Chapter 11: Blessed Victor-Bee

    Belissar took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

    It worked.

    It actually worked.

    He figured he could start a fire with flowers, twigs, and honeycomb, which was even easier as he could directly ask the bees to line the walls and floors with wax. But none of that would burn particularly quickly and it would take a bit for the fire to get going. So, he needed a way to actually keep the monster in the flames.

    The Pit Trap seemed to offer a solution, but Belissar encountered a problem when he went to make it. It turned out he couldn’t place it directly in front of the gate. In fact, he couldn’t place the trees or the spawners there either. He didn’t know why, but for one reason or another the gate had to remain clear. But it wasn’t his place to question the gods, so he could only accept the limitation.

    And that meant there was an issue of how to actually get the monster onto the trap. Since he couldn’t make enough trees to form a path, either the bees would have to fight once again...or he would.

    But, against all odds, it had worked. He, a simple peasant beekeeper with no magic or might to his name, had slain a shade of the Hunger. He had fulfilled the role of a mighty Tower Lord.

    And that wasn’t all...

    As Belissar laughed and rested on the ground, the Tower’s shine intensified. Belissar felt the heat within the Tower grow red hot. Suddenly, a wave of light surged out from the core room and across the Flower Meadow. When it reached the Pit Trap, it burned away the last wisps of the black mist. It shrank down as it approached the gateway, forming a tiny glowing ball as it passed out of the Tower’s entrance.

    And then Belissar gasped. He could feel as a wave of power now surged out of the Tower itself, in every direction. When he glanced outside the gateway, the Hunger was gone. He could see green shoots breaking through the ground in the wake of the purifying light. Twisted and blackened trees began to right themselves and grow green leaves once again as bushes grew underneath.

    The wave carried onward, slowing down over time. Eventually, it stopped. Belissar could still feel the Hunger at the edges, reaching its tendrils into the cleared area, but they burned away like they did in the Tower’s gateway. A sphere of about one mile in diameter around the Tower was now completely free of the Hunger, and growing life once again.

    Initial purification successful. Dungeon B3353402X now established. Core corruption may now be purified.

    The following gods have noticed your victory and offer to become your patron:

    - The God of Fire

    - The God of Mischief

    - The God of Bees

    Please accept or deny the offered patrons before receiving additional rewards.

    Belissar froze. He blinked. And then he began to tremble.

    The gods...had noticed him? And instead of smiting him, they were offering...to become his patron?

    “W-What should I do? W-What''s going on? What...”

    At that moment, the conduit bee buzzed in front of his face. His eyes were drawn to her as she danced in the air.

    “King? Need help?”

    - Non-bee monster mana upkeep increased

    Belissar had but a moment to process it all before the messages continued.

    Mission: Complete initial purification completed!

    Reward: Room limit increased to 2. Mana increased to 200. Receive one room selection, one monster selection, and one room feature selection.

    Mission: Earn the favor of a patron completed!

    Reward: One dungeon perk selection.

    Belissar stood up and walked over to the statue. He stared at it for a moment.

    “It’s...a god. And you gave me...a blessing?”

    He looked at the banners next to the statue. He looked down at his hand. The symbol engraved their appeared again, adjusting slightly to match the banner.

    His eyes widened, and then he fell to his knees, bowing his head.

    “T-Thank you, for choosing me.”

    One of the gods had chosen him. He who was unworthy, who was unprepared. He who had not descended from the lines of the Tower Lords. He who was but a mere peasant. He who had no family or friends. He who had no value.

    And now, he had been chosen as a Tower Lord. The blessed of the gods meant for great deeds and glorious purpose.

    He felt his eyes grow moist.

    “I-I will do my best.”

    The sphere held by the statue began to glow softly, bathing Belissar in warm light. His bees gathered around him, buzzing and hovering in the air. Then they split off and returned to the flowers, continuing in their work. Belissar watched them for a moment, before he nodded and stood to his feet.

    That was right. If this was the God of Bees...then the best way to repay the trust imbued in him would be to work as a bee would. Probably. Maybe. Belissar still didn’t actually know anything about gods or towers. But that didn’t seem to bother the gods as far as he could tell, so he’d try not to let it bother him.

    Whether he liked it or not, whether he was prepared or not, he was a Tower Lord now. It was his job to manage this Tower, to purify the Hunger, and to protect the land. He could not sit back and keep his head down any longer. He would have to figure things out and find a way when challenges arose.

    He turned to watch his bees as they spread across the field, gathering nectar for their hives once again. He furrowed his brow.

    And...he would have to lead and protect his bees. They were counting on him, even more than the bees at home ever did. They would follow his lead, and they would live...and die...by his decisions. They would pay for every mistake he made.

    He truly was the king of the hive now, with all that such a title entailed. Belissar gripped his hands into fists and nodded.

    He swore that they would not die in vain. That he would repay their trust. That he would protect them as best he could. And that he would make his life one worth saving.