POV Valterra Unok’Davaas
Valterra watched with glee as his pod of Great Tidal Whales began their journey toward the invaders. They were a ways off yet but the invaders were almost three quarters of the way across on their bridges and more and more of them were clustering on the bridge ready for the final segments to be placed so that they could cross in safety.
He smirked. Their desire to delve deeper would be their downfall. With growing expectations he watched the two forces converge, one static and one moving. It was the bearded one who noticed something first as the water was sucked away from the farthest wall, exposing the Aether-Grass and the shiny backs of some of his insects. He was able to let out one warning shout before the pod arrived.
A massive wave slammed into the wall and geysered upward, causing a great number of the invaders to topple over into the water. From there the fight became completely one sided. The massive forms of his whales battled to consume as many as possible. Out of the twenty who fell into the water, one made it to shore, climbing the stairs at a rapid pace to escape the churning waters. Turning his eye upon the bridge, Valterra was frustrated to find that the bearded one had managed to save his team and another twenty-seven by encasing their legs in stone right before the wave hit. He continued watching as they started moving.
POV Cormac Torgir
There was a whole pod. Cormac cursed even as he rid his people of his working, allowing them to move freely again. He looked down at the frothing waters and the lone survivor before moving quickly to the end of the bridge. He breathed deeply, inhaling Aether before speaking in a low voice that brought forth images of deep places under the earth, the chip of chisels, and the sounds of hammers striking. “Bridge of the Deep”
The rock of the Dungeon exploded into motion under his hands and he bore the strain as Aether was sucked out of him. He hadn’t wanted to use his Legacy Working in this way but he was left with no choice. He didn’t know if the whales were able to repeat what they had done but his team had to cross now before those monsters came up with another way to knock them into the water.
Under his hands and through his words a bridge of black Dungeon stone expanded outwards, crossing the last section left before uniting with the basement stairs that twisted upwards. “Move, people! Get across now while we still can! Once you’re on the stairs keep moving upward and away from the water.” As he rose he motioned to his team and they hurried across, occasionally casting glances down at the frothing water below that was now settling a little as the whales finished their feeding frenzy.
Cormac couldn’t shake the feeling that they were watching his group escape and weren’t pleased by the fact. He breathed easier once they reached the stairs leading upwards and he got his people moving. They needed to, to keep their minds from dwelling on the catastrophe that had just taken place. He found what he needed just around the bend. A fortress teaming with mice. He didn’t even have to say anything. As soon as the fortress came into sight his people went berserk, their former fear being fuelled into helpless rage against enemies their own size.
With a motion, he held his team back as the rest of the group rushed forward to do battle. A hand gesture was all that was needed to communicate that this was where they were splitting off. His group faded into the background and moved deeper into the floor even as their kin threw themselves into battle.
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POV Drake Brothers
The three brothers walked side by side along the narrow section of stone that characterized the floor of the massive hall they were in. They knew it to be, in truth, the space between the inner wooden wall and the outer stone wall of the structure they were in. That did nothing to detract from the fact that once inside and walking along it the whole aesthetic was almost like an unimaginably long hallway with a great vaulted ceiling.
So far their search for alternative ways deeper had ended in failure but they were still optimistic. The occasional mouse attack helped to keep them sharp and gave them a little Aetheric boost from each death. As they continued down the hall the eldest among them stopped and breathed in deeply.
“What is it Jaak?” Halaak asked. He was the youngest and prone to curiosity and bouts of maniacal flame both.
Jaak breathed in again and turned to his brothers, a large toothy smile on his face. “I’ve got something. It’s just a whiff but I think there is an entrance to a higher floor nearby.”
“Then let's get to it. I’m tired of walking around. I need to fight something.” Siirnaak said, stretching his powerful limbs out. He made to move forward but froze when cries of pain and terror rang out from behind. The Salamanders that had been following them scattered as a pack of large mantis monsters struck from the shadows. The ambush claimed quite a few lives as there were almost ten of the big bugs, including a truly massive specimen with a green and black carapace. It had killed three of the Salamanders on its own and now turned to glare at the Lesser Drakes with fury burning in its multifaceted eyes.
The brothers only needed to look at each other once before grinning and entering combat.
POV Valterra Unok’Davaas
Valterra looked on in anxiety as his Pack-Leader Mantis engaged the invaders in combat. He didn’t want to lose his new creation but recognized that he could make more if he needed to. Once the creature evolved for the first time he had access to the higher evolution. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try and help out. Further down the wall and well outside the invader's influence, he summoned three Fomorian Stalkers and commanded them to engage with the fiery invaders. It took a lot of Aether to do so but not nearly as much as summoning the pod of whales had. With an eerie shriek, they leaped forward to do his bidding.
To say they were interesting creatures would be an understatement. They ran lightly, their lithe wolfen forms were quick and sure. They blended with the shadows and seemed to flicker between them without effort. They were also slightly humorous. He knew from the Schema that they were supposed to be around 4 feet tall and if they still were he had no doubt they would be terrifying. They still were but there was only so much terror they could inspire when only two inches tall.
He moved on. Hopefully, they would get there in time to save his mantis but either way he figured three rares would do the job. In the meantime, he headed back to the Sixth Floor. His Mouse Captain was still climbing and Valterra figured that he would do some peace making between his First Guardian and his Wyvres. After all, they were his final line of defense at the moment. They had no time to be fighting amongst themselves.
POV Warmeister Geckodo
The Warmeister stared across the black waters of the basement, stunned at the ferocity of the creatures there. He had seen the wave and seen it smash into the small folk. Even his usually fearless, bloodthirsty warriors seemed cowed by the display. He was glad now that he had stopped his warriors from trying to swim the distance. Even in their larger forms they would have been hard pressed to make it before being attacked.
However, even as he stared across the waters, something subtle reverberated through the Dungeon. He froze and heightened his senses as far as it could go. Three divine signatures had been summoned. They were faint and fading rapidly as they headed away but it wasn’t that fact that had the Warmeister frozen in shock. It was that he recognized the signature. ‘Those meddling gods!’ He growled mentally. ‘So quick to move on as if we are already ended.’
Marshaling his will he turned to his warriors and commanded them back up. He led the pack, tearing through the Dungeon in the direction of the three signatures. He would show the gods and the Dungeon that his people were not some template to be thrown around.