Scrambling into Clutches

Scrambling down the stone slope of the first floor's entrance, was a spindly creature. It had a two part segmented main body, the rear being significantly larger. Carrying it above the stone and across the sharp stalagmites, were eight spindly but strong legs. Similarly, eight eyes decorated the front of the forward segment, along with two sharp fings. It was surprisingly small, only a third of a meter from front to back and less than that tall. Before I could examine it too closely however, it was soon followed by another. And then another. The creatures began to pour through the entrance, scrambling across the stone and stalagmites. As I watched, one of the creatures ran right over top of a disguised Rock Skorpion, not noticing until the stinger was already buried inside its body.

Only a few moments later, I watched as the tide of eight-legged creatures was suddenly interrupted by a much larger variant. At almost two meters from front to back, and a meter and a half tall, this eight-legged creature was far larger than the others. I decided that it simply had to be a Giant version of the others. Luckily, at that moment, the creature that had gotten impaled by a Rock Skorpion finally expired as the Skorpion cut into its body again with its pincers.

You have gained the schema for : Cave Spider

Cave Spider

The Cave Spider is a common ambush predator of underground tunnels. With darkly colored webs, it snares creatures in the dark. It will then drop down from its hiding place and inject a powerful venom into its victim, guaranteeing a kill unless the target has a high resistance or immunity to poisons. The Cave Spider is not a large danger to more powerful creatures, but they can still present a threat should a creature prove careless.

Now that I had a name for the creatures, I watched them even more carefully. Finding out they were ambush predators made me far more interested. All the same, I was curious why they had even moved into my dungeon. Unlike the Lashers or Skorpions, they didn't seem to benefit from ambushing in new areas, and instead relied on stationary ambushes. So why were they suddenly in my dungeon...

One of the spiders ran across another of the Rock Skorpions, but noticed it in time. After it dodged every so barely, I watched as the two fangs lunged forward. But they found no purchase, the carapace of the Skorpion proving too thick for the fangs to penetrate. Instead, across the space around the dungeon entrance, Rock Skorpions and even one Stonecloak Lasher were quickly eliminating the spiders. The armored creatures making the spiders limited combat power unable to actually damage them. The Giant version however, was proving much more of a challenge. It was difficult to see on the regular Cave Spiders, but at the end of each leg were small little spikes. However, on this giant one, those spikes were much more obvious, and much more dangerous. As I watched, it lifted one of its legs and slammed the spike straight through the body of a Skorpion that had unfurled to attack it.

Surprised, I watched as the giant spider kept moving quickly away from the entrance. A few moments later, it speared through another Rock Skorpion. Before too long however, it ran across one of the Lashers. The sphere of darkness appeared, and I saw as the spider reared back slightly, surprised by the sudden darkness. Nonetheless, it kept moving forward. When the spiked tendrils struck, one of them deflected off of the hardened exoskeleton. The other two made small, but definitive cuts. The spider immediately changed course and rushed towards the Lashers main body, making a loud and high pitched screeching sound.

It raised its two forward most legs and slammed them forward. When they impacted on the tough stone exterior of the Stonecloak however, they didn't penetrate fully. Instead they merely gouged the stone. The spider reared back as the tendrils lashed at it again, this time all three gouging through the exoskeleton. Ripping its legs free, it used its weight to carry it forward. Slammed forward, its two long and powerful fangs sunk into and barely managed to pierce through the armoring stone. A massive quantity of venom flooded into the Stonecloak, making it shudder horribly. It nonetheless kept slashing at the spider, tearing slashes through its body even while trying to get away. The two kept slamming at each other, spiked tendrils slashing across and through the spiders body. The spiders spiked legs and fangs tearing at the stone armor and even managing to inject another dose of poison.

