As we fly in search of a new place to live, I started thinking about the [Food wax block] and suddenly had an epiphany about my food issues. All this time, I had consumed [Boungain Honey], which was described as honey that is very nutritious. I didn't think much about it last time, but now it seemed to make sense... Hans must have gotten the effect (Well fed) by being fed with this super nutritious honey and managed to keep his food needs "low" because the honey he ate was very nutritious for the body. Now that we won't have more [Boungain Honey], the amount of food Hans would need to sustain himself could increase by an astronomical amount! I had no idea if this nutritive honey was only slightly better than ordinary honey or 3 or even 5x better! If I needed such an absurd amount to keep Hans, I would have no choice but to make honey day and night.
This made me very worried. We still had the [Food wax block] full of honey flakes from [Boungain Honey], but it wouldn't last forever. I needed to find a new source as nutritious as my previous source, or I would need dozens of [workers] to help me in the production of a larger volume of food. I also thought about the idea of going back to the last place. After all, with the [Grand Boungain] around, it seemed like a good place. But I thought it would be naive to count on it. The amount of [Grand Boungain] they had around was few, and they were almost all exhausted. The region also had no other viable food sources, only scattered flowers and in small groups. I had days when I needed to go deep into the forest to get nectar of fruiting and exotic flowers. My idea of the ideal base would be a place protected from the weather, with lots of shade and protection from the wind, with many flowers and no predators in sight. I know this is wanting too much, but I think a bee can dream of a promised land.
While I was distracted by my own thoughts, I was startled by the scream of Hans flying in front of me.
"MOM, HIDE IMMEDIATELY!"
?!??!?
"But what-"
Before I could react, Hans dropped the wax block and flew quickly like lightning to my right. I couldn't see anything but a blur going through my vision until I focused on the region where Hans had flown quickly, and there I could see a strange creature resembling a termite from my world, but it had more eyes and a wooden appearance.
[Status] Name: N/D Species: Wood termite Level: 7 Class: ----- Mana: N/D +information
[Description]
A termite capable of living inside living trees
What the hell?! This guy was 5 levels above Hans, and it seemed to be after trouble!
But why??!!? Were we near his nest? Did he see us as food? Or he just didn't like us? But I think the answer was obvious at that point... Just as I had sent Hans to raise his level and received notifications of his kills, this termite seemed to be doing the same thing. He was just a soldier trying to raise his level and saw us as easy prey.
While the realization of what was happening hit me, I was afraid. Until that moment, I hadn't been the hunted prey. I was just the leader who gave the slaughter orders. Now, being the person who was on the other side of the story, I felt frozen.
I could see Hans flying quickly towards the enemy, and then the strange-looking termite fly towards Hans too with even more speed. In an instant, the two bumped and exchanged slices and bites. I could see Hans grabbing one of the termite's limbs with his fangs and then squeezing with all his strength. It wasn't enough to scratch the termite's limb, but it managed to get a small cry of pain from the termite. In counterattack, the termite punched Hans and then tried to grab Hans's head with his own jaws. But Hans soon detached himself from his enemy and pushed him away. I could see that Hans was hurt from the few blows of the termite, while the attacker himself was barely hurt from Hans's attack.
"PLEASE ESCAPE IMMEDIATELY!"
What the hell was this guy talking about? Run away? Should I just abandon him to die after accepting responsibility for him? Would that be right? I could always have more soldiers, but I am unique...
No!
Damn Bee instincts! The same instincts that once made me protect the little larva that once was Hans were now trying to convince me to abandon him and run away.
"HANS, I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!"
Hans didn't seem to have heard. Now he was in intense combat with the termite. The two had clung to each other with firmness and were fighting a war of attrition from which Hans was very clearly losing. Hans took a look in my direction, and when he saw me standing like a stone suspended in the air, his eyes regaled in surprise. He turned his attention to the termite, and in a mysterious way, began to win the friction fight that he was losing before. With no apparent reason, he had gained a new mysterious force.
Was this the mysterious ability of Hans [Royal Duty]? Wouldn't that mean he would end up (incapacitated) even if he won the fight?! If this happened, he couldn't escape if a group of termites came after his companion.
"HANS!"
The soldier Bee didn't seem to be listening to me. After turning the game against the termite, he started grabbing his limbs and stinging him nonstop like a wasp. In protest, the termite couldn't do anything but make a squealing sound. Soon, Hans, who is already visibly tired, used his two free arms to grab the termite's head and started twisting it backward in an attempt to break his neck or rip his head off. The termite showed resistance but couldn't get rid of Hans' grip. In an instant, the insect's head was twisted in an impossible direction, and then it stopped moving. Hans released its body and dropped it into the forest below us.
[Warning]
Your soldier killed a [Wood Termite], you gained 9 Xp
Before I could even be relieved by Hans' success, I saw him slowly stop moving and soon fall in the same way as the dead termite.
"HANS, NO!"
I tried to fly quickly towards him, but he just fell faster than the speed I could fly.
'MY PRECIOUS BABY!'
