The crimson rays of noon fell upon the King Tree as Clotho's reconstruction of her chosen Myrmidon was complete. Invicta, as she would be called, had few physiological distinctions from her ordinary kin, but had a substantial edge over any of them in terms of strength and intelligence. It had been a while before Clotho had developed a chief method of augmenting the warrior without greatly altering her appearance, but at last she had discovered that with enough organic manipulation, the various tissues within the Construct's body could be folded and packed together to vastly increase overall surface area without necessitating greater volume. As a result, Invicta enjoyed a mental capacity more than twice the average, and was capable of remarkable feats of strength, particularly when it came to the Vices.

Modeled after the mandibles of Trapjaw Ants, the Vices were situated on either of Invicta's arms. These large pincers were crammed with the special condensed muscles Clotho had masterminded, and as such mimicked the incredible abilities of the ants themselves. By pulling back these pincers, effectively folding them against her arms, Invicta could store incredible potential energy. When released, the Vices would slam together with unbelievable speed and force, enough to shatter stone and saw through metal. The laws of physics dictated, however, that equal recoil would be applied to Invicta; luckily, with practice, this recoil could be put to her advantage. Clotho envisioned a Myrmidon capable of flinging herself dozens of feet into the air simply by striking the ground, escaping from any engagement by sending both herself and her foe flying in opposite directions, et cetera.

At this moment, however, Invicta was still weak from the transformation. After such extensive modification to her internal structures, it was likely she wouldn't be able to move for hours. When she could, she would serve as the brutal, fearless field commander Clotho wanted. Finding the alchemist was a blessing, indeed; without the need to specifically designate a minion for brewing, Clotho had been able to concentrate solely on military matters. And with those out of the way, the conquest of Virens could continue.

Two of its food sources were out of the way. Undoubtedly tensions were beginning to run high in the city; already several Macula had been hunted down and killed, perhaps rightfully marked as omens of ill fortune. A precision strike or two was necessary to ensure that Virens was unarmed as well as hungry. Doubtlessly the Biomancers and city guard were too spread throughout the city for a blow against their bases to have immediate ramifications, but with the head killed the body could only ever follow suit.

Clotho descended to the forest floor, winging her way through ever more dense labyrinths of vine, wood, web, and hive to reach the leaf litter below. Antlions emerged from their underground colony when she called them, the very picture of loyalty—or at least subservient, unshakable instinct, which was a far more reliable substitute. “Join your brothers and sisters beneath Virens. Undermine the barracks and the Biomancer's Guild and reduce them to rubble. Try to remain undetected; if found, flee instead of fighting.” To make sure the near-braindead creatures were kept on target, she picked out a few nearby imps scrounging in the bushes for fungi to supervise the endeavor. “I hope that imps won't disappoint me for once. It's not even a combat mission, just subterfuge. Nice and cowardly and satisfying. You three have fun.”

-=-=-

In the streets of Paterdomus there were countless people. Though filled with myriad flora and fauna, the natural world of Elysium had no sway here; here, mankind dominated. This was their bastion against the world, home to their gods of fire and water as well as themselves, a haven of humanity in an inhospitable realm. Certainly there had been worrisome rumors of late, barbarians and a necromancer and blazing equestrian skeleton, most of them unaccounted for -allegedly due to lack of survivors- but none doubted the security and sanctity of their city for long.

And yet, within the streets of Paterdomus there wandered a phantom, the very reflection of the alien and unknown that the city stood against. With no purpose and no direction, it could do naught but drift around from day to day, invisible and intangible, learning about the world and those who inhabited it. Today, though, the revenant sensed something new on the wind. Like a familiar call from far away, this something beckoned it. The ghost wracked its mind for clues, finding only confusion darkness for a time, but finally figured out exactly what this distant beacon might be. A new idea gripped its ethereal fancy: unity. Its brothers and sisters were searching for it, and if they still lived, the cause did as well. The Paterdoman streets echoed with a faint cackle as the spirit began its southward journey.

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Myrmidon Construct 3/3
Location: Dungeon
Dungeon: Jungle north of Saploya River, N16°W12° An nearly complete, 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: 30 Drone Imps, 95 Myrmidons, Myrmidon Construct Invicta, 38 Antlions, Adjunct Baudrii, alchemist Rammel Vitreus, alchemical assistant Kayla Oakhurst
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[u]Compendium Entry[/u]
Death – the Fate of Creation and the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. Also called Escre. Little more than a shade at the moment, drawn to the life force of its kin.

Invicta - second construct and replacement for Scutra. A female Myrmidon augmented chiefly by packing both cerebral and muscular tissue more closely together to increase surface area (and therefore functionality) without necessitating increased volume. As such, a lot of strength and noteworthy intelligence in an ordinary body. Wields two Vices, huge pincers modeled after the mandibles of Trapjaw Ants, situated on her arms. Can strike with incredible force, though equal kinetic force in recoil is dealt to Invicta.