By the time the poison was starting to slow down the Lasher, making its tendrils move slower and weaker, all of the regular sized spiders had been killed. Their own own fangs and spikes not enough to break through the tough creatures of the first floor. Though a few of them had managed to kill a Stone-Tailed Rat or two. The giant spider was starting to sag as well, the amount of blood and wounds it had lost and sustained making it slowly lose control over itself. I watched as after only a minute or two of combat, the two creatures each were swinging slowly and weakly at each other. The Stonecloak dying of venom, and the spider dying of blood loss and many cuts and slashes. Finally, they both died a minute after.

You have gained the schema for : Giant Cave Spider

Giant Cave Spider

The Giant Cave Spider is a far more powerful threat than the Cave Spider it comes from. It's much larger size gives it formidable weapons in the form of its spiked legs and fangs. While the venom may not be stronger, it is produced in far larger amounts. This makes it difficult to resist the poison for very long, causing even larger creatures to falter and fail.

Seeing it fall, I felt a moment of calm suffuse the dungeon before the feeling of invasion returned. This time, two groups of creatures were quickly, almost desperately making their way into the dungeon at once. Crawling over top of the rock and stalagtites were even more of the Cave Spiders, but among them were new, different looking spiders. Instead of the dark brown and slight amounts of dark green on the Cave Spiders, these new variants were a mottled gray and brown, both colors being extremely dark. Whereas the Cave Spiders were inaffective against the tough armors of the first floor, these new spiders had much less issue. Their fangs were far heavier, and far larger. Capable of crushing through a Rock Skorpions outer carapace. They also outpaced the Cave Spiders with stronger legs, with their forward two sets seeming to be far stronger than their rear two. More than anything, they were larger. Instead of half a meter long, they were a full meter in length.

Flying over top of them, were a number of seemingly large, but in actuality small creatures. With thin and spindly bodies, they stayed in the air with massive and shimmering wings. As they flew over top the spiders below, I could see little motes of something being beat off of their wings and drifting downwards. Their thin bodies were half a meter long and far, far thinner.

The creatures all seemed almost panicked, scrambling away from the exit. Two of the flying creatures actually collided in midair, but managed to recover before hitting the ground. The spiders were quickly being slaughtered by the Rock Skorpions and Lashers again, but the new, darker spiders were proving far stronger. I saw as one of them quickly used their powerful fangs to crush through a Rock Skorpion, and continue its movement away from the entrance. The thin flying creatures were flying easily over top of the first floor, making their way all around the open chamber, seemingly searching for something.

When one of them made their way to the far side of the chamber and found the way to the second floor, I watched as it seemed to pause for a moment before nearly all the other creatures like it began moving towards where it was. The tide of spiders kept pouring into the dungeon for almost twenty seconds straight. They were getting killed quickly, but their sheer numbers were pushing them slowly through the nearby creatures and they were slowly making it across the open chamber. One of the new darker spiders was dragged under the water of the rock pool when it got too close, the Drowner striking far too fast for the spider to have reacted. Moments later, I received the message.

You have gained the schema for : Webdrop Spider

Webdrop Spider

The Webdrop Spider is a particularly terrifying danger when underground. Instead of creating a stationary web, the spider will spin a large net inside of its ceiling lair. It then will drop this net onto a victim passing below. Using its particularly strong forward legs it will then drag its victim upwards, pulling it into its nest. Once the victim is even partially drawn into the nest, the spider uses its powerful cutting fangs to kill it.

I put the knowledge away for later, instead watching as the surge of legs and fangs kept slowly pushing across the first floor. The momentum slowly died out, before it was abruptly stopped. Two Stonecloaks attacked at once, setting down two side by side spheres of darkness and slashing out with their spiked tendrils. Unlike the Giant Cave Spider, none of the spiders in the tide had thick enough exoskeletons to be able to resist the spikes for long. With six tendrils whipping through the darkness and slashing apart spiders, the surging mass of spiders was suddenly and abruptly halted.

