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BD - Chapter 243 - Emergency Bee-sponse
🕑 Added 2025-03-18 20:05:01 +0000 UTC“Arrows incoming!”
Paloiku held her shield up as yet another volley of arrows flew out of the dark. She gritted her teeth as she heard the clangs of the arrows against their shields. The karnuq’s own archers retaliated with a volley of their own while the whole group slowly backed away. The hunter next to her growled.
“Why in the gods names is there a spiderkin band here?!”
Paloiku wanted to know the answer to that as well, but right now she had bigger concerns. Mainly, the dark figures skittering along the ground, walls, and pillars of the underway. They had the full bodies of spiders as their lower halves, with human torsos rising from where the spider heads would be, allowing them to launch their arrows accurately even as they crawled about.
“Less talking, more retreating. And keep those shields up!”
The hunt had been going well when they had encountered this band. Fortunately, Noigakkuq and the digging bees accompanying them had alerted them to the incoming ambush, while the iron shields were blocking the spiderkin’s arrows. She was deeply grateful for that, spiderkin connected webs to their arrows that would allow them to pull anything they struck.
Still, this area of the Underway was too large and open for the karnuq to deal with the spiderkin, so they needed to retreat to a narrower tunnel. Maybe Metsaitti could have turned this situation around, but he was being kept at home since Chief Rohsuak didn’t trust the fey just yet. Paloiku, on the other hand, had not attempted the Trial of Fire since Metsaitti had almost died, and so lacked a blessing of the gods. It was all she could do to keep the hunters retreating.
“Gah!”
She whipped her head around as one of the hunters cried out. He had raised his shield too high and an arrow struck his foot. The spiderkin pulled on the arrow and he fell to his feet, taking two more arrows as his shield fell to the side. Paoliku growled, but there was nothing she could do without compromising the shield wall…
At that moment, Tyghak thrust his spear forward, sending out a stinger of mana that cut through the webs. He and his squad rushed forward, mana strengthening their legs and arms. The two spear karnuq blocked with their shields while the two archers grabbed the fallen hunter and pulled him back into the line.
It was truly wonderful to have a full blessing, but Paloiku had no time for envy. They still had a long way back to Tower…
***
Belissar resisted the urge to immediately start shouting commands when he saw what was going on. Niobee had noticed as well and was already dancing, the soldier bee army was already forming up at her command. He took a deep breath to calm his beating heart. With Niobee already handling the immediate response, he could do as Chief Rohsuak advised and consider the situation as a whole.
At least, until he saw a karnuq hunter hit by arrows.
“Niobee, one of the karnuq is wounded! We need the Second of the Sixth!”
“Ok!”
Niobee shifted her dance. The Second of the Sixth had already been preparing for battle casualties, so it was a simple matter for her to add her hive to the gathering army. Belissar gave the bees the command to head to the Underway entrance and they began to fly through the shortcuts to the Tower’s exit.
In the meantime, Belissar informed Chief Rohsuak what was going on.
“Chief Rohsuak! The hunters are under attack by some kind of spider people!”
Chief Rohsuak’s reply came quickly.
“Understood, what is your command, Tower Keeper?”
“I’m sending the bees, can you send Metsaitti? After that, do you know these people?”
“He’s on his way. And yes. Unfortunately, we know them very well. I will join you as soon as I can.”
With the shortcuts, it took only a moment for Belissar and the karnuq to meet at the entrance and set off after the bee army. Along the way, Chief Rohsuak began to explain with a grim look on their face.
“They’re a known threat in the Underway and we’ve clashed with more than one band in the past. They breed quickly, laying eggs that hatch into half-grown children that are already capable of fighting. They ambush anything that wanders into their territories, once their numbers fill up, they send out roving bands that look to establish new homes. But no matter whether defending an existing territory or searching for a new one, they are vicious. Many of our losses in the past were at their hands.”
Belissar frowned.
“So, talking wouldn’t be an option even if they hadn’t attacked us?”
Chief Rohsuak shook her head.
“I don’t know what they think of Tower Keepers like yourself, but I’ve never encountered a spiderkin willing to talk before. And…”
Chief Rohsuak’s face fell.
“Even if they were, many of us have lost people to them. We will follow your command, Tower Keeper, but most of us would not be eager to do so.”
Belissar shook his head.
“They’ve already attacked. Right now, we need to protect our people.”
Chief Rohsuak managed a small smile at that. In the meantime, the bee army had reached the tunnel entrance on the surface, while the hunter band managed to reach the smaller tunnel that led up towards them. The spiderkin broke off their pursuit rather than follow the karnuq into the tight corridors, so it seemed Belissar would not need to send the bee army down underground for now, though squads of digging and blinding soldiers that could fight in the dark were already making their way through the tunnels. All was not well, and Belissar began to shout.