When I got to the ground, I couldn't find Hans anywhere, no matter how hard I looked. I ended up getting desperate in the search for Hans. I needed to find him; he is alone, injured, and with the effect (incapacitated). He needed to be protected, or he would be an easy target!
"HANS, WHERE ARE YOU?!?! CAN YOU HEAR ME? PLEASE, HANS, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. If I stopped to grieve, I couldn't look for Hans. I never thought I would feel this way for another living being, as if my chest would explode with worry, and my head crack with anger for the termite that had done this to Hans. But here I was, a bee desperately flying through the bushes in search of a creature that until yesterday, I couldn't force myself to feel any responsibility with.
After a few moments of searching without success, I was already beginning to feel truly desperate. It was no longer the Bee instincts that were boiling in me; it was my own human feelings. I had accepted that Hans was my creation; I was responsible for him. His success was my success; his problems were my problems, and his prosperity was my prosperity. But now I didn't know where he was. I didn't even know if he had died with the fall. All I wanted in that moment was to find him!
When I stopped for a moment, I tried to think of a solution to find Hans. After thinking for a while, I remembered [Maternal Connection]. I could use it to know an approximate location of Hans, so now I could use it as a radar to find him.
When I focused on our bond, I could feel his presence. It was weakened and half numb at the moment, but it was still there! He was alive! When I flew in the direction that [Maternal connection] dictated, I ended up finding Hans in the middle of a lot of dirt and leaves. He looked very bad, really bad. The soldier who once seemed unstoppable and extremely powerful had been reduced to this after a fight against a small insect. This made me remember Hans' words, "I know you think I'm powerful... But I'm not a mother!" and now I understood. That's true. Just because Hans was a monster compared to me doesn't mean that he was a monster to everyone. To the rest of the world, Hans was nothing but a big insect.
"Hans, are you all right? Can you hear me? Give me a sign, please!"
Nothing. Hans was still motionless on the ground. Through our bond, I could feel that his presence was getting weaker and weaker, like a once bright flame that was now extinguished. I refused to accept that Hans was just a dispensable soldier. Hans was my creation! My adorable little hungry larva!
When I finally managed to drag him into a covered hole, I tried to see his status to find out what his problem was.
[Status] Name: Hans Species: Solitary honeybee Level: 2 Class: Soldier Mana: N/D Life: 2.3/10 Str: 4.2 Def: 3 sp: 3.6 Int: 5.2 Wis: 7 + Information
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[Efects]
[incapacitated] - 23:25 Hours
You have passed all the limits of your body, and now it will have consequences.
[Skills] - 6 [Traits] - 2
What the hell! That termite took more than half of Hans' life away, and that (incapacitated) effect is ridiculous! Hans was basically in a coma until tomorrow. If the skill [Royal duty] was something every soldier had, then now I could understand its incredible bonus and ridiculous limitations! The X3 bonus on all status was simply stolen, but the limitations... First, I needed to be present in the battle; this was one of the first limiters, and the (incapacitated) effect that came with using the ability was very dangerous! If there was no one to retrieve the fallen soldiers, their fate would simply be to die during the coma.
Now we were at our worst.
The emergency rations had long been lost somewhere in the forest when Hans had to drop them to protect me quickly. Now I was with a wounded soldier, without food and in an unknown place, and probably in the territory of the termites. If I went out now to start producing food to feed Hans, he would be alone and unprotected. It was very possible that when I returned, I would not find anything, or worse, I would find a creature eating Hans that decided to eat me!
What should I do?!?!
If I left Hans behind, he would die, either by starvation or by the hands of another creature. But if I stayed, I could die with him. While if I left without Hans, I could survive and raise a new soldier later...
SHUT UP!
I won't abandon Hans! These hypocritical Bee instincts... They don't know what it's like to be alone in the world, hurt and desperate with no one to help you in your darkest moments. They don't know what it feels like to be abandoned by your species, left to die alone.
"I promise Hans, either we will come out of this situation as winners, or we will die miserably."
The giant bee didn't react to my words, and I didn't feel anything through the link, which showed me that the effect (incapacitated) went far beyond paralyzing his body. It suspended all his actions, except the most basic ones that kept him alive like breathing and the beating of the heart. It could suspend even the mental link we had. He couldn't eliminate it; it only weakened to such an extent that I could barely feel his presence in my mind.
After I covered the entrance of the small hole with some leaves and some mud from the ground and covered Hans with leaves until he was well packed, I nestled in a corner and tried to sleep a little. I needed to go get food at dawn; my precious reserves were already running out, and Hans hadn't eaten anything since we left our old house.
I couldn't help but blame myself for this situation. Life so far had been relatively easy for me. Work, eat, sleep, and repeat. This had been my routine until now, and when I decided to leave our old house, I never thought that we could be attacked halfway, especially by a termite! If I had created a colony as my instincts told me from the beginning, I would have many soldiers and workers now, and flooding a small termite with numbers would be as easy as breathing. But here I was now, without shelter and without food, and this time I was not alone. There was Hans, who could end up dying through my fault and naivety.
