Bee furnace (2)

Status Jake Lv.14 (19) free bee

Mp 10+18+0

Strength 1+18+1

Constitution 2+18+5

Speed 3+18+30

Magic ability 0+18+0

Skills:

universal humanoid language, universal monster language, dungeon map, flight, hive connection

Honey production lv.8; hive construction lv.2; bee sting lv.2; bee venom lv.3; poison concoction lv.9; bee furnace lv.1; trap making lv.1

Trap making skill successfully acquired!

With this Jake has the basics for a fight. Navi, shall we test him?

<No need for you to do anything. A while ago the outmost hive wall was spotted by a group of adventurers. They are already planning to get that honey. But now that I'm thinking about it, they might be a tad bit too strong for Jake to win.>

I open the dungeon map and immediately see a bunch of red dots waiting further down the path. Based on their size their are indeed a bit strong for Jake but more importantly, what are they planning for?

<They seem to be studying their map, judging where the hive is and if they can do a pincer attack. Jake only prepared a trap for one direction of the tunnel so the other side is unprotected.>

I take a look at the map and see that indeed, a secondary tunnel leads around the one we are in and makes a pincer attack very possible. Since the adventurers have a map they probably know of this passage.

<What do you think we should do?>

Well, you just pretend like nothing is happening. Tell Jake that some adventurers are coming from the front and he'll be facing them alone. I'll just conveniently retreat down the tunnel and eliminate the other group.

<And what if they decide to go all in from the front?>

Same story for Jake but I'll just go around and pincer attack them. No mater what they do we'll just adapt it to our convenience.

Oh, they are splitting up!

I look up at Jake and see him nervously fly around again. This guy seriously needs to chill out.

"Do I really have to fight them alone? Can't you just stay here for moral support?"

"I'm not here to hold your hand. You need to do this by yourself. Just look at it as an experiment. And don't worry, I'll avenge you if they do manage to kill you."

"That doesn't make me feel better!"

"It's not supposed to. It's supposed to make you angry so you'll succeed and stay alive just to spite me."

Jake refuses to answer me. Instead, he begins to buzz around in agitation as he probably tries to figure out a winning strategy.

I leave him to his nervous brooding and head down the the tunnel in the opposite direction. Looking at the dungeon map, I see that both groups were divided to have roughly the same amount of strength. The group I am about to intercept is hurrying since they have a much larger distance to cover, while the other one is advancing with great caution.

I am up against five opponents. Since they can move that quickly, they are probably lightly geared classes.

I move to where the tunnel meets the secondary tunnel that these adventurers are using. Since they are meant to be a test for Jake, I should be able to take them with ease. Even in a frontal confrontation they shouldn't be my match, but indulging in my power is dangerous. If I stop using my head against easier opponents, I won't be able to use it properly when facing stronger ones. Therefore, commence strategic overkill!

I hide behind the corner where both tunnels intersect and prepare to cast a spell. Should I try not using symbols? Meh, maybe another time.

I begin to channel the symbol for my ground fence spell but modify it once again. Instead of using it to defend myself with a semi circle of spikes. I prepare to have those spikes appear in a line, blocking off the tunnel the adventurers will come from. The mana cost of doing this is greater but the effect should also be better.

I use the dungeon map to keep track of the adventurers' position and when they are about to reach me, I execute the spell!

Mana flows out of me and spikes emerge from the ground without warning. The adventurers have been hurrying all along so the don't have the time to react and come to a full stop.

Two of them, both swordsmen, skid straight into the spikes as they try to stop themselves. They should still be alive but with a spoke embedded deep into their abdominal region, they aren't a threat anymore.

Two others, a shinobi and a scout don't attempt to stop and jump over the spikes with surprising agility. Now, they are in the air, their eyes frantically search for the thing that attacked them.

It's only a matter of time before they spot me, so I might as well give away my position by attacking. I fire two rock needles at each of them. Since they are airborne, their maneuverability is severely restricted and they should have a hard time evading this attack.

The moment I fire the rock needles, I hear a cracking and crashing sound. However, I choose to ignore it for now and keep my attention on the airborne enemies. And for good reason.

The scout spots me the moment I attack and fires his mini crossbow at me moments before he gets hit. Since I kept my attention on my targets. I see him shoot ate and manage to dodge. He gets hit, I don't.

The shinobi on the other hand is trickier. She steps onto nothing but air and easily evades both rock needles. Then, she somersaults backwards and lands with her chain sickles at the ready.

I take the time of her creating some distance to look over to my spike fence, trying to locate the noise from before. There is now a gap in my spike fence because three spikes were shattered. The culprit is a guardian, a higher class of the shield-bearer.

Fully armored and equipped with a tower shield, that steely monstrosity smashed through my spikes like they were toothpicks!