The Bee Dungeon

Chapter 191: Bee-liminary Agreement

Nenavann went through and explained the Circle’s rules one by one. Most of them boiled down to prohibitions on using dungeon monsters to kill or enslave people, or on causing trouble for other dungeon masters, much to Belissar’s relief. The individual rules were largely case by case prohibitions on specific methods.

Belissar raised an eyebrow.

“Dungeon…subjugation? What does that mean?”

Nenavann adopted a slight frown.

“As you well know, a dungeon master can be tightly bound by swearing an oath before their patron god. It is therefore possible for a dungeon master for force another to become their servant, or even relinquish control of their dungeon, by persuading them to swear an oath to that effect.”

Belissar’s eyes widened.

“Ah. That seems…bad. Glad it’s banned…”

Nenavann nodded at that. Soon, they finished reviewing the specific terms of the Circle, at which point Belissar brought up his and the karnuq’s reservations. They told Nenavann about their circumstances and the need to defend themselves. Nenavann nodded along with a thoughtful expression.

“Ah, that is reasonable concern. None of the rest of us have dungeons outside of the land of the fair, and we’ve not had any visitors since the Hunger corrupted the nexus road, so it is true we have not considered outsiders acting as hostile as the ones you’ve encountered.”

“Indeed, the Tower Keeper hopes to maintain cordial diplomatic relations with our neighbors, but not all the peoples we encountered on our journey here will be amenable to such things. If they approach the Tower, it might be necessary for the Tower Keeper to subdue them, or else to exert authority over the area purified by his Tower. Would you count that as a violation of the Circle’s code?”

Nenavann thought for a minute or two, before shaking his head.

“No, we should not. I would like to come up with some modifications to the code to account for those contingencies so as not to ignore it outright, but so long as you stick to the spirit of the Circle we’ll do our best to be flexible and sympathetic to your circumstances.”

He turned and glanced at Tarwantrad before nodding.

“Indeed, you will naturally remain in close contact with at least one of our members given the direct connection that now exists between your dungeons. Just, consult with her and keep her appraised of incidents as best you can, and she can tell you what might be crossing the line.”

Eventually, the group finished up their explanations, questions, and clarifications on the Circle’s terms, and the considerations necessary for Belissar’s circumstances. At this point, Chief Rohsuak gave Belissar a wink and he nodded before turning to Nenavann.

“Ok…so, we’ve talked about what I need to do to join the Circle. So…what will the Circle do for my Tower?”

Tarwantrad and Urubran smiled in the background while Nenavann nodded.

“A fair question. The boons of membership are not as clearly defined as the code, but that is because the primary benefit is community. Members of the Circle welcome one another and have opportunities to interact, this in turn leads to relationships that may result in exchanges of knowledge, products, or even dungeon monsters. We don’t obligate our members to participate, however, so what exact benefits are gained from this depend on what relationships you form with your fellow dungeon masters. One more specific benefit is the right to call for assistance: any member of the Circle who finds themselves unable to deal with a purification or emergency may request the Circle's aid. Within reason, the Circle will not perform your duties as a dungeon master for you, but we also will not let our members fall.”

Belissar furrowed his brow.

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“I see. And…what of the Compact? I was informed they would be grateful for my assistance, but it sounds like that may no longer be the case?”

At that, Nenavann’s face fell.

“That’s…”

Nenavann sighed.

“I am sorry, Tower Keeper. My peers in the Compact have made unfortunate assumptions based on the fact you are a human, as I once did, and are currently gripped with fear as to what you or your people are capable of. It will take them time to accept and deal with you, though I promise I shall do all in my power to convince them of your true character.”

Tarwantrad crossed her arms and huffed.

“Tower Keeper Belissar, by keeping the nexus door open, is reversing the fortunes of the Compact. Don’t you think that might be worth something, something beyond just the community we offer to every dungeon master? Something beyond not faulting him for his mere existence when his generosity and trust are enabling ours?”

