POV 1st Danian Queen

The Queen watched as her council gathered. Once more her Master had gone to slumber and right as he did intruders had invaded. They were different from the normal animals that attacked too and she allowed herself a short feeling of pride that she had foreseen this threat. She had prepared her colony as best she could for this day and now her nobles gathered to give her updates.

One stepped forward and clicked his mandibles, asking permission to speak. She waved one of her limbs and he spoke in their language, one consisting of clicks, chirps, buzzing, and pheromones.

“The invaders have arrived my Queen and they are dangerous. They have already breached the fortifications of the mice and are now pouring into the First Floor. Some of our people have begun to engage and managed a few kills but are now pulling back. Some of the creatures spit flame and others that hurl rocks through the air as if with their mind. Others use powerful tools to break through our people’s carapace. The Workers are doing their best to stall while the Nobles attempt to make use of their distractions. The most positive outcome we have witnessed is that the fire does not catch. Our Master’s domain is not so easily set aflame.”

Having fully stated his report the Noble clicked his mandibles one more time to show that he was done before backing away into the circle of other Nobles. The Queen spent a little time thinking over his words to show her appreciation for them. “This is good news.” She said calmly. “We must learn all we can of these invaders. Draw them in and make them overconfident. We have built our colony to be as confusing as possible for outsiders. Let us use it. I must rely on you all to assist in this endeavor.” She watched as the assembled Noble’s clicked their mandibles in the affirmative. She was pleased as the pheromones in the air contained nothing but confidence and determination. “Go forth! For Core and Colony!”

“For Core and Colony!” The assembled Noble’s cried as they turned and began charging down towards the entrance to the nest. The Queen sat back on her wooden platform and felt at the Aether around her. The colony was close to Evolution. She could feel it. She could feel the rising Aether levels, perfectly displaced between every single Danian within her Colony. She did not know the exact parameters, but as Queen, she could feel the full weight of her colony’s Aetheric Accumulation. These invaders would prove to her Master that the Danians were a force to be reckoned with within the Dungeon. If they survived.

POV Warmeister Geckodo

The Warmeister of the Fallen looked on as his warriors destroyed the fortress full of mice. As they stood around two feet tall and weighed almost fifty pounds, it did not surprise him in the least to watch them succeed in slaughtering the mice. What did surprise him was the tenacity of the Dungeon Monsters. They had managed to hold off his warriors for a time and even kill one with rushing tactics while the rest were busy tearing down the walls to get better access.

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Even now the remnant of them tried valiantly to defend a hole in the building that was obviously one of the other entrances into the Dungeon interior. The Aether in the air was palpable and he almost licked his lips at the thought of the increasing nature of it as it flooded into the hole in front of him like waves on the shore. He turned to speak to his scouts, to tell them that they were almost in when he froze. His scouts were still where he had left them, spread out among the floor so that they could keep an eye on the wider area in case of major threats.

Only, it seemed as though the threat had found them first because his scouts were frozen stiff in a rictus of death. One was leaning against a post of the porch like he had fallen asleep while the other was on the ground, his eyes wide open and face a caricature of agony. The Warmeister backed away towards the Dungeon entrance and panned his eyes over the area. A hint of movement caught his eye but all he found was a normal Dungeon monster, one of the beetles, scuttling away into the grass.

The grass. The Warmeister continued to back up and gave a command mentally for his warriors to begin shifting. They would hate the loss of endurance, of course, but they needed to be small enough to enter the main Dungeon. It would also make his job later easier. He continued to pan his gaze over the grass and was rewarded by a flickering tongue. It still took him a moment or two to find the creature. Brilliant green scales and deep golden eyes stared back at him from within the shadowed grass. He felt a probe on his mind and dismissed it, though to his surprise he struggled to do so.

He backed away with a bow toward the magnificent defender and sensed its confusion as it watched his subservience. He could sense its anger at their intrusion and winced at the amount that was directed at him. It couldn’t be helped. The Dungeon needed to know his people were capable, needed to feel the power they had at their disposal despite being Fallen. Geckodo could do little else but follow his plan to the letter. He would see a future for his people no matter what.

With his warriors shifted and inside, the Warmeister did the same, shrinking rapidly and cloaking himself in his alternate hide. Colors brightened and his sense of smell increased. He darted inside the hole and found his warriors gathered barring a few. He sent a mental command and one of his warriors pointed at another Floor’s entrance set in the wall. A few of his warriors had decided to have their own excursion.

He hissed in displeasure but dismissed the fools from his mind. The Dungeon was not a place to go off on an adventure. He would miss those warriors by the time his mission came to fruition but perhaps this was for the best. He spoke-thought another command and the group headed off deeper at a pace far faster than their first form would have been able to. They raced through the space between the walls until they reached a corner. It was here that the Warmeister stopped. The scent of Aether was strongest here. The way deeper was close by. Even as he had the thought, enraged squeaks echoed from the foundation beneath their feet. Mice began to pour out of a hole nearby and engage his warriors. The Warmeister let out a bray-hiss and charged into the fray. It was time to show his warriors why he was the Warmeister.