“Second of the Sixth, one of the karnuq is dying! Can you send your bees to help him?!”
The Second of the Sixth danced her salute and deployed her hive. Medicinal workers and soldiers climbed onto the backs of her medicinal lancers. Digging and blinding workers landed on the lancers’ faces to guide their way underground and then the lancers flew down into the tunnels at the fastest speed the path would allow. The Fourth of the Seventh followed after them, she and her nomadic bees creating a big gust of wind that pushed them forward even faster.
The hunters had to stop as the wounded karnuq was quickly fading, but the lancers reached them in hardly any time at all. The medicinal bees got to work immediately, one lancer carefully stabbed the thin tip of its stinger into the karnuq and pumped him full of medicine, while the other grabbed hold of one of the arrows still lodged in his body. Medicinal workers gathered by the arrow and once they were ready the lancer pulled it out. The workers immediately sealed up the wound with medicinal wax and propolis before the soldiers began applying medicinal stings to the area. The medicinal bees repeated this process for each of the arrows, while a medicinal communer kept the Second of the Sixth updated. The queen herself hovered by Belissar and Chief Rohsuak on the surface, relaying their progress.
“Still hurt bad, needs more help. Bees will bring back.”
Belissar nodded and thanked her. The medicinal lancers and soldiers each began to latch onto the wounded karnuq and lifted him together, careful to keep his body as still as they could as they flew him through the tunnels. The rest of the karnuq hunters followed while digging and blinding soldiers took up the rearguard. Belissar let out a sigh as it appeared the spiderkin would not make any more attempts.
***
The bees brought the wounded karnuq back to their settlement, while the remaining hunters returned without issue. The bee army returned to the Tower as well, although a full battle formation remained to guard the entrance to the Underway. The Second of the Sixth was personally tending to the wounded karnuq with her own, mana-heavy medicine alongside much of her hive. Laaniasiu, the karnuq’s doctor, and Juosiutik joined the bees. Juosiutik clenched her teeth and began to tremble when she heard what happened, though for the moment she was absorbed with helping the wounded hunter.
Belissar, Chief Rohsuak, Metsaitti, and Paloiku waited outside. Paloiku bowed her head.
“I apologize, Chief, Tower Keeper. This is my fault.”
Chief Rohsuak shook her head.
“You did well, Paloiku. Neither I nor Metsaitti have managed to escape a spiderkin ambush without casualties.”
Paloiku frowned but nodded. Chief Rohsuak let out a sigh.
“Still, I should have known better. I had thought we had traveled beyond their range, but once again they’ve surprised me. I apologize, Tower Keeper. I should have informed you of this possibility before now.”
Belissar wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He wanted to tell Chief Rohsuak it was fine…but someone had nearly died and might still, so it wasn’t really. So, instead he decided to focus on the more important issue.
“What should we do? We should probably tell Tarwantrad and the sigmaka, right?”
Chief Rohsuak nodded.
“I’ve passed a warning to Fourth Queen Pezuya and her challengers, but I’ll arrange a more formal message as well. As for the fey, I will leave that to your judgement, Tower Keeper. But as to how we should respond ourselves…”
Chief Rohsuak let out a heavy sigh.
“I don’t presume to make decisions for you, Tower Keeper, but I must let you know that there is likely little choice here. I know you prefer to live and let live, but if the spiderkin establish a foothold nearby anyone traveling the Underway will be subject to their attacks. If you wish to prevent that, the only method I know of is to drive them off with force.”
Belissar shook his head. He turned to look at the doctor’s house behind them, using his Tower sight to observe the bees and karnuq trying to save the hunter. He narrowed his eyes.
“No, I think this time it’s pretty clear they’re not just going to let us live. And to be honest, I’ve just about had it with getting attacked out of nowhere. We’ve had to deal with the Hunger, then the Tower Lords chased me down, and now this. If that’s how they’re going to act, then I’m not going to sit by.”
Belissar would do anything he could to prevent a fight, if only to spare the lives of his bees. But if these people just attacked without a word? Then, as he promised himself before, no one, be they human, god, or Hunger, would take his bees…or the people that treated them well.
Author’s Note:
…the non-bees have done it this time. They hurt one of the King’s non-bees, the ones that are trying to become more bee-like! It’s definitely time for the sting!
They’re just lucky they didn’t hurt one of the bees. Then they’d really be in trouble.
Anyways!
How will Belissar respond to these non-bees? Can he keep his bees and his people safe? Will the non-bees realize the gravity of their mistake? Tune in next time, to find out!
Comments
Moon Winchester
The Doctor should raise, train, and work with medical bees to gain a medical bee blessing.
