventh had previously obtained from the larger ruins. Belissar’s eyes lit up as he bit into the meat. Meat had always been a rare treat for him, so to have access to a steady supply of it was truly a blessing. A sentiment the cheering karnuq seemed to share…along with the butcher bees and their new soldiers.