Chrysalis

"Ensure you hit your targets, here, here and here. With these junctions secured, the digging teams will be able to move relatively unhindered. That's where the difficulty comes in. You'll need to make sure that the crossroads remains blocked and sweep out spawning monsters at the same time. I know that's going to be hard, but we can't spare the antpower to send another team. The diggers will help you, all you have to do is -"

The nameless one allowed the words to wash over her as she focused her mind. This was a difficult infiltration, but nothing she hadn't done before. She knew from experience however that a lapse in concentration would be fatal, exposing her cover for all to see and forcing her to retreat, her prey alerted to her presence. Not that they didn't already know she was after them, that much was already clear.

Down below was the Dungeon Map, created in the central planning hub of the general caste. She was stuck to the roof, her claws like steel traps that wouldn’t allow even a speck of dust to leak from her iron grip, overlooking Sloan as the general discussed plans for securing sections of the Dungeon for construction. Except there was a problem. She wasn't sure what it was that rubbed her senses the wrong way, but every instinct in her body was telling her something was deeply wrong.

Beneath her, Sloan waved away the general she'd been talking to and returned to perusing the map, discussing a few points with a carver representative, hammering out the finer details of their plans. Looking down at her, the nameless one saw no sign of tension or stress to indicate that this individual was planning to breach her sleeping obligations. To all intents and purposes, Sloan had the appearance of an ant coming to the end of her workday and wrapping things up so she could find a sleep chamber and enter torpor.

Could the shadow be wrong?

The nameless one drew the shadows deeper around and pulled her body flat against the ceiling. It was impossible for the shadow to be wrong, she had to push all such thoughts out of her head. So the shadow was right, a breach was happening, then what was it about Sloan that bothered her so? She focused her eyes and homed in on every detail of the general, every movement, every little tic and shift of weight, every change in her scent. No detail was too small to escape her notice, there was nowhere to hide from the eyes of the order.

Wait, what was that?

A strange flicker of the light caught her attention. It was such a minor thing that had she not been concentrating, she would have missed it entirely. Where was it again? She focused, patient as a predator as she continued to observe Sloan beneath her. There! The shadow! How could she not have seen the shadow!? As Sloan went about her business, discussing and planning, the nameless one focused instead on the play of light around her feet, and after a few moments, she realised something.

The shadow doesn't fit!

right dimensions, but you could see it if you were looking for it. The shadow that Sloan projected

illusion spell! The mages within the order would need to learn of this

has

sound would be noticed as she made her escape. She was fortunate to scuttle

has been replaced by another ant cloaked in some kind

you certain? The other

member of the council we are shadowing has been replaced and the real members are

fellow order member

the meeting place whilst I

rushed to perform their tasks knowing that time was of the essence. When she arrived back at the planning chamber and relayed the news

beast! Are they daring us to put them under

into their work rather than spending

is wrong with

was fine to be angry, but they didn't have the time to waste on such useless emotion.