POV Empowered Danian Queen

The invaders were here. The Queen could sense it through the bond she shared with her master. She had prepared as best she could for this eventuality but her brood had been decimated by the previous attack and then she and her colony had undergone the Ascension process, leaving little time to prepare when she had awoken.

Still, she had done her best, putting her new powers to the test by flooding her children with Aether to speed up their growth. That had required heaps of prey to fuel but the colony had done its best and were now reaping the rewards. They were low on Aether and on food but they had doubled their original number of adults, now in the forties.

There were seven Danian Nobles now, each one large and impressive especially now that they had their own Aether Cores. Sure they were small cores, barely slivers, but they made each ant into conduits of the colony’s might. Now, they would be needed more than ever. She released the awaited pheromones and the colony burst into action. The Nobles bowed before making their way out, followed by three Workers each.

Twenty-eight Danians, each one prepared to lay down their lives for their Master. The Queen felt a flash of irritation at having to stay put but she shook the selfish thought away. Her existence was the very life of the colony and she would do her duty. Her colony would continue to serve and Ascend to reach the dizzying heights her Master occupied.

Instead, she turned her mind to the task of laying more eggs. Regardless of the outcome of the battle the colony needed more Workers and Nobles. She stoked the Aether within her Core and sent waves of the life-giving substance out to her people. Workers moved faster and the eggs were laid quickly. The Queen attempted to put the conflict from her mind even as she sent Aether to her soldiers as well. They would need all the help she could give.

POV Mouse Soldier

Even as the wave of black chitin approached like a black tide, the Mouse Soldier remained unphased. This was an enemy they had faced before and beaten off and according to his new brothers, the Mouse Scouts, they had come in a great army that had also been repelled. Those Mouse Scouts now stood beside him and it was strange to no longer be the highest Ascended mouse.

They were stationed on the outskirts of the serpent guardian’s domain with the scaled one coiled to one side, its mottled green scales blending in with the green stalks around it. The Mouse Soldier traded glances with the snake as they both acknowledged each other. The mouse felt his right paw itch as it gripped his needle, feeling the sudden urge to test himself against the creature. It had two Ascensions under its skin just as he did. Would he still come out on top if they faced each other in battle?

It took a measure of subconscious self-control to turn his attention back to the approaching ants. It was the battle lust inscribed within his stage of Ascension that drove him to seek combat. He wasn’t aware, of course, that Ile’Fen, the High Spirit of Conflict, had designed his Framework. Conflict was inevitable for the mouse guardian, he just wasn’t self aware enough to see it.

Attention back on the ants, the mouse’s dark eyes took in the changes. They also seemed to have Ascended up a stage as they were larger than before with enlarged mandibles and gleaming black chitin with green veins lining the length of them. The mouse took in the changes with equanimity but inside he felt the first stirrings of anxiety. There was a horde of the creatures approaching and there was no guarantee of survival.

Base instincts took over and he stuck his needle in the ground before taking his whiskers in both paws, giving them a good grooming. He didn’t notice the other mice following his example, some even beginning to groom each other’s fur. By the time the mouse guardian had finished, the ants were close enough for a charge but he held off. His lord had already let him know through their bond that he was moving.

He received an affirmative when the ants were close enough that he could see the little pockets of their compound eyes. With a bellow of suppressed bloodlust and stress, the mouse charged into the fray. His first blow pierced right through chitin and into the inner flesh of the lead ant’s head, killing it almost instantly. He still had to dodge the reflexive biting action of its mandibles but that was easily done. The following conflicts were anything but simple.

He quickly fell into a rhythm, his needle rising and falling as the ants piled up against the line of mice and Danians. Out of the corners of his eyes, the mouse could see the snake striking rapidly, consuming ants whole. The ants were swarming the snake but the mouse guardian could do nothing to aid his scaled counterpart. His paws were full trying to keep his kinbeasts alive, the younger mice, who were struggling against the large ants.

Ironically or perhaps justifiably, it was the Danians making the biggest impact on the defense. They were the largest group of defenders and they seemed to move faster and quicker than they should be able to. Moving silently and yet communicating effortlessly in ways he didn’t understand, they were able to pick apart the ants that approached their section. Each slain ant seemed to empower them further and they tore into the invaders with what the mouse could only describe as manic fervor.

There were still too many ants. The defensive line was pushed back as the weight of bodies proved too much. A Mouse Scout fell and the Mouse Soldier leaped forward, beating back the ants for a moment for the scout to recover and retreat. The mouse guardian received a nasty gash for his trouble but his fellow mouse was alive and that was what mattered. They fell back until they were fighting before the very entrance of the Dungeon itself. Ants littered the ground and yet there were still more climbing over their fallen brethren.

The Mouse Soldier felt a strange emotion well up within him at the sight. He didn’t know it, didn’t have the self-awareness to, but it was respect. Here was a worthy battle against worthy opponents who feared neither defeat nor dying. As they closed in he felt his lord’s approval flow through their bond and he saw movement beyond the lines of ants.

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Behind the black tide came orange shapes. A new kind of creature, almost two dozen of them, came bounding out of the greenery to slam into the backs of the ants. Almost immediately the pressure of bodies grew more manageable as ants turned around to deal with the new threat. Letting loose with a tired bass squeak, the Mouse Soldier charged back into the midst. He was followed by the rest of his impromptu war host.

