For a moment Clotho stood totally still, her chitinous face frozen between an expression of contempt and one of shock. Indignation seized hold of her; how [i]dare[/i] the foolish humans attempt to hurt her, a Keeper, in her own Dungeon! A second later, though, she recovered from her rush of pride and turned away from Scutra, mind racing. Though by now the Living Foundry was definitely in production, it couldn't have possibly produced arms enough for her entire Myrmidon battalion. Still, an organized assault upon the invaders would still be effective. With no telepathic abilities, she'd have to lead the defense from the front lines. Despite the answers her quick mind accumulated, there remained several questions How many foes were there? What weapons were they employing? How closely were they grouped? She opened her mouth to interview Scutra, who attentively perked up to respond. He was disappointed when Clotho's wings stretched out instead and she shot through the roof into the chilly, thin air.

Spurred on by suppressed anger, Clotho made haste to the base of the King Tree. Long before she arrived, however, a deep orange glow evoked in her a feeling of dread. Arriving on the scene, around a hundred feet above the nearest tree, she confirmed the worst: the invaders were burning her Dungeon. Unhelpful ideas of how to prevent future scenarios like this flitted through her mind as she mentally cobbled together a plan. From her birds-eye view she got a good look at her enemies. Two distinct themes stood out to her: the somber, green-tinged robes of the Biomancers, and the dark armor and orange trimmings of the Virens city guard. A few other individuals completed the group, which she estimated to be a couple dozen. At the moment the magicians were at the forefront, summoning the easiest of elemental magics to set the hive material and wood ablaze. With no foes yet to fight, the others more or less stood idly by, though some (a goatee-sporting young man in particular) took up the task of encouraging the firebrands with vehement words. Clotho knew she would have to act immediately to momentarily stall the posse and halt the spread of the fire. At the moment the inferno was containable, limited to a few bunches of plants and hive support strands, but given just a few moments more it would proliferate itself across the entire southern side of the hive. Clotho drew her rapier and zipped forward.

She targeted the biomancers first. Flying overhead, she performed a sort of bombing run, raining down gooey liquid hive material from above to ensnare the magicians. Guessing that those she didn't drench would rush to free those she did, the Swarm Keeper then concentrated on the support strands. Darting from one to another, she severed the strands above where the fire had spread with powerful kicks and broad swathes with her blade. She made quick work of it—in less than fifteen seconds, the burning supports were cut and lying limp upon the soggy, mud-rich leaf litter that blanketed the ground beneath the King Tree's shady canopy. With the fire contained for the moment, Clotho sped toward the tree, buzzing at high pitch and remarkable volume. The imps were too spread apart to be of much use, but the Myrmidons' nest lay conveniently close. Upon reaching the nest, her alarm buzz alerted the Myrmidons, who fairly exploded from the burrow's entrance to reach her as quickly as possible. Clotho took momentary pride in the spectacle: the Myrmidons were a fearsome, splendid bunch, especially for a level-one creature. Roughly a third of them had shields and about half wielded spears, some with both and some with one or the other. Clotho barked out her orders. “Form a defensive line. Split up those of you with shields and spears. Shields in the front, row of spears behind to poke through. Watch the air for fire magic and the ground for any unusual plant growth. Those without equipment, divide into two groups. One will support the others, hiding behind the shield line to break out when in melee range. The rest of our, circle through the undergrowth to cut off our enemies' escape.” By this time, six imps had appeared. Clotho spared a moment to give them a broad command as well. “Imps, use your goo to quench any fires that begin. If faced by an enemy, retreat. Attempt to slow them down with goo if feasible.” The Swarm Keeper tapped her rapier upon her own carapace twice, making a loud clicking noise. “Now move.”

It didn't take long for the humans to recover from the gooey barrage. The failed to identify where their attacker came from or was or even who it was thanks to Clotho's speed, so instead of spending time hunting the new threat down they immediately resumed setting fire to nearby foliage and Dungeon supports. When the defensive line of Myrmidons appeared, however, they quickly ceased their arson to form a strategy of their own. They had hardly come here expecting to engage an enemy like this. As the Myrmidons approached, the magicians hurled volley after volley of fireballs at them, which for the most part splattered harmlessly against the monsters' huge shields. Some biomancers attempted to conjure up magic-infused plants, giant thorny tendrils and carnivorous maws, but the Myrmidons were quick to cut down any sudden growth before it could take root. Given extra minutes to prepare, the supernatural flora of the biomancers would have given them an advantage, but faced with a surprise counterattack the best they could manage were tripping roots and spiny burrs that failed to penetrate the Myrmidons' shells. Slowly and steadily, the ant soldiers, like the inexorable rising tide, closed in on the humans. Two adept crossbowmen succeeded in bringing down one shield-holding Myrmidon and the spear-wielder that had been behind it, but most of their bolts simply lodged in the chitin shields. As they realized their motley crew stood little chance against the organized defenses, they broke into a disorderly retreat.

Their flight came to an end when the Myrmidons sent by Clotho to flank the troop burst from the dense underbrush, tearing into the men with brutal claws and mandibles. What had once been a courageous endeavor to exact revenge for lost property and lost comrades deteriorated into a bloodbath in the matter of minutes. Only one biomancer stood his ground, a tall and dignified man who brazenly wore cornrows and a pointed goatee rather than the stereotypical baldness and beard of a learned sorcerer. The man had hitched up his robe and deftly climbed into the crook of a tree, where even the reach of the Myrmidon's spears proved ineffective. His last stand came to an end, however, when Clotho alighted on a branch next to him, rapier drawn. Seeing that he was cornered, the man threw up his hands and issued an almost comical sigh. “Damn, thought I mighta gotten away for a sec' there.” Clotho exposed her pointy teeth in a ghastly grin and leveled her rapier at her opponent's chest.

“No survivors.”

The man cupped his goatee in a callused hand, scrutinizing his soon-to-be-killer thoroughly. “Y'know, you look kinda familiar. The whole bug deal's new, but still...anyhow, wouldja hurry up and kill me already?” Clotho froze; something stirred inside her. A memory. She knew this man too. Silent seconds ticked by as yellow eyes bored into black, until Clotho chambered her rapier in preparation to strike. The man didn't flinch, but did smile as Clotho put the weapon away.

“Looks like it might be my lucky day after...ah!” His jubilation was cut short as Clotho delivered a shelled right hook to his jaw, knocking him out in one punch. She shoved him from the tree down to the Myrmidons with a foot.

“Don't rough him up too badly. He might have something I need.”

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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. Currently has: Dungeon Heart, Myrmidon Spawner. Living Foundry, Apothecary
Forces: 24 Drone Imps, 50 Myrmidons, imp construct Scutra
[/hider]