The furry in your walls in your walls
Go bees, sting them! Sting them in the name of Dr Mobi- I mean Tower Keeper Belisar!
Durphymcbob
I mean Stiches are not that difficult to do, noting crazy just some fiber and a needle to close a biggish wcut or bite, not not saying they are cable ofdoing surgery, but closing a stab or slash wound, puting in like a dozen stiches to close a wound and a small healiung potion to smooth things over, they can probably do. Just a simple bone needle and some thread.
AEgamer1
Let butchers have them -> more bees Bury them -> nourish flowers -> more bees No matter what, there shall be more bees.
fanfan8000
Typo? The spiderkin pulled on the arrow and he fell to his feet(side? butt), taking two more arrows as his shield fell to the side. - Do you mean he fell to the spiderkins feet? Because that doesn't add up with how he was saved.
Fernando Oliveira
Thanks for the chapter. So it's spider kin. A surprise but their personality makes sense. They'd only even consider diplomacy once faced with overwhelming power. I wonder how big the digging hive have gotten? Could we set up a scouting hive in the tunnels? If we can find where the spider kin are setting up we can crush them if we can't they'll slowly out number us.
BelligerentGnu
I guess you could say thw wounded karnuq got back by.... Am-Bee-Lance
Blank
Depends on how practical he wants to be, he already intends to go to war so he's not really hunting a sentient species but merely scavenging the battlefield. It's the difference between desicration and murder
Tsorov
I would argue it is the other way around. Since thay were always on the move, they couldn't really care for those who got bigger wounds, since they have no combat ability and they also occupy a few other people if they have to bee carried by other warriors. And yes, stiches have been around for a long time, I would think that in a medieval europe setting they aren't as advanced. On the other hand, they do probably have a god of medicine, so it could fall on either side of the knowledge spectrum.
Durphymcbob
Ehhh, even if they are hostile, i dont htink Belissar would let his bee, eat a thinking species.
Durphymcbob
I mean Stiching is an ancient techneique while yes the neddles propbably wherent sterile back then, but Surgical Suture or stiching up wounds was invented back in like 3000 BC. and even Egyptian mummies have stiches. Plus they have a decidicated Doctor he should have a decent amount of knowledge Healing is something that could have been used alot on their travels.
Blank
True but it's an operation belissar is already undertaking and would pull the sigmaka, a source of aphid dew and dungeon points, away if he left it uncheck. Using the spiderkin as a food source for the butcher bees would help migitate that loss while also allowing the butcher hives an overabundance of resources belissar would not normally be able to acquire. It turns the operation from a complete resource sink to something akin to an exchange of flowers for blood
phantom
Killing them off would cost resources though.
Tsorov
I don't think the Karnuq know about stitching. They are already more on the simpler side of technologie, and they never had any sterile needles and garn to do so. And even if they had it, many things were lost in their journey through the underground pathways.
Blank
With lord starami and his army coming belissar needs every advantage he can get, he can't afford to waste time and resources on pacifying the underway
phantom
So not tower lords. But can we position them to be in the tower lord's way? They will definitely come to blows if they see each other. I'd imagine in fact that the tower lord's forces are a more tempting target. Even better since they are unrelated to his tower the tower lord's forces won't have much evidence they found a path to his tower. And it would also mean people who aren't bees are the ones taking the threat fighting them. How nice.
phantom
Ooh what a fun idea.
Durphymcbob
Thanks for the Chapter! Spiderkin! Hmm Seems like this is a threat that cant be dealt with by bringing them to the negoationing table. Well, at least this will be good training for when the tower lords adventually arrive. The Spiders seem to be more of a species of pure Bandits, nothing more nothing less, they didnt even try to attempt to talk. I think even the Fey will agree that they need to be forced back before they can set up a foothold. And the Medical Lancer! The Am-Bee-Lance! The Speed at which she can fly, and carrying other bees is super useful! she can even carry the injuried Kurnuq away! Thou this Warrior is probably down for the count for a couple of weeks, if the medical bees were not their they would have died, and few meals of medical honey, and some healing potions, along with the the Kurnuq Healer Laaniasiu, The fighter will be able to survive. Hmm, With the new Trapper Soilders who make their own silk a few medical versions of theose might be able to learn to actually stitch up wounds with some stiches with their silk, The Doctor Kurnuq should at least know how to do stiches he should be able to teach the bees how to tend to a injuries Kurnuq.
Black Esper
The kin have some traits of their animal side, right? Then spiderkin should be one of the most dangerous foes to the bee army. 😟🐝
Dudedorey
Silly Spiderkin. Curious how the Fire Mead experiments are going. TFTC
Blank
I hope belissar can see the silver lining with a rabid tribe, more meats for the butcher queen!