It ended swiftly after that and the mouse was left gulping in great gasps of air, letting the Aether of the fallen seep into his Aether Core. He wasn’t quite to the next stage yet but Aether thrummed powerfully in his veins, letting him know he was getting closer. The strange four-legged creatures with the vibrant skin had dispersed back into the wild land as soon as the battle was finished. It was obvious they were more wild than him and his mice, brought together only by the will of his lord.

The mice and Danians hadn’t escaped unscathed. The battle had been fierce and Danian bodies littered the ground. Only three mice had fallen two from the scouts and one of the younger Mouse Guards. The Mouse Soldier gathered the limp body of his kin in his arms and carried it in solemn procession back to the pedestal of his lord, the scouts doing the same for their fallen. He left the Danians to do whatever they wanted with their fallen.

Laying their burdens down, they watched as their lord answered their requests. The bodies of their comrades faded into motes of Aether that returned to their lord’s embrace. From Aether, they had been created and to Aether, they returned. That would have to be enough. The Mouse Soldier led the living in the ritual of subservience, the ranks of mice kneeling before their lord.

POV Ile’Fen

“Are you satisfied brother?” Ile’Fen asked his brooding sibling. He watched as Qual’Dorn stiffened before letting out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“Yes, yes, I am satisfied. It seems your creations are still superior when it comes to battle.”

“Of course,” Ile’Fen said simply choosing to ignore his brother’s snort of irritation. “Come now brother, you did not truly think that your ants would overcome Valterra’s creatures did you? After all, the majority of them were an entire stage higher on their Paths. And,” He made sure to grab his brother's attention. “While my creations are certainly proving their worth, that one mouse in particular, it was his own creation that decided the battle.”

“Hmm,” Qual’Dorn agreed, though reluctantly by his tone. “His Danians do seem to be effective, aggravating as it is that a child’s creation is superior to my own. Although,” his tone took on a thoughtful air. “I did have a hand in this latest stage so perhaps it would be better to say that I beat myself, hmm?”

Ile’Fen chuckled and then laughed, his merriment brief but genuine. He clapped his brother on the shoulder and pulled him in for a side hug. “Sure, sure, I will let you have that one. Besides, is it not enough that young Valterra will grow from this engagement? Those mice of his are close to their next stage and so is his snake. A short and swift conflict.”

Qual’Dorn’s eyes took on a knowing glint and Ile’Fen sighed, nodding to his brother’s unasked question. “I am fine, brother. My burden is not yet so heavy that I cannot bear it.” No more words needed to be spoken so they both simply watched as Valterra reaped the rewards of this latest conflict. Ile’Fen ignored the constant pull on his nature as it tried to shift his attention North. Ignored the screams and the horror.

POV Valterra Unok’Davaas

Valterra was equal parts frustrated, saddened, and excited. His Sylcyne Mountain Efts had done their job perfectly despite some hiccups. He had meant to include them in the fight much sooner but he had run into a hurdle he hadn’t expected. His power over Aether was somehow limited around invaders as if their Aether provided a shield from his influence. Such a large gathering of invaders provided quite the shield against his influence.

So, he had been forced to summon his reinforcements quite a distance away, comparatively, and it had taken some time before they had arrived. Because of that detail he had lost more creatures that otherwise wouldn’t have died. That fact hurt almost as much as the losses themselves. The only thing that made the loss bearable was that now he had a new Framework.

Black Warden Ant (Unique, Rank F - Copper)

A singular creation of Qual’Dorn, Black Warden Ants were created to be caretakers, cultivating their given territory for greater growth. When its territory is threatened this ant bands together with others of its kind in large groups, surging forth to purge the perceived threat from their lands. Currently Unique, these ants are found nowhere else in the world.

Note: This is a multilayered Framework consisting of separate, internal, Paths of Ascension. Those Paths are Queen, Warden, and Drones. These Paths may be summoned as separate Dungeon Monsters but be warned. Ant 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.

Error! The previous link on this Path of Ascension is locked due to its Framework being scoured from your Core. Carpenter Ant (Mundane) will remain unavailable.

It seemed the consequences of his past experimentation would come into play sooner than he had thought but at least it didn’t prevent him from claiming entirely unrelated Frameworks. From the feeling he got it would seem that if he came across any other forms of Carpenter Ants he would be unable to claim them even if they were further up the Path of Ascension. The Black Warden Ants were only claimable because they were an entirely new creation and Unique in their own right.

Essentially he could claim them for the same reason that the Danians were still available. The Danians were completely different than the Carpenter Ants in form but not necessarily in function. Actually, that was rather confusing. Valterra couldn’t make out why he couldn’t recover the Carpenter Ant Framework. Hummed to himself before giving up that line of thinking. He would figure it out in the future or he wouldn’t.

His attention was quickly claimed by the frantic motions of one of his exploring bugs. While the conflict had seemed long, in reality, it hadn’t taken much time at all, but it had been long enough for one of his bugs to reach the far end of the West wing and it was there that it was going berserk trying to get his attention.

It had found his creator.

It had found the corpse of Calamvor.