Nenavann winced.

“That…is fair.”

Nenavann rubbed his chin for a bit.

“I think it reasonable that the Circle offers additional assistance to shore up a new member who finds themselves in significantly more dangerous circumstances than the rest of us. As such, I will ask each member of the circle to bestow upon you a boon from their dungeons. I myself will offer you three, one as a member of the Circle, one as an apology for my prejudice and the offense I have caused, and the last as an initial reward on behalf of the Compact. As for a more formal arrangement regarding the nexus door and any benefits offered in return, I say we will demand that of the Compact, and I will do all in my power to expedite the discussions regarding it.”

He quickly gave them all a smile when Tarwantrad huffed again.

“Not because I don’t believe we should offer Tower Keeper Belissar more, and soon, but because I believe it is important that the Compact comes to treat with him directly, which means it is necessary to leave the issue at least partially unresolved to motivate them. We wouldn’t want the Compact to think they are off the hook just because the Circle is taking the lead.”

Tarwantrad huffed again but slowly nodded. Nenavann then turned to Belissar and inclined his head.

“Is that acceptable to you, Tower Keeper Belissar? I apologize for the complications and the obstinance we are showing when it is us begging your help. I will do my utmost to see this resolved, and that you are rewarded for the inconvenience as well as your service.”

Belissar crossed his arms and hummed.

“For now. But, as long as this agreement is just with the Circle, no one from the Compact is allowed on my side either, ok? I don’t want to leave a door open to people I don’t know I can trust.”

Nenavann nodded.

“That is fair. Thank you for your patience and understanding, Tower Keeper.”

He made a self-deprecating smile.

“It is humbling that you have shown more grace than we have in all of this.”

Nenavann then drew himself up and adopted a serious expression.

“I, Dungeon Master Nenavann, have observed Tower Keeper Belissar and found no contradictions with the code of the Circle. I approve of his association with the Circle.”

He then turned to Urubran, who just shrugged with a smile.

“You think I’m going to object? Tarwantrad here would strangle me.”

He chuckled as Tarwantrad glared daggers at him before straightening himself as well.

“I, Dungeon Master Urubran, have observed Tower Keeper Belissar and found no contradictions with the code of the Circle. I approve of his association with the Circle.”

Nenavann then turned to Belissar.

“Are you willing to associate with us, Tower Keeper Belissar? To keep to the code of the Circle and use your powers to protect, rather than to destroy or dominate? To work together with your fellow dungeon masters for the good of all and to come to our aid in our moments of need, as we shall do for yours?”

Belissar fell silent for a moment, glancing about with his tower sight. Chief Rohsuak simply smiled at him with that “I want you to decide yourself” look, even though he wasn’t facing her. Tarwantrad was fidgeting about as she waited for his response.

As for his bees…Niobee was sitting atop his head as she had come to do often, keeping her eyes on the three fairies ahead. The soldier bees hovered by his side, getting as close as they could to placing themselves between the two groups without blocking his view. His eyes turned back to Tarwantrad and the flowers she wore. He could see some of his worker bees hovering nearby, curious about the new flowers.

He honestly was having trouble keeping up with all of this. Something like the Compact was scared of him for some reason? This guy from the Circle, Nenavann, was kind of rude at first but suddenly got all apologetic after seeing the Memorial? He was saying something about rewarding him for keeping the door open but not rewarding him so that the Compact would have to? It was all very confusing, and that was before considering that these were supposedly tricky fey.

So, Belissar just put all that aside and focused on himself and his Tower. The Circle wasn’t really asking him to do anything he wasn’t already, save keeping the door open. In exchange, they were offering him a chance to learn from their dungeon masters…as well as to receive boons from their dungeons. And, in Tarwantrad’s case at the very least, that meant more flowers for his bees.

And that was all Belissar needed to know.

“I am, so long as you don’t hurt my bees.”

And so, the Compact’s Circle of Dungeon Masters welcomed a human into their ranks, for the very first time.