studiobondurri Chapter 368 - Bee Divine?
Chapter 368 - Bee Divine?
All across the Tower, flowers began to bloom, from grasses and shrubs and trees alike. New shoots popped out of dirt and mud and volcanic ash. Foraging gardeners and worker bees found nectar starting to spill out of the flowers they were harvesting from and were soon covered in pollen as well.
Belissar did not notice all this yet, for he had other things on his mind...
A monster has evolved!
Flowering Bumblebee Queen now available!
A monster has evolved!
Bumbledryad Queen now available!
Mission: USE THE SEED ON A BEE! PLEASE! AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Completed!
Reward: One cross-perk choice, Small Blessing of Flowers strengthened to Medium Blessing of Flowers.
Mission: Unite the power of bee, flower, and forest completed!
Reward: One cross-perk choice.
The God of Trees and Forests offers a medium blessing.
A non-patron god, the God of Trees and Forests, offers her blessing! The God of Trees and Forests will be added to the Shrine in some rooms. Accept?
After staring in shock for a while, Belissar’s mind finally resumed working enough to try and start determining what exactly had happened. He started with the new monsters, throwing his tower sight over to the bumblebee meadow. New bumblebee queens had hatched and left the nest, including some adaptive evolutions. There was a purple maddening bumblebee queen, a brown digging bumblebee queen, and a teal breeze bumblebee queen whose fuzz swayed whenever her wings beat.
And amidst them all, the last one to hatch and just now crawling out of the nest...was the new bumbledryad. Her chitin looked like bark, her antennae like little stems, her wings were big leaves, and she had flower buds all along her torso and abdomen. She was also glowing with gold, light purple, and forest green light, sending out pulses of mana in rhythm with the Heart of the Forest.
As Belissar appreciated her appearance, he slowly turned part of his attention to the Tower’s description of her...which again caused his mind to go blank.
Divine Bumbledryad Queen (Heart of the Bee Forest)
Vitality: Epic
Strength: Average
Speed: Average
Magic: Epic
Defense: Excellent
Resistance: Excellent
Special: Demigod
Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Brood Mother, Command Offspring, Bee-Plant Hybrid, Dryadlink, Demigod Avatar (Heart of the Bee Forest)
Evolves From: Unique
Description: A bumbledryad queen that has linked to a divine or semi-divine plant and become its avatar. She acts as the instrument of her home plant’s will, enacting its desires and interacting with the world on its behalf. As a bumbledryad queen, this relationship extends to her entire hive, allowing all of her offspring to channel the power of their home plant.
This one is bound to the Heart of the Bee Forest and is uniquely suited to spreading and tending forests of flowering plants filled with symbiotic bees. Her hive offspring includes all that is connected to the Heart of the Bee Forest. The forest becomes the hive and the hive becomes the forest and all shall grow together as one.
Belissar could only say one thing in response...
“Huh?”
He...had no idea how this had occurred. As best he could figure from the bee’s plant like appearance, this was the bumblebee that had been raised with the plant monster-hybrid seed they found in the old Sorcerer Kings’ ruin. But...that should have just resulted in a hybrid bee-plant monster as best Belissar knew. How in the world did it create some sort of demigod?!
“King ok?”
Niobee’s dance snapped him out of it. Belissar smiled and reached up to brush her.
“I’m fine. Now...shall we go greet all the new bees?”
“Ok!”
Thanks to Niobee, Belissar remembered what was important. Questions about what happened or what kind of bee had just evolved could wait. Right now, Belissar had bees to welcome.
Since the bumblebees were busy with their maiden flights, Belissar went with his original plan and congratulated the Fourth’s of the Seventh’s First Minister and the Third of the Third on their evolutions. Both were extremely happy.
After that, Belissar went over to the bumblebee meadow. Once there, he found the bumblebee queens leading their new daughters in flying rapid loops around him, the bumbledryad flying with them. That put a smile on Belissar’s face, demigod or not she was still a bee first and foremost. Belissar then asked the new bumblebees what sort of homes they would like. The regular monster bumblebees, the maddening queen, and the bumbledryad all like the underground Bee Nests he made for their mothers...though the bumbledryad had a special request. She wanted her nest within the roots of the Heart of the Forest, so Belissar did his best to oblige. The breeze bumblebee queen was the only one who wanted a different home entirely: she wanted hers high above the ground. Conveniently, bumblebee scouts from her mother quickly located that one of the flowers in the bumblebee meadow had grown as tall as a tree and had a hollowed out cavity perfect for a nest. Belissar was pretty sure there weren’t any flowers that big as of yesterday...but he set that aside for now, because Bumbly the bumblebee soldier was now flying towards him with Finnakynne on her back. Finnakynne addressed him as soon as they arrived.
“All done making new homes for the bumblebees, Beely?”
Belissar smiled and nodded. Finnakynne returned his smile.
“Good.”
And then her smile dropped.
“Now then...BEELY! What did you do to that bumblebee?!”