----------------------------------------
After a long time trying to sleep, I finally succeeded. When I woke up, the first thing I did was to see if Hans had improved.
[Status] Name: Hans Species: Solitary honeybee Level: 2 Class: Soldier Mana: N/D Life: 2/10 Str: 4.2 Def: 3 sp: 3.6 Int: 5.2 Wis: 7 +Infomation
[Efects]
[incapacitated] - 16:47 Hours
You have passed all the limits of your body, and now it will have consequences.
[Dying of Hunger] - 23:46 Hours
This individual is starving, and at the end of the timer he will die.
Damn it! The effect of (Dying of Hunger) was activated, but Hans would lose the effect of (incapacitated) before he starved. I would need a lot of food to feed a starving Hans. I couldn't store honey in that hole, so I would need to turn all the nectar I could get directly into honey flakes. And I don't know how this shit system works, but I think the fact that Hans' HP points weren't regenerating wasn't good news. Would I need a healing potion? Or was it one of the characteristics of the (incapacitated) effect? Or did insects just not heal? After all, soldiers and workers are meant to be dispensable units. You don't have to spend precious resources on wounded drones when you can use the same resources to create a new drone...
SHUT UP FOR ONCE!
I needed to find a solution, and I think I know what I could do. There must be plants with healing abilities in this forest somewhere. I couldn't identify them just by looking or analysing, but I could discern their capabilities through [Creating Honey]. I can use the nectar of their flowers to achieve different types of honey with varying effects. Until now, I have never found a plant with healing effects, but for sure, there was a plant that had flowers with healing powers. There had to be!
"I'll be back soon, Hans. Please be well..."
Upon exiting the small hole, I covered the entrance with leaves and more mud, and then turned to the unfamiliar forest, focused on finding a flower that could help Hans regain HP, and nectar enough to create rations for Hans.
Flying through the region, I found trees and plants that I had never seen before, but I didn't care about them. The only thing that interested me were the new flowers with mysterious effects. This could go very wrong. If these flowers were poisonous, I would eventually die. But I needed to find a way to feed and heal Hans. I couldn't leave him to die.
In the way, I found some red flowers that had a smell of pepper. They didn't seem attractive, but I think I am not in a situation where I can judge a book by its cover. When I drank the nectar of the strange flower, I thought my mouth would burn like when eating pepper, but this didn't happen. In fact, the nectar had a strong taste similar to cinnamon and left a warming feeling in the body, as when drinking an alcoholic drink.
[Description]
[Endo Flame's honey]
Made by a low-level bee, this honey concedes the (Heated) effect when consumed
QUALITY: GOOD
Warmed up? Are you kidding me?!
I guess that's what you'd expect from a flower with fire in it. At least I should be grateful it didn't burn my tongue.
Leaving my first disappointment behind, I flew after new possibilities.
[Description]
[Kocelda honey]
Made by a low-level bee, this honey can cause numbness in those who eat it
QUALITY: BAD
[Description]
[Angel of the North honey]
Made by a low-level bee, it can cause hallucinations to those who consume it
QUALITY: GOOD
[Description]
[Monac honey]
Made by a low-level bee, this honey can cause diarrhea if consumed
QUALITY: GOOD
[Description]
[Scarlet Brassite honey]
Made by a low-level bee, this honey can cause internal bleeding if consumed.
QUALITY: BAD
[Description]
[Honey of a saint's tears]
Made by a low-level bee, it can cause the effect (recovery) if consumed.
QUALITY: GOOD
I FOUND IT!!
After so long, hours had already passed. I had even gained 1 more level in [Create Honey] and had gone through flowers with very strange effects, but I finally found it!
Let it serve as a reminder to myself; in this world, it is correct to judge a book by its cover. The flowers of strange or suspicious appearance really had strange and suspicious effects, while this flower of angelic appearance, which looked like a white lily with golden details, really had angelic effects! In this world, the container adapted to the content, so things that seemed suspicious were really suspicious!
While I called myself dumb in my head for simply not having gone in search of an inviting-looking flower since the beginning, I started gathering as much nectar from [Tears of a Saint] as I could, which, in reality, was very little. The plant from which it grew looked like a small stand of roses with thorns that ended in white lilies, but in total, there were only 5 lilies in the whole region around, and I could only get nectar enough to fill about 3/5 of my chest.
After gathering everything I could, I went back to the small hole while using [Maternal Connection] as a compass. I expected to find Hans awake when I arrived since, to me, it seemed that at any moment, the 24 hours would end. I felt completely worn out; I had not been able to gather rations for Hans because I spent all my time going after a flower with regenerative capabilities. If Hans was already awake, I would need to go back and gather more rations so that he would not succumb to (Starving).
When I entered the place, all I found was Hans still passed out and a timer that still needed time to run out.
[Efects]
[incapacitated] - 9:21 Hours
You have passed all the limits of your body, and now it will have consequences.
[Dying of Hunger] - 16:25 Hours
This individual is starving, and at the end of the timer he will die.
"I'm sorry, Hans. I don't know what I'm doing, and I dragged you along with me into this mess..."