The cocoon hung, perfectly still and quiet but for the whistling of the wind through the holes in the chamber walls. It had hung this way for several hours, but at this moment its stupor was broken. From within, its resident pushed against the thick, warm weave. Each shove extended farther than the last, until finally the fibers began to tear. After the first few threads snapped, the rest was easy, and with a gasp Clotho erupted from the swaddling cocoon. The intake of clear, cold air helped clear her muggy head, and after a few breaths she tore the remaining way out of the cocoon, leaving its smothering embrace behind. She thought of the trial of exiting her Heart as symbolic of the hatching of any creature, bringing something new and great to the world. In this case, Clotho held tucked beneath her arm an egg the size of a melon, a limestone slate in color and with pitted surface. Now able to move and think freely again, the Swarm keeper wasted no time by prepping her wings with a flurry of beats before taking off. Her burden limited her ability to fly, but she was downward-bound anyway.

If the Myrmidons lived in a cavity at the King Tree's base, the Antlions would dwell in underground burrows amongst its roots. The Antlions were built like tanks, just taller than a horse and as wide as a hippopotamus. They were thick, bulbous insects, not terribly unlike termites, but far more evocative of larvae in general. The outstanding feature of the Antlion was its head; four huge mandibles dominates the creature's front side, capable of striking with impressive force, crushing nearly anything before them, or grinding obstacles to dust. Stone, wood, even metal would fall before the voracious pincers. This, combined with thick legs and ultra high-traction feet -courtesy of a vast amount of barbs and hairs on each- made them very effective diggers. In turn, this meant that they'd also be outstanding siege engines, able to burrow through wall and building alike. Mental acuity and magical ability had not been considerations of Clotho; the Antlions were built for sheer physical prowess. A charge by these creatures could overwhelm the enemy defensive line, while an ambush from underground could decimate an unwary foe. This versatility meant that the Antlions, while straightforward in their capabilities, could always be useful.

Scutra met her on the leaf litter, bearing good news and a vial made from a hollowed-out branch. “The observation station is complete, mistress,” he clicked, covering his sensitive bulging left eye with a sickle, “I've tentatively called it the Compound of Eyes, as the structures that display the Macula's vision resemble ommatidia.” Clotho's own eyes, a brilliant yellow with layered pupils, narrowed as if to say 'how clever of you'. Realizing that his master could care less, the imp construct continued. “And, as requested, I have created a growth hormonal serum.” He explained as Clotho seized the vial with her free hand. “All the necessary constituents were in you already; all that I did was reorganize them.”

Clotho set the egg down on the ground uncharacteristically gingerly, as if it were an unstable explosive. Instinctively, Scutra took a few steps back. Without hesitation Clotho put the vial to her lipless mouth and drank. The aim was to incorporate the new concoction into her own repertoire, for use with the Stinger, but there was no easy way to do it. While her internal systems instantly got to work reworking the ingested liquid into a usable toxin, the serum also exhibited some effect on her own form. Spikes all over Clotho's carapace lengthened, and a few new ones formed, particularly on her head, where they stretched sideways into sharp substitutes for eyebrows. A hairlike material that more closely resembled scales emerged from Clotho's cranium in a linear pattern, forming a ridge about two inches tall that would have been a mohawk in a human, stretching from the base of Clotho's skull to the top of her forehead. Additionally, Clotho's pointed feet split in two, becoming both more elevated and more clawlike.

“Everything...satisfactory, mistress?” Scutra ventured to ask. Clotho looked at him as if noticing him for the first time, the blood-red sunlight illuminating her from behind. Her inner pupils were now fiery orange. “The body is an amazing thing,” she sighed, extending the Stinger and examining the new pink liquid seeping from the injector's tip. “Always evolving. This process is going to hurt quite a bit when you eventually craft me a neurotoxin.” She reared back before plunging the Stinger into the egg in front of her. Barely seconds past before the egg burst, the creature inside quickly swelling to huge proportion. In a matter of moments, a fully-grown Antlion stood where the egg had rested a moment before. It was a beautiful thing; against the leaf litter in the poor light it was notably hard to spot despite its size, and its gruesome mandibles gleamed wickedly like metal weapons. “Dig deep, my child,” the Swarm Keeper crooned, running a clawed hand over the edge of one of the Antlion's mandibles as it stood stock-still. “Make a colony. I'll need more of you for what's to come.”

With a guttural shriek the Antlion turned its head toward the ground and began to dig, shifting earth and plant alike in a whirlwind of activity. Seconds later it was gone, burrowing underground, and the dust settled. Clotho turned to face the general direction of Virens, red light now shining on her altered face. To Scutra she declared. “I'm going to visit the city again. Some Macula will follow me; I want eyes in Virens, even after my mission tonight is done. Tell the imps they have a few hours off.”

[hider=Status]
5/5 new creature
Location: Dungeon
Dungeon: Jungle north of Saploya River, N16°W12° An incomplete and unfurnished yet vast hive spanning the length, width, and height of a massive, ancient tree in the jungle. The hive itself is constructed of a magically-created liquid that expands and hardens into a stiff, paperlike substance upon exposure to air. The main body of the hive is suspended by countless support struts that reach for hundreds of feet in every direction. The Dungeon Heart is situated at the very top of the tree. Bugs called Macula infest it, functioning as living security cameras and alarms. Currently has: Dungeon Heart, Myrmidon Spawner. Living Foundry, Apothecary, Macula infestation, Compound of Eyes
Forces: 24 Drone Imps, 59 Myrmidons, 1 Antlion, imp construct Scutra
[/hider]
[u]Compendium:[/u]
Antlion – second creature. Living siege engines. Six feet tall, six feet wide, and sixteen feet long, these huge bugs are sturdily built, with multicolored splotchy shells. They have four huge mandibles on their heads; these mandibles are incredibly dense and possess extraordinary strength, and are used for digging through the earth or tearing apart structures and enemies. The feet have high traction due their barbs and hairs. Physically powerful, but has negligible mental or magical capability. Though big and intimidating, Antlions' slowness and stupidity make them relatively poor fighters in sustained combat (though they can charge fairly quickly). The head, all muscle and no shell, is the weak spot—if you can get past the mandibles.

Clotho (changes italicized) - A low-born human girl called Nona was stung by an insect carrying the soul of a Keeper from an age long past, and the fusion of the two minds made her. A tall, lithe physical fighter that prefers speed to brute strength and is a master of bugs and parasites of all kinds. She is a foot taller than most men, with long arms and legs, and has a [i]rather spiny[/i], chitinous exoskeleton that is a dull brown-maroon in color. Two gossamer rounded wings form into a cloak when not in use. [i]A mohawk of sorts adorns her head, made of a rough, leathery material that resembles scales.[/i] Her favoured weapon is a barbed sabre, which goes in cleanly but is very messy coming out. Using the power from the Biomancers' Guild's amulet, she has improved armour and a needle-like protrusion from her arm called the Stinger. The Stinger is full of corrupted life magic, capable of delivering devious toxins once developed as well as being a potent tool for exerting her will.