The Bee Dungeon

PONon-Bee 375.5 - Bee-hind Enemy Lines

Queen Vanieskon flew over to the camp of the hostile force, well behind the raging battle. She may have taunted General Rippotis, but she had seen firsthand the power the human now commanded and felt his boiling rage building as he prepared to confront his betrayers. She had no desire to be caught in his wrath.

Besides, she could not risk the new pets she was about to acquire dying before she wished them to.

The battle itself took place in a mountain pass within two peaks of a larger mountain range, just before the mountains themselves seemed to drown in a sea of Hunger beyond. The traitors set up their camp on the slopes of a third mountain overlooking the pass, no doubt so that their commander could watch the battle from the comfort of his dwelling. The camp itself was quite formidable, consisting not of tents or wood but of stone walls and structures, all formed of that tell-tale uniformity of Ground magic manipulation.

A moment later, one of Tower Keeper Belissar’s monster bee assassins accompanying her started to dance.

“There, hive burners alone!”

Queen Vanieskon smiled.

“Thank you, let’s go say hello, shall we?”

The Royal Pixie Guard giggled, then the group began their descent. Queen Vanieskon and her entourage landed among the few shrub-like trees and rocky outcroppings on the perimeter of the camp. There wasn’t much cover to hide behind, but that was little issue for the Pixie Queen’s magic. If anything, the open terrain and good visibility would make the guards complacent, making it easier than ever to convince them not to perceive her.

Queen Vanieskon’s smile grew as she strode boldly towards a group of humans patrolling the edges of the camp. Her heart began to pick up as she stirred up her mana, this would be her first real chance to truly work her magic in over a thousand years and she could not help but admit how deeply she desired it. She stretched out to brush her mana against the humans’, tying strands of their mana into her glamour. She would appear as that which they most desired, promising to fulfill their greatest longings...and then they would give themselves to her, entirely willingly.

This is why that Queen Vaniekson did not work herself into a frenzied panic like the other signatories after General Rippotis showed off his newfound power. Where they saw an existential threat...the Pixie Queen saw an unparalleled opportunity. The new power of the humans was no threat to her because she never intended to fight them directly, like the haughty elves always resorted to. No, Queen Vanieskon intended to charm them, to bring them to her side and have them do her bidding on her behalf. For Queen Vanieskon, stronger humans just meant stronger puppets.

And now, with this small patrol, she would begin to build the army she would throw against the Hunger. By the blood of humans and the powers of the gods they borrowed, her greatest enemy would be destroyed and the world would be her playground once again.

So, as Queen Vanieskon smiled as she brought the patrol into her magic, not only allowing them to see her but demanding their attention. The affection she wore on her face as she turned her gaze towards them was entirely genuine, for they would be the ones to fulfill her greatest desires, just as she hinted to them. It was with great sincerity that she lifted her hand and beckoned them towards her with the most beautiful smile she had made in a thousand years...

The humans froze, stiffening as they beheld her through the eyes of her magic. And as they saw her beckon them they all took a deep breath...

And then unleashed fire breathes towards her.

Queen Vanieskon’s eyes widened. She stood in shock even as the Royal Pixie Guard moved to block the attack with barriers. She waved a hand to convert her magic into a more direct mental attack, overpowering the humans defenses and stunning them so that the bees could sting them unopposed...but all the while both her heart and mind raced.

Rank and file human soldiers...had resisted her charm? Even though they were unaware of her before she activated it?

Mischief’s warnings rose in her mind...apparently he had not merely been trying to seduce her into his service. These human soldiers were not merely as strong as a warrior of the fair folk...they were blessed by the gods. They swore to their dungeons and to the gods that patroned them. That divine power and those divine oaths...might be acting as a shield specifically defending against attacks on their allegiance.

She had charmed disciples of the gods in the past and assumed that this would be the same...but she had overlooked the influence of the dungeons. These human soldiers were more tightly bound to their dungeons than champions of the gods had been in ages past and that bond protected them...perhaps the same way it protected the nexus door the fair folk now relied on. If so...the power of the gods channeled through the dungeons and through its defenders would directly resist an overt magical charm intending to usurp control over its own. She would be directly competing with the gods, power for power, in an attempt to steal their servants.

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Queen Vanieskon’s face began to pale. If that was the case...she could not directly charm these humans. She could not take control of them as she pleased. She could not force them to become her army.

And that meant that the fair folk were now competing with a human nation that could match them individually strength for strength while vastly overwhelming them in scale, as all the other signatories feared, and she had no means to overturn the situation.

She glanced up in the direction of General Rippotis, high in the sky and still concealed by her magic. He was too high for her to see from the ground, but to a pixie like her his mana burned like the sun. Her eyes widened further as she watched the raw mana gathering up above.

