The carpenter ants had been patient, gathering strength and sustenance from the now Aether-rich land but always they probed at the richer land beyond. Over the last few days, their queen had gathered the full might of their colony. They were a young colony and were only a couple hundred ants strong and the loss of almost fifty of their number in the last attack was a terrible loss.
Their simple minds could not comprehend sorrow but they could recognize loss and what it meant for survival. Aether changed the equation. It flickered within them now, within their queen, in amounts they had never experienced before. Those instincts of survival were now a roaring flame and the ants could only obey.
So it was that the ants began marching. Two hundred soldiers and workers departed from their Queen moving in a great black tide that swept from the pillar of wood where their nest was situated and into the new territory. The creatures fighting for territory didn’t pause in their conflict but the tide couldn’t be ignored for long. Some took the opportunity to nab a few ants for snacks, prowling the edges of the invading force without facing it directly.
There were those who sought to keep their territory free of the black menace, those whose dens were situated on a direct route to the Dungeon’s third floor. Those were the first to fall, drowned under the weight of ant bodies and gnawing mandibles. The ants didn’t come away unscathed from these encounters but they didn’t cease their implacable march.
Around thirty had fallen by the time they reached their destination but what awaited them was no simple engagement. What they found was a wall of flesh and chitin in the form of mice and ant-like beings similar to themselves, though larger and more formidable. No sound escaped the ants but the wall was not so reserved. Bass squeaks of challenge rolled from the muzzles of the mice and sharp clacks reverberated from the mandibles of the large insects.
The tide kept moving forward and the wall broke to receive them. The first major engagement in the ant war had begun and neither side was going to give up until the other was annihilated. What the ants had no way of knowing was that the place they were invading was alive and that its gaze was upon them.
POV Valterra Unok’Davaas
Valterra watched as the new Guard Mice he had created threw themselves into the onrushing horde of ants. He had known they were coming for some time as he had taken to watching his territory over the last few days. He had even managed to nab a few Frameworks from their implacable march. He set those aside for a moment as he watched the conflict unfolding before him.
There were twelve mice in total and each of them was raring to go. The benefit of using the Guard Mouse Framework was that they started as adults, fully functional and able to fight. The Danians appeared more reserved only because they didn’t have the vocal cords to make noise. Rather, it was by their grasping hands and clacking mandibles that Valterra could infer that they were furious. He could have delved into their minds to truly understand them but he didn’t want to distract from the battle at hand.
It truly was a battle too. Almost soundless, the ants attacked by biting with their mandibles and then using their legs to pull. Often five or more would latch on at the same time and begin their bloody work. Well in the case of the mice it was bloody but they were the ones in the thick of it. His Danians on the other hand ran support, helping to clear the mice of carpenter ants that had bitten them.
What surprised Valterra was when the Carpenter Ants began to spray some kind of fluid from their abdomens to drive off his Danians and mice. This usually only happened as a last act to keep from dying and many of his mice simply shrugged it off before diving back into the fray. His Danians were worse off but they could deal with it tolerably well.
His Danians were also more intelligent and learned to anticipate the sprays of what Valterra came to learn was acid. He couldn’t help but be excited, despite the danger that these invading ants posed. If these creatures had been what he had formed the Danians from, then it stood to reason that they too would have that acid.
He had to check and so he let his gaze pan over the Framework within his Core, letting his creatures defend him. He found that he had been correct, the Danians did have a similar acid but due to his changes to their base Framework, their mentality had shifted to more physical confrontation rather than utilizing their inborn acid. That would be something he would have to change in the future and if their rising Aether levels were anything to go by he would be able to do it quite soon.
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The tide of ants broke on the wall of flesh and chitin but the ensuing combat threatened to swamp his creatures. To be fair he could just summon more mice but he didn’t want to waste the opportunity before him. While the possibility of his creatures dying was high, they also had the chance to grow in power, reaching thresholds that he thought were some days away. By utilizing this conflict he could expand the power of his creatures and choose new options that he normally wouldn’t have been able to.
It took some time before the carnage settled and the ants retreated. Valterra had gone below to the Fourth Floor to look it over but had kept the conflict above in mind, making sure to keep track of it. If he were honest with himself, it had been hard to watch, especially once his creatures had begun dying. He found the sensation unpleasant, to say the least. Even losing two of his Frameworks didn’t come close.
It wasn’t just the feeling of loss that shook him, akin to losing a part of himself. It was like someone had ripped out potential growth too. The creatures that fell would never Ascend, never fight off intruders again, or mate to produce offspring. So Valterra simply distracted himself with other things. Like a child who had a bad scare but remembered there were other toys to play with.
Eventually, he finished processing his first real sensation of loss as a sapient being, turning his attention toward his creatures that were still alive. As he went up to take a look around he found that almost six of his mice had fallen, the sixth currently gasping for breath as the others looked on.
None of them had come away unscathed. They bore gashes that stained their fur with blood and their heavy breathing was indicative of the effort they had put in to survive. That…and the golden light beginning to radiate out from their fur. Valterra chuckled to himself, even if his cheer was a little forced. It looked like he would be able to achieve some of those other Frameworks sooner than he had thought.
The Danians had taken the brunt of the fighting. Of the Workers and Nobles that had joined the fight only three remained, two nobles and one worker. Almost half of the colony’s adult population had been slain in the fighting and Valterra felt something inside him clench at the sight. That clenching sensation only released when they began to glow as well.
Valterra let out a sigh of relief. Excellent. Excitement began to overtake him, in spite of the pain of loss. What kind of options would he get for his Danians? Eagerly he opened his notifications, making sure to send out a wave of Aether to heal the worst of the wounds. The one dying mouse gained back its breath, its eyes opening wide at the easing of pain.
In the midst of his excitement, Valterra missed the thirty-odd ants retreating in the distance. Ants that were beginning to shine with inner light. As the Dungeon Core grew in power, the ant war was about to reach a new level of conflict that would shake his little territory to its core.
End of Chapter Notifications:
New Frameworks Acquired!
Northern Bumblebee (Mundane)
A native of the far north, this humble insect gathers its food by sipping the nectar from flowering plants in order to create honey which it uses to feed itself and its colony mates. A typical hive structure can contain a colony of anywhere from 50 to 600 adults centered around a queen who continues the species. Far from being aggressive, this insect would rather live in peace but is capable of a nasty sting if threatened.
Note: This is a multilayered Framework consisting of separate, internal, Paths of Ascension. Those Paths are Queen, Worker, and Drone. These Paths may be summoned as separate Dungeon Monsters but be warned. Bee monsters made in such a way will see themselves as belonging to another colony and will fight to the death.
As the first Dungeon to use such a creature as a Dungeon Monster, you will be able to create and modify its Path of Ascension freely.
Warning! May have unforeseen consequences.
Sylcyne Mountain Eft (Rank F - Copper)
The juvenile form of a Mountain Newt, this amphibian is fully terrestrial. Due to its amphibious nature, it seeks out damp places to hunt and live. Having come down from the mountainous region of the Sylcyne Forest it is already adapted to cold weather and colder running water. This Eft secretes a mild toxin that can be deadly in high doses and is brightly colored to advertise the fact.
Sylcyne Slug (Rank F - Copper)
A common sight in the Sylcyne forest, this kind of slug has to survive the harsh winters and even harsher predation. Providentially, this stage of the slug’s Path of Ascension includes a defensive mechanism. This defense takes the form of an acidic mucus which it coats itself in, making it unappetizing to other creatures. This focus on defense makes it hard for these creatures to Ascend further, however.