Tarwantrad bid him farewell and set off to speak with whoever it was on the other end. A few hours passed and it was close to midday when Tarwantrad finally returned, with two others in tow.
Now standing in Belissar’s Tower were the two most beautiful men he had ever seen. He didn’t know it was even possible for men to be beautiful like that, but there they were, the mana of the Fairy Grove wrapping around them as it had with Tarwantrad. Fortunately, he was a bit more prepared for it after meeting her so he managed not to gape at them. One of them was dressed in blue robes adorned with seashells and pearls and had a stern expression. He had even tanner skin than Tarwantrad with golden hair woven into a single braid. The other had lighter skin and black hair, and was dressed in a tunic, jacket, and pants dyed in various and bright shades of yellow, orange, and red. He also had a bird of prey with bright red feathers on his left shoulder, glancing about.
The man in blue robes stepped forward first.
“I, Dungeon Master Nenavann, swear before my patron the God of Water. I will do no harm to this dungeon, its master, or its residents so long as they do not intend to do me harm. I will use no knowledge gained here today against them, nor repeat it for others to do so.”
The man in colorful clothes was next.
“I, Dungeon Master Urubran, swear before my patron the God of Fire…”
Belissar was about to speak as he finished, but then Tarwantrad stepped forward.
“I, Dungeon Master Tarwantrad, swear before my patron the God of Flowers…”
He blinked in surprise as he realized he hadn’t considered that Tarwantrad should probably swear the oath as well. She gave him a wink, and then he shook his head and said his part.
“You are right. I apologize for my implications about your people and your relationship with the Tower Keeper here.”
Chief Rohsuak remained silent and turned to look at Belissar. Belissar frowned. It seemed she leaving the response to him…especially since she smiled as he realized that. Belissar frowned and crossed his arms.
“First question, then. Does the Circle have any rules against people like the karnuq?”
Nenavann visibly winced at that and hung his head.
“No, nothing of the sort. It is our core tenant that all life has value and is worthy of respect.”
Belissar watched him for a moment before glancing at the others. He was still debating whether he should just stop things here, but decided to continue on given his earlier interactions with Tarwantrad.
“…ok, let’s continue then. Just…don’t insult the karnuq again, please.”
Nenavann nodded and adopted a thoughtful expression. Tarwantrad gave Belissar a smile and a nod, while Urubran was looking at Chief Rohsuak with a smile of his own. Belissar sighed and then turned to lead the group further in.
The tour of the Fairy Grove went quickly, since Belissar didn’t have much in this room to begin with. He then led them into the first floor Flower Meadow. Tarwantrad had informed him that it was not necessary to show them every single part of his Tower, just a solid representation of it. As such, he moved the Lava Field out of the way, hoping to keep at least some of his defenses under wraps, and went right to the battle meadow. The dungeon masters looked up at the soldier bee army in the sky and the flowers across the field. Urubran turned to Tarwantrad with a smirk.
“I think I know why you wanted to nominate this dungeon for the circle.”
“Says the one who can’t keep his eyes off the fire lady.”
Nenavann, for his part, walked along in silence, keeping the same thoughtful expression as he glanced around the dungeon. Belissar frowned, for Tarwantrad had told him there were going to be a bunch of questions. Yet, Nenavann had not spoken since the beginning, and Urubran seemed content just to observe.
Eventually, they came to the end of the Flower Meadow, where the two Bee Barracks and the Memorial stood. Nenavann came to a stop right in front of the Memorial, and finally broke his silence.
“Tower Keeper…what is this?”
Belissar raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the Memorial, and saw strange, curved symbols appearing by each of the entries.
“The Memorial, where we bury the bees that gave their lives.”
Nenavann’s eyes widened slightly.
“So…this Queen 1, Dynasty 1, Spawner 1 is referring to…a bee monster spawned by your dungeon? You built a memorial for them…and list each that have fallen?”
Belissar nodded his head with a solemn expression.
“She was the first, and she died because of my mistakes. Most of them did.”
He felt Niobee immediately begin to stir, ready to object, so he quickly reached up to brush her back.
“I know, though, that they don’t regret it, and that they want to protect the Tower. So, I just try to do the best I can and remember those that sacrificed to defend us.”
Nenavann frowned and took a deep breath.
“I have seen enough.”
He turned to Belissar, a frown still on his face. And then he bowed his head.
“I must apologize to you, Tower Keeper Belissar. I have let my past experiences with your people blind me and assumed that you were someone you are clearly not. I have not treated you, nor your sworn defenders, with the respect that the Circle seeks to promote.”