The flying creatures were quickly making their way down the second floor tunnels, except that they weren't doing it with much success. They were still able to fly over top of the Rock Skorpions and didn't seem much affected by the darkness. The Lashers on the other hand, in the confined space of the tunnels, they were able to reach. It took only a few moments in the reach of each one of them to bring down one or two of the delicate creatures.

You have gained the schema for : Sporewing Moth

Sporewing Moth

The Sporewing Moth is a weak, and delicate creature. It is unable to fight in any capacity whatsoever. However, they do not need to. They live in a symbiosis with the various Sporeshroom Colonies, making their nests among the spore covered fungi. Their close proximity causes their wings to be constantly dusted with a layer of the fungi's spores, which then will be knocked free as the moth flies, leading them to victims.

Seeing the description of the Moths, I focused far more on the particles being shaken loose as they flew. I could see, as they drifted to the floor, that they were indeed little spores similar to those of my own Bluecaps. By the time the Moths made it to the first Hub however, their number had been drastically reduced from the flock of fluttering wings that they had been. The moment one of the Moths flew into the much more open space, the first one immediately began to fly upwards. Unfortunately for that Moth, that only shoved it harder onto the tail blade of Kyr. Coiled on the tall outcropping near the tunnels entrance, Kyr struck as often as he could, managed to strike two Moths as they fluttered past him. His tail blade easily killing each, but being too slow to get more.

The Moths were beginning to spread throughout the chamber when the dark and hurtling shape of a Giant Bat slammed into one, killing it and flying away with the Moth. Then another, and then another. The twenty-three Moths that had managed to make it to the hub were quickly hunted and killed by the Giant Bats, who were perfectly adjusted to this environment. I ensured that I hadn't missed any of the Moths before I turned my attention back to the spiders on the first floor. Their number was almost entirely gone as well, having spread out and around the two Lashers that had started attacking. The spiders however only ran into more Rock Skorpions and Lashers. The few that made the mistake of going too near the water died quickly as the Drowner lived up to its name.

Before long, they were all dead. Gazing across the first floor, I saw an incredible amount of dead bodies. Spiders were curled up or slashed apart. Rock Skorpions were crushed, poisoned, or had holes punched through their carapaces. There was even two dead Lashers, their armor pierced in multiple places and venom dripping from the holes. It took me only moments to decide that these creatures had been running from something. Stationary ambush predators and moths with nests do not simply move about, let alone in a large group like these had been. Something had gone through areas with many of these creatures, and forced them to flee.

Only moments after I had that thought, a new creature stepped through the entrance, standing atop the small lip of the slope that led to the rest of the first floor. It stood on six legs, split three to a side. Two of the sets were farther towards the front of it's low set, chitinous body. The last set of legs were powerful and more muscled, but towards the rear. Each leg ended in three claws, short and dull, but still well-suited to tearing against vulnerable flesh. The creature had a short, but flexible neck, leading to a heavy, plated head. Two forward facing eyes, and a powerful jaw with sharp ripping teeth. It had a short tail, that whipped quickly behind it. It was slightly less than a meter long, from rear to jaws. It's tail extended that length to a meter and a half. It stood half a meter tall, and it prowled forward with an undeniably predatory gait.

As it crept closer to the edge of the small lip, its claws curled around the edge, and I watched as two more of the same creature slowly moved up beside it, their heads swivelling slightly as they looked about. A moment later, the lead one lifted its head up as far as it could and let out an otherworldly, piercing shriek. The sound warbled and had a staccato pulse to it, before the two next to it took up the same cry. And then more came, and the sound grew as sound carried into the dungeon. A moment later, the creatures leapt down, scrambling as they lost their footing on the loose slope. Nonetheless, they managed to catch themselves and charge down and onto the first floor.