His power felt very different to her now, knowing that she could not take control of it at will.

“Your Majesty?”

Her guards’ question broke her out of her daze. Queen Vanieskon shook off the tremors in her heart, putting on the air of confidence she always had. This was a serious problem...but she had time. The humans were in the midst of a civil war, expending their might on each other as they had always been want to do.

What she needed to do in the present, now that she could no longer take control of the traitor army, was to prove herself useful to her ally. She could not afford for him to realize her weakness, lest he rethink the value of their alliance and the rewards he had promised...not to mention the risk of the traitor faction succeeding if General Rippotis had oversold his advantage during their negotiations.

So, while every ounce of her pride and desire wanted to attempt more charms, to figure out how she could make them work once more...she abandoned her plans to take this army. Instead, she considered...what could she do that would have the greatest impact on this battle and put General Rippotis in her debt?

Her charms hadn’t worked...but her stealth and her direct attacks had. And she wasn’t alone, she had her pixie guards as well as the Tower Keeper’s bees. Such as the nomadic assassin bees, sent for their powerful vision...but originally meant to defeat powerful foes with venom more deadly than their raw mana would suggest...

An idea began to take root in Queen Vanieskon’s mind...

Stadvolous made a smug smile as he watched the battle unfold from the walls of his camp. Things were moving slowly...but they were moving as he had planned. The soldiers of the Dragon Banner Army might be the finest in the Conclave, to whom no other Tower Guard could compare...but even they would be worn down fighting endless waves of expendable monsters. Already, they were making mistakes, stepping out of line, leaving tiny gaps in their formations. Soon, their mistakes would be large enough that Stadvolous could exploit them.

Konilias was pushing him to rush, but Stadvolous refused. Long had he planned this battle, he would not let Konilias’ anxieties disrupt his victory. The Dragon Banner Army had to be respected, their might was formidable and their will unbreakable. Rushing would only give them a chance to turn the battle on its head, the way to beat them was to grind them down slowly but steadily. Stadvolous would show no gaps and leave no openings as he applied relentless pressure, he would force them to take all the risks. He would be steady, methodical, and make this battle a contest of numbers.

Besides, General Rippotis could not and would not make it back in time. Oh, Stadvolous had no doubt the general was racing back as fast as he could, they could hardly count on a failure like Starami to stop him! But, as with this battle, the general simply faced an insurmountable math problem. No matter how fast he flew, no matter how many risks he took, he simply could not return faster than two weeks by Stadvolous’ calculations. And that was giving generous assumptions like Rippotis abandoning his slower wyvern escorts, somehow bypassing the need for more supplies, and not being attacked by the Hunger or by Stadvolous’s subordinates along the way. By all likelihood, two weeks was infeasible at best. All of Stadvolous’s subordinates had been ordered to patrol along all likely routes and General Rippotis was not know for his stealth. They would delay him further and give Stadvolous all the forewarning he needed of the general’s return, even if the general somehow defied all reasonable calculations.

No, Stadvolous’s plan was perfectly calculated to conclude long before the general could possibly return, with plenty of safeguards even if he was wrong. Unlike Konilias, apparently, who had somehow not predicted the Oracle of Light would be displeased with his actions. Stadvolous scoffed. Konilias had let his wishes cloud his calculations and was now left in a scramble. It now fell to Stadvolous to secure their victory...a fact Konilias knew. In fact...perhaps Konilias was attempting to urge him into haste precisely so that he would suffer a setback on par with Konilias’ own. Because otherwise...their victory would belong to him, not to Konilias.

Stadvolous rubbed his chin and grinned. No, he would not rush after all. He would not risk his forces to drive this battle to a head before the time was right. He would stick to his plan and grind the Dragon Banner Army down at his leisure, in doing so he would achieve a guaranteed victory while also maintaining the core of his army with minimal damage. He would then let Konilias take responsibility for his failure and bear the brunt of the Oracle of Light’s inevitable counterattack...all while he built his own strength after taking Rippotis’ Tower of Fire as his own.

And then...General Rippotis would be gone while Oracle of Light Heigiosa and the Good Wizard Konilias would be spending their strength upon each other. The three who stood on top of the High Council for so long would no longer be able to stand at all. The time might then be ripe for new leadership to rise in the Conclave...and surely at that point the God of Dragons would acknowledge him and rescind the need for atonement. Supreme power would excuse all wrongs, once he had seized it.

Stadvolous felt that bright days were ahead for him, as bright as the sun shining in the sky. In fact, even the sun itself seemed brighter than usual today!

It was then that Stadvolous paused, for he had just noticed that a second sun had appeared above the battlefield...

At which point the entire sky was set ablaze and began to fall.