Belissar...didn’t need to ask which one she meant. But, before he could reply, he felt something calling his attention in the Tower’s mana. He quickly moved his tower sight to the location in question and found Nenavann in the nexus door room, prodding the Tower’s mana with his own.
“Belissar...forgive me but something happened to the Heart of the Forest, didn’t it? Please tell me if it’s alright...please let me see it if you can...”
Belissar furrowed his brow.
“To tell you the truth...I was hoping the two of you could tell me...”
After a bit of commotion, Belissar, Finnakynne, and Nenavann assembled a team to investigate what had occurred, gathering them around the Heart of the Forest. The team included:
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Himself and Niobee, of course.
Finnakynne, the senior demigod and bumblebee helper.
Bumbly, the bumblebee soldier, there by Finnakynne’s request.
Nenavann, most knowledgeable regarding the Heart of the Forest.
Tarwantrad, the foremost expert on monster flowers.
Frelis, the gardener bee and champion of Flowers.
Frelis’s venomous slime rose, who refused to part from her.
A number of monster bee gardeners who had been drawn by the surge of mana.
Velebee and Almablom, Oracle of Bees and Oracle of Flowers.
Sehfitis, there to share the Conclave’s understanding of the divine.
The First Spiderkin Queen, in case her spiderkin ancestors left her with any memories relevant to monster hybrid creation.
Loremaster Anyadre, who could refer them to any relevant lore the fair folk possessed.
An observer from the Compact’s wardens, since Wardmaster Varilold was too busy managing the defense to participate herself.
The bumbledryad, new demigod bee in question, who Belissar had intended to leave alone but who happened to be sitting on the Heart of the Forest’s newly bloomed flower and spreading her leaf wings in the sunlight and who was content to stay there while everyone gathered around her.
The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter, who had come to greet the new bumblebee queens and deliver honey to them.
The Fourth of the Seventh, who noticed something new happening and wanted to see.
The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Bumblebee Queens, who noticed Belissar doing something in their home meadow and came to watch.
A bumblebee worker minding its own business in the general vicinity.
With all the potentially relevant experts assembled, the group turned their attention to the Heart of the Forest and the flower it had grown. The flower had a big center with yellow pollen, easily big enough for the new bumbledryad to sit on and had black petals with yellow tips. Finnakynne, Frelis and her slime rose, and Tarwantrad were all gathered around it. Nenavann had started sobbing when he saw the bloomed flower, but he had now gathered himself and walked up to the group.
“What do you think?”
Finnakynne kept staring at the flower with a perplexed expression.
“I think...Beely and the empress over there should try and reach out with their mana.”
Belissar tilted his head but nodded to the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter. The two of them reached out to the Heart of the Forest with their mana.
Belissar’s jaw dropped while the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter took off and began zipping around.
“Flower...wants to join hive of hives?! Amazing, incredible!”
Belissar’s jaw worked for a bit before he got out a response of his own.
“The Heart of the Forest...feels like a bee?! How is that possible?”
Nenavann rubbed his chin.
“Let’s start from the beginning. Belissar, you said multiple bees evolved and several missions from the gods completed when this bee hatched. Would you be willing to read all that out for us?”
Belissar blinked and then nodded.
“Ah, right.”
He went through the messages one by one, starting with the evolution messages. For those, he also brought up the Tower description of the new monster.
Flowering Bumblebee Queen
Vitality: Below Average
Strength: Minor
Speed: Below Average
Magic: Small
Defense: Small
Resistance: Small
Special: Above Average
Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Brood Mother, Command Offspring, Symbiotic Flower, Regeneration, Cross-Pollination
Evolves from: Monster Bumblebee Queen and symbiotic flower seed
Description: A monster bumblebee that has bonded with a symbiotic flower. The flower grows on the bumblebee’s back and shares nutrition with the bumblebee, allowing the bumblebee to produce honey directly without foraging nectar. The bumblebee thus only needs to gather pollen from other flowers...which allows its own flower to cross-pollinate at the same time.
When threatened, the symbiotic flower shares its vitality with the bumblebee, allowing it to regenerate from harm. If the flower possesses poisonous compounds, it will mix them with the bumblebee’s own venom as well.
This one is a queen who will plant symbiotic flower seeds in every egg she lays, allowing her to raise a hive of flowering bumblebees. The flower may also produce additional seeds which can bind to animals besides the queen’s own offspring. Flower symbiotes created in that way may feel greater affection for the flowering bumblebee hive they came from and may work on the hive’s behalf.
Belissar...did not see any of these in the Tower despite the message. But...he had received two evolution messages at the same time. He read out the next one to see if it might help them understand...
Bumbledryad Queen
Vitality: Above Average
Strength: Small
Speed: Below Average
Magic: Average
Defense: Above Average
Resistance: Average
Special: Excellent
Notable Skills: Poison Sting, Brood Mother, Command Offspring, Bee-Plant Hybrid, Dryadlink
Description: A monster bumblebee that has fully bonded to and become one with a magic plant, acting as its mobile avatar. The linked plant now acts as the bumblebee’s hive, sheltering and nourishing her directly with honey-sap. The bumblebee, in turn, acts as the instrument of the plant’s will, carrying pollen directly to and from other plants and defending the plant from harm.
