Chapter 137: Chapter 137
The karnuq hunting group had finished their preparations and left the Tower. Belissar watched them a bit through the digging worker’s eyes, but they didn’t go very far today. They stopped at the tunnel down underground and set up a small camp next to it. Metsaitti and Belissar tested the link, he found he could speak with them and could remain aware of the karnuq’s general location and status but had trouble seeing through them like he did with his bees. So, the digging bee would remain with them as Belissar’s eyes, even though she wasn’t necessary for basic communication. Metsaitti then explained the expedition could potentially take multiple days, so it was important to have a base to return to. They might even make another one underground, depending on how far they ventured.
But since the karnuq wouldn’t be heading into the underway today, Belissar turned his attention back to the Tower. It was just about time for the next purification.
This time, something changed.
Rather than a wolf-shade or a bird-shade, one of those fast cat-shades from the latest expansion appeared. There was only one of them, but it was the same size as the ones from the purification…and this time, there was no Dirt Tunnels in the way. Belissar wasn’t moving the Dirt Tunnels for the daily purifications and while he planned to add a new Dirt Tunnels to the first floor, he hadn’t actually done so yet.
So, this time, the bees only had the short amount of time it took the shade to form to rearrange their formation. A handful of sprayers launched their attack before it finished forming while the soldiers rushed to tighten the encirclement.
The shade roared as it formed and toxins sprayed all over its back. It immediately pushed forward with its wind and began running. The soldiers hadn’t finished forming up so it broke through their formation and began sprinting across the field. Belissar’s eyes widened from his position by the Bee Barracks. He quickly turned to Chief Rohsuak.
“Get ready! A shade has made it past the army!”
Chief Rohsuak’s face turned grim. Fortunately, not all of the hunters had left with the expedition and those that remained joined the purification. Chief Rohsuak formed them into a tight formation in the hallway through the Bee Barracks that led to the next floor, with Belissar and Chief Rohsuak behind them. Belissar hoped against hope that the shade would prioritize moving deeper to attacking the exposed barracks.
But it turned out he needn’t have worried. While the soldier bees’ formation hadn’t been completed, it hadn’t been empty either. A handful of soldier bees had latched onto the shade as it sprinted past them and were stinging it repeatedly. The shade began to slow down as it crossed the Flower Meadow.
Chief Rohsuak nodded.
“Not at all, it’s our duty and our home too, now.”
She then gave him a wry smile as she glanced at the now burning pit.
“Besides, we didn’t all that much in the end.”
Belissar chuckled and then frowned. If these fast shades could now appear in the minor+ purifications, then he should get a Dirt Tunnels in front of the Flower Meadow as soon as possible. Additionally, he was reminded of his initial plans. He had forgotten since the Tower upgraded it to a feature but the Bee Barracks wasn’t completed per his original intentions. The structure was only the start, he had also planned to fortify the exterior. The problem being Belissar’s attempts to make any sort of palisades hadn’t gone well before, and he had prioritized finishing beehouses for the rest of the queens. But now…now it was apparent that the Bee Barracks could use some extra defense. He turned to Chief Rohsuak.
“Hey, do you know how to build fences or palisades or stuff like that? I’d like to fortify the Bee Barracks here, but the last time I tried it didn’t go well.”
Chief Rohsuak rubbed her chin and slowly nodded.
“It’s been a while but we know the basics. Either way, more hands should help. We would be happy to assist if you need us, Sacred Den Master.”
“Ah, yes. That’d be great.”
And so, one quick promise to meet the next day and a victory celebration later, Belissar again had fifteen mana to work with. The Dirt Trails feature was a bit more useful now that the karnuq lived in the Tower, but not enough to surpass Belissar’s desperate need for more mana. 𝑅𝘢ΝỐ฿Ɛᶊ
The very first thing he did was place a new Dirt Tunnels as the third room for the first floor, and placed it between the Flower Meadow and the entrance. This purification and the previous expansion had made the benefits of having extra space between the entrance and the soldier bee army abundantly clear. Belissar did worry about putting an underground room in front of the entrance for the sake of the bees he had asked to scout the area around the Tower, but his recent experience with the bumblebees provided a solution. He placed the Dirt Tunnels “underneath” the Flower Meadow and placed the entrance to the Tower right underneath the Bee Barracks, with the main entrance to the Dirt Tunnels at the far side. Then, he made a second entrance, a little soldier bee-sized tunnel directly into the ground next to the Bee Barracks that connected to the entrance room of the Dirt Tunnels. He made sure the area around the entrance of the Tower had a very high ceiling so that even something small enough to pass through the tunnel wouldn’t be able to reach it unless it could fly.