Coming behind them, was a surge of almost identical creatures that made the earlier wave of spiders and moths seem like a small pod of Glowmouths. Their bodies kept flowing through the entrance, dozens and dozens of the creatures. The sheer number of them trying to make their way into the dungeon forced them onto some of the sharp stalagmites, wounding and even killing some of them. When the message came, I read it immediately.

You have gained the schema for : Brood-Host Broodling

Brood-Host Broodling

The Broodling is the staple, and swarming force of the seemingly endless ranks of the Brood-Host. The Brood-Host is a lesser variety of the far more capable Hive. Unlike the Hive, the Brood-Host requires a central mind, the Queen, in order to function. The Broodling's purpose is to swarm and kill, and overrun the Brood-Host's enemies with sheer numbers. While the Broodling is not a powerful creature alone, in numbers they can be a powerful threat.

Reading the description made me absolutely certain that these were what had forced the spiders and moths out from their nests and lairs. A swarm of these creatures would surely have threatened and overrun them. I watched as the Broodlings swarmed forward, their jaws snatching at any creature that came within reach. Rock Skorpions surivived and could endure the swipes of the Broodlings claws as they surged across the first floor, but the jaws were a different matter. Despite this, some Broodlings did begin to die. The stings of Rock Skorpions managing to inject poison and killing the Broodling even after the Skorpions death. But a few dying Broodlings meant nothing to the dozens that were still pouring in.

I watched as the first Lasher attacked, dropping a sphere of darkness directly around itself. It's tendrils flying out and slamming into the nearest Broodlings. I felt a wave of slight relief when the chitin on their bodies didn't prove to be very durable, being easily pierced and cut. When the first Broodling entered the darkness, it was clear that it couldn't see. But despite being blinded and vulnerable to attack, more Broodlings simply swarmed forward. They rushed through the attacks and dark, and began clawing and biting at the Stonecloak. The Stonecloak's armor protected it easily from the claws, but the teeth were beginning to wear through. Before long, a Broodling managed to gnaw through the base of one of the Lashers tendrils. And then another, and then the last. Once the Stonecloak was defenseless, the Broodlings quickly outweighed it and tipped it over, their powerful hind legs helping them push. The moment the Stonecloak tipped over, the Broodlings began ripping and tearing at its soft underside.

Across the first floor, this continually played out, more and more Broodlings flooding across and slamming into and through the creatures of the first floor. Rock Skorpions died quickly but managed to kill some as they went. The Lashers were far more effective, managing to kill dozens before being overpowered and overrun. I watched with growing dismay as the Broodlings just kept coming.

When the Broodlings saw movement beneath the surface of the water, they began leaping into the water, trying to gnash and bite at the movements. It didn't take long before the Drowner began snatching them from the bank and from in the very water itself. Dragging them down and below, deeper and deeper, until they drowned. The Broodlings that were flailing and had jumped into the water began to feel stings and waving tendrils as Lampreys began delivering their paralyzing venom. Leading to some beginning to slow and stop moving drowning as they fell below the surface. The Lampreys began dragging them below, a veritable feast.

I'd been meaning to move the Hunter Lamprey's below to the third floor, but now their presence on the first floor still began paying off. Their larger size and more predatory build making them well suited to dragging their prey below the surface and tearing at them. The waters of the first floor were quickly beginning to run a blackish-red as the incredibly dark blood of the Broodlings began to fill the water. Bodies of Broodlings and Skorpions and Lashers and Rats littered the ground, but the Broodlings just kept surging forward. Farther and farther.

Finally, I saw the number of them continuing to enter the floor begin to dwindle and slow. The swarm evidently coming to an end, but the number already within was great enough to not matter. Hundreds of the creatures had to be inside already, and they were almost finished with massacring everything between them and the second floor. Seeing that the swarm would not be stopped by the first floor, I decided instantly.

Kyr, Leira, the Kobold, The Kerberus Skorpions, and the Armorer Skorpion all perked up when my connection with them grew. And they all immediately began moving towards the top of the second floor, waiting to meet the swarm.