The exact abilities of a bumbledryad depend on the plant she is bonded to, but common capabilities include greater resilience and regeneration from its plant-like body, the ability to photosynthesize honey and wax, and the addition of plant-based poisons to its venom. As with all dryads, a bumbledryad’s true form is a spirit dwelling within the home plant, so she can regrow her physical body should it be destroyed so long as her home plant remains intact. A bumbledryad queen also shares her innate Brood Mother and Command Offspring abilities with her home plant, allowing the home plant to link with and command its own offspring.
As a bumbledryad’s physical form is just an avatar to act with, bumbledryad queen can shape her offspring into any available brood offspring type at will, dependent only on the resources available to her home plant. Bumbledryads cannot, however, raise new queens on their own, requiring either suitable plants for bonding in the area that do not have dryads of their own, or else for their home plant to produce seeds for the new queens to inhabit.
Nenavann rubbed his chin.
“From the sound of it...the flowering bumblebee queen was the result of the symbiote seed you found. But then...something happened to immediately evolve her into a Bee-type dryad...which then bonded with the Heart of the...wait, you said her description says Heart of the Bee Forest?”
Belissar nodded. Nenavann started pacing as he spoke.
“...I knew that the hearts of the forest are adaptive. The heart I planted in my own dungeon became aquatic, growing a great underwater forest of kelp and seagrasses. If your Heart of the Forest became Bee-type, then perhaps it noticed and bonded to the growing bee-plant hybrid. But, last I checked, this room was a Flower Meadow and all its variations stem from the Heart of the Forest, so could not have acted upon it. How, then, did it gain Bee-type mana?”
At that point, Velebee started dancing.
“Hive-Builder! Queen of All Bees says new flower drank Queen of All Bees’ honey!”
Belissar’s eyes went wide as everyone turned to look at him and Velebee.
“Ah! The ambrosia! I received some ambrosia from the God of Bees that I...kind of forgot about until now. I left it in the core room for safety. I also put the Heart of the Forest there until we decided where to plant it...so...maybe it took a sip somehow?”
Finnakynne gaped at him.
“Beely...you had literally divine honey all this time?! And you accidentally fed it to the Heart of the Forest?”
Nenavann eyes lit up.
“The Heart of the Forest...formed by Erynmor using the God of Trees and Forests’ power...now united with bees and flowers according to her mission...”
Everyone slowly turned to observe the Heart of the Forest and the bee resting on top of it. Sehfitis slowly lowered himself to his knees.
“A demigod bee, bound to a divine plant that combines the power of the God of Bees, God of Flowers, and God of Trees and Forests...”
Nenavann slowly began to smile, while his eyes moistened once more.
“I don’t think even Erymor expected anything like this.”
Belissar stared at the new demigod bee...who was still peacefully sitting on top of the flower, gently moving her abdomen up and down as her leaf wings bathed in the sun. He was broken out of the spell by another dance from Velebee.
“Hive-Builder, Queen of All Bees says accept Queen of All Trees’ blessing!”
Belissar’s eyes widened.
“Ah, right! Sorry about that, God of Trees and Forests! And thank you for the blessing!”
And with that, another wave of mana surged through the tower. The divine bumbledryad stirred, her wings buzzing and her antennae twitching as the mana passed over her. Then, both the Heart of the Forest and the bumbledryad grew larger before everyone’s eyes...
Medium Blessing of Trees and Forests applied.
-Tree and Forest-related options appear with a medium increase in frequency.
- Additional special tree and forest-related options are unlocked and may now appear
- Tree and Forest monster upgrades and evolutions have a medium reduction in resource cost and unlock difficulty
- Medium increase to the growth speed of all trees
- Small increase to the growth speed of all plants within forests
- Mana upkeep of Tree and Forest-type rooms, features, and monsters reduced by one-tenth
Meanwhile, the Hall of Purification rumbled once more as a tree carved from stone grew out of the ground to join the gods, its branches and trunk twisted into the form of a woman. A woman who looked downright angry with the soldiers besieging her new home below...
The wave of mana did not stop at the boundaries of Belissar’s Tower. The wave passed out into the purified zone, washing over the trees in the forest surrounding the Tower...the trees that dwelt within the Tower’s influence, restored by its power. Every tree, bush, shrub, and blade of grass was illuminated by golden, light purple, and forest green mana for a brief moment each. Flowers grew and bloomed on every plant, tipping every blade of grasp, covering every bush, and filling the canopy of every tree. Tree trunks twisted and cavities opened within them, from which faint buzzing could be heard...
And at the edges of the clearing around Starami’s camp, where his kobolds and Tower Guards worked to cut down the trees...wood began to creak, flowers began to fill with pollen, and buzzing noises started to fill the air...