Chapter 393: Bee-ting Claws into Plows |
Belissar met with Auschias and introduced him to some of the silver and green elves.
“We appreciate the food, Tower Keeper. It seems you have a plan for us?”
Belissar nodded.
“The green elves will help turn this room into a farm, the bees and the karnuq are going to help you build some buildings. Could you have everyone help? The elves are going to help us set up but we’ll need your people to work a farm this big.”
Auschias saluted.
“Understood, Tower Keeper.”
Auschias began organizing the captives, taking them off to the side of the room where the silver elves were unloading and preparing the food. In the meantime, the green elves got to work. Tarwantrad took the lead, looked back over at Belissar, and then smiled.
“Belissar, watch this! Ah, actually, you should call Frelis! I think she’d like to see this!”
Belissar did so and Frelis soon arrived. Once she did, Tarwantrad started the work.
From there, Ground mages took over and organized the soil into neat rows of trenches ready for planting. Ground and Nature mages then analyzed the soil together, casting spells that made the soil glow green on occasion.
Frelis zipped around Tarwantrad at max speed.
“Can make flowers move?!”
Tarwantrad had quite the proud smile on her face.
“Yep! It’s a common lesson for flora druids, especially those that expect to fight!”
Frelis’ dance picked up speed…until she saw the piles of flowers that had removed themselves from the ground.
“But…flowers hurt?”
Tarwantrad’s smile lost a bit of enthusiasm.
“Yes, but such is the fate of flowers. They exist for a purpose and when it is fulfilled they wilt as quickly as they bloom. The beauty is in what they provide in their short lives, and how they pave the way for the next generation. That is what we are doing with them now, though we are accelerating the cycle.”
Frelis hovered in place for a bit before starting a slow dance.
“Like workers for hive?”
Tarwantrad thought for a moment before replying.
“I would liken them more to drones, but yes.”
Frelis then danced a salute.
“Ok, will help.”
Tarwantrad smiled and led Frelis to the next part of the meadow, explaining how she was moving the flowers as she started the work over again. Belissar watched quietly as they talked, but soon his attention was drawn elsewhere.
The fair folk were helping them set up the farm, but it would ultimately be the former Tower Guards who would cultivate it. Belissar would help them along with the other residents of the Tower, but ultimately Belissar couldn’t take care of a group as large as the captive Tower Guards without putting them to work for their own food. So, now that a field was ready for planting, the green elves would show the Tower Guards how to sow the seeds.
Which led him to the current moment, where the Tower Guards watched the approaching green elves with frowns and suspicious glances. The green elves were equally wary, so the work hadn’t started yet. Belissar decided to try and help…somehow.
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He walked between the two groups, having his soldier bee escorts fly a bit higher so as to remain close without blocking him off.
“Auschias, could you send us a group to help? The green elves are going to teach you all how to plant the crops.”
Auschias gathered a group and personally led them forward. Belissar turned and gave a nod to the green elves, who also seemed more at ease now that his soldier bee escort was hovering overhead. Belissar watched over the group as the former Tower Guards came close to the green elves, who handed them sacks of seeds. Soon, a small group of Tower Guards were working side by side with the elves.
The groups worked mostly in silence, neither comfortable with the other yet, but no major incidents occurred. Auschias brought more groups as the green elves prepared more fields, and soon the entire room was in motion.
In the meantime, Belissar’s own people got to work as well. Some of the gardener bees had followed Frelis to the room, these started to help the elves and humans plant seeds in the fields, and even helped to move some seeds that landed too close, or in poor positions. Meanwhile, the karnuq and the Third of the Third arrived with stone, wax, and lumber and started to assemble structures to house the Tower Guards. They would have to live in larger barracks for now, given how many of them there were, but they’d at least be more comfortable than sleeping out in the open.
The Third of the Third’s new fortifying monster bee hive vastly sped up the work. Her propolis could now bind both stone and wood together, or could even be mixed with the dirt to turn it into a kind of stone, which she used to build solid foundations for the larger structures. Moreover, her construction team had become more coordinated than ever before. Bees carried materials precisely where they needed to go at the exact times they were needed for the next phase of the construction. Even bees that weren’t part of her hive, like some of the bumblebee soldiers she had asked to help, seemed to know exactly what they needed to do to support the effort. Karnuq laborers found the next plank of wood delivered to their hands as soon as they had finished placing the previous. Several barracks seemed to grow out of the ground, each nearly identical to the others.
It did not take long before the Tower itself acknowledged all of their efforts.
A room is about to shift natures.
Farm is now available.
Change Flower Meadow (1F) to Farm? Please allow wildflowers to cover the fields to restore room to original nature.
Belissar smiled.
“Everyone, the room is about to change into a Farm. Auschias, could you let everyone know so they don’t get surprised?”
Once the captives were all aware of the impending change, Belissar confirmed it. The changes were subtle since more than half the room had already been converted, but the remaining flower meadow gave way to organized fields. Belissar could see a bit of mana now flowing through the ground with his Tower sight. He focused on the room to see its description.
Farm
Type: Resource, Settlement
Innate Features: Crop Fields
Mana Upkeep: 10
Description: A farm for growing crops. Crop Field features allow for accelerated growth and harvest, but are not suitable for growing magical plants without significant fertilization. Excellent for resource production, but a poor environment for most monsters.
Belissar nodded along. It was a simple room, but exactly what he needed. One of the barracks even got some simple furniture and a set of simple farming tools. The fields not being able to grow magical plants was a bit disappointing and meant the room wouldn’t be a great foraging place for his monster bees, but at the end of the day this was just a place to grow a lot of food for the humans he was now responsible for. It would do the job…and it might provide a place for some mundane bees, too. Most of Tarwantrad’s bees weren’t monsters to begin with, after all…
“I can’t believe this. I am a champion of the gods, not a peasant!”
Germistis was working with one of the groups. He raised his eyebrow his co-worker, one of the Tower Guards who had only surrendered after Lord Starami fell.
“Would you prefer to be monster food? Or handed over to the fey?”
Soltiotis joined Germistis and muttered to their complaining coworker.
“The strong do what they wish, the weak suffer what they must. Such is the way of dragons, or so we were told.”
The third Tower Guard scoffed.
“Speak for yourself, oathbreaker. I still have my blessing.”
Soltiotis gave the Tower Guard a pointed look.
“And yet, you are still here.”
The Tower Guard scowled, but he stiffened as a patrol of monster bees flew over them. He returned to his work, grumbling under his breath now.
Germistis ignored him, instead turning to another co-worker, Falagis. He gave the man a pat on the shoulder, Falagis had shuddered when the bees flew overhead.
“It’s not real…it’s not real…”
Soltiotis raised an eyebrow.
“He’s not in good shape.”
Germistis sighed.
“He’s clearly traumatized and he’s been in captivity a lot longer than us. At least he’s moving, maybe the work will help.”
Soltiotis frowned.
“That’s…not good. If he ended up like that in the Tower Keeper’s custody…”
Germistis shook his head.
“Guardsman Hirkolos and Augur Sehfitis didn’t. Look, we’ve already made our choice and the God of Light approves of the Tower Keeper. Let’s just cooperate and see how this goes for now. The Tower Keeper at least fed us, didn’t he?”
Beroura piped up and joined the conversation.
“And he’s apparently building us homes over there. We never did that for anyone who attacked us.”
Soltiotis furrowed his brow.
“That’s true…I suppose.”
The former Tower Guards settled into silence as they focused back on the work. All of them fell into thought at what they had seen…and what that might mean for their eventual fates…
