Valterra relaxed his awareness and let himself rest for a moment. The encounter with Ne’Am Skota and the subsequent rune work had exhausted him mentally. For a time, he sat in his core, letting the world go on around him. It was only an hour, but the rest was needed. When Valterra emerged, he did so refreshed and ready to implement changes. So much had happened, and so many of his plans had been pushed to the wayside in order to make time.

  Now, it was time to implement those plans. First on the to-do list was reconnaissance. The situation with the birds on the roof had probably worsened as he dealt with other matters. Secondly, he needed to notify Geckodo of the change in plans and check in on his progress. He doubted he had managed to find the core of the pond, but he might have Frameworks for him to claim. The third task was to inspect his dungeon for any other issues that needed attention, starting primarily with the fifth and sixth floors and then spreading outward.

  Valterra let his awareness spread outward toward the third floor, where he found a conflict in process. The air above the roof was a whirling dervish of diving birds. It was so much worse than he had thought. The dome of wards allowed some birds in, but he hadn’t quite understood just how big some of them could be. Most of the birds were small things, but others looked remarkably like his Other-Touched Ravens in appearance, but different enough for him to know they were separate species.

  These black birds were an absolute scourge on his third floor, some even beginning to dive upon creatures remaining on the second floor. From just a glance, it was clear that his creatures were hard-pressed to fight off these aggressive new invaders. The fortress of mice was struggling to mount any meaningful defense, the only real resistance showing itself in the blazing form of his mouse Guardian as he stood on the roof of the central keep. Even as Valterra watched, the large mouse formed little spikes out of conjured stone before firing them like needles at encroaching birds.

  They were effective at scaring birds from their dives, but it was clear that Wenigo needed practice since most of the needles went wide without hitting the rapidly darting birds. The fact that the birds stayed away from him showed they were brighter than average. Wenigo couldn’t be everywhere at once, after all, and Valterra was stunned to realize that he had lost a sizable portion of the defenders to these marauding birds.

  The same statistic was present for the ants, although they had weathered a bit easier in their wooden den. The sweet sap of the sugar maple let them feed some, but the soldiers of the colony often had to leave to forage, and the survival rates of such trips were atrocious. Still, there were some casualties on the birds’ side, and Valterra was quick to scoop up those Frameworks.

  New Frameworks acquired!

  Sylcyne Rook (Rank F - Copper)

  Living within the bounds of the Sylcyne Forest are many territorial and societal birds. This rook is one of them. Forming a Rookerie with fellow birds of the same species, one can find multiple different stages of Ascension living within such a flock.

  Rampaging Rook (Rank E - Bronze)

  Living within the bounds of the Sylcyne Forest are many territorial and societal birds. This rook is one of them. Forming a Rookerie with fellow birds of the same species, one can find multiple different stages of Ascension living within such a flock. As a Rampaging Rook, this particular bird has Ascended to become an angry and tenacious hunter for its Rookerie, shrugging off normal wounds and entering a rage when it sees members of the flock being injured.

  Interesting, Valterra hummed to himself. There had only been four dead birds, three Sylcyne Rooks and a single Rampaging Rook that had gotten angry enough that it flew too close to the defending mice. There were other, smaller birds darting around, but they focused more on the ants than the mice. It was clear that the Rookerie had set up in the Sugar Maple. Even now, despite the number of birds attacking the third floor, more black forms flew from the surrounding forest to bring material for nests.

  There were a couple of dozen, and that, more than anything else, clued Valterra into the fact that these birds planned to stay. Which couldn’t happen, Valterra refused. However, he was simultaneously grateful. There were so many birds that their deaths would fuel countless numbers of Ascensions among his mice and ants, but only if he got all of them. If he only killed some of them, then there was the possibility of some escaping only to return.

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  Of course, there was also the possibility of them never coming back, but Valterra wasn’t going to take that chance. He moved to where Wenigo was slinging stone needles and spoke. Wenigo. The mouse jumped, too involved in his fight to sense his presence. Valterra kept speaking, not letting his mouse go through the song and dance of bowing. I have a plan; gather your people in the keep.

  While Wenigo jumped to obey him, literally jumping from the top of the keep to the grass below, Valterra formed a dozen Mouse Rangers out of Aether. As they blinked away their confusion, Valterra directed them to the grass around them to make their slings. While they did that, Valterra summoned miniature rocks from thin air next to them. By the time they were finished, they had all the ammo they could need for the foreseeable future. They wouldn’t be able to defend a large area, but they were only meant as a deterrent, not a solution.

  As the dungeon core moved off, he began to hear the telltale whirr of slings and the whip of released stones. When those sounds were accompanied by squawks of pain from birds, he knew he had made the right choice. He directed a few of the Mouse Guard Veterans over to protect them from reprisals while he followed the flood of mice filing into the keep. There, he explained his plan to the gathered mice before moving off to where the ant queen resided. He told her the colony’s part in his plan and then began searching for one last participant.

  As if sensing his attention, the Mouse Whisperblade stepped out of a shadow at the top of his Aether Funnel. Her questioning, hooded eyes found his awareness and waited expectantly. It was a bit eerie, but Valterra couldn’t complain. The mission would be hard enough since she was a C Rank. The drain on her core would be immense, but hopefully, she would be able to accomplish what he needed her to. When he explained what he wanted, he felt a faint feeling of acknowledgement before she took a step and disappeared.

  He sensed her presence in the attic and figured she had a grasp of what he wanted well enough. Sighing, Valterra moved out of the house toward the pond. There was still plenty to do, and he was already getting tired. When he arrived, he sent a pulse through the bond he shared with Geckodo, then waited until the Risen emerged from the pond’s invisible border. Geckodo’s canine face dipped in a bow.

  “My lord. You called?”

  I come with information necessary for your task. The rats have succeeded in claiming the Garden in my name, and in doing so have revealed a possible clue to the location of this pond’s heart. I imagine it will be underwater, with a possible defender nearby. To that end, I am bringing in help. Valterra saw the way Geckodo stiffened and spoke before the Risen could object.

  This does not affect your penance in any way. You have done me a great service in bringing the Rakali into my halls. I will not punish you just because you are not well-suited to underwater combat. Others will take up that burden. Instead, I have another mission for you. I need Frameworks, and this place has plenty. While I will possibly get them when this place is claimed, that is not a certainty. Will you do this for me?

  “Your will is my command, my lord.” Geckodo bowed again, the tension in his body easing as the new parameters of his mission were given. Valterra sent a feeling of satisfaction and peace through their bond before moving off. He had to fix his floors, but first, he needed to fulfill his promise to Geckodo. It was a matter of moments to locate the pond via the ground beneath it.

  While the location was hidden from his sight, even underground, it wasn’t as easy to conceal every aspect of it. Things like dampness in the soil were things his nature naturally picked up on. He started there, beginning to dig down, feeling his way to the farthest portion of the fourth floor. He left it there for the moment, knowing that he needed to get the whales into position first before he opened things up, lest the pond drain away and force water up into the rest of his dungeon.

  Valterra turned and finally drifted up toward his fifth and sixth floors. The whales could wait a little longer before he gave them the go-ahead to claim the pond. That would allow Geckodo the time he needed to grab some Frameworks for himself. It would also allow him to keep his attention on what was happening on the third floor, while his plan there came to fruition.

  As his awareness drifted to take in the entirety of his fifth floor, Valterra let himself feel content. After all, other than the birds currently roosting on and around his roof, there had been no other intelligent invaders. Perhaps they wouldn’t return. A dungeon core could dream, right?