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!

It wasn't anything major, the legs were just slightly off, the abdomen and thorax not quite the right dimensions, but you could see it if you were looking for it. The shadow that Sloan projected didn't match the shape of her body. It was a double!

She cursed admiringly in her mind as she drew the shadows around her like a cloak and began to sneak her way to the exit point. The council had replaced themselves with doubles cloaked in some kind of illusion spell! The mages within the order would need to learn of this technique as soon as possible. They needed to find a way to better break it. For now, the slight differences in shape had been enough for her to see through the ruse. She had to inform the others!

[Ghost Stealth (VI) has reached Level 94].

Not now! She focused her senses and body to the utmost, ensuring that no sight or sound would be noticed as she made her escape. She was fortunate to scuttle away without being seen and made her way back into the Dark Passage. Once inside, she urgently messaged her fellow team member who awaited her inside.

It's a body double! Sloan has been replaced by another ant cloaked in some kind of light or illusion spell!

Are you certain? The other ant signed back intently.

The shadow betrays them! It doesn't fit the body. I believe that every member of the council we are shadowing has been replaced and the real members are hidden!

Her fellow order member cursed silently.

We will need to confirm this as soon as possible. Return to the meeting place whilst I spread the message. We should have confirmation in ten minutes.

The two of them rushed to perform their tasks knowing that time was of the essence. When she arrived back at the planning chamber and relayed the news to the members gathered there, the reaction was much as she expected.

Damn this beast! Are they daring us to put them under 24/7 surveillance?

They need to put more effort into their work rather than spending all this energy trying to dodge torpor!

What is wrong with their heads?!

It was fine to be angry, but they didn't have the time to waste on such useless emotion. The nameless one stepped forward.

Your frustration is understandable, but a waste of energy. We have a task to perform, don't lose focus on the work.

With her signed message, the group quickly got back to planning how they could overcome this disaster together. They were deep in discussions when word came back from those shadowing the other members of the council. As suspected, all of them were fakes.

What do we do? One member of the group demanded. We've already lost track of the targets and we have no leads on where they might be! Regular methods have been exhausted. I suggest we appeal to the shadow.

The others paused for a moment as they contemplated that suggestion. It wasn't forbidden to ask the shadow for assistance, but it certainly wasn't encouraged. Even if they were to ask, there was no guarantee that they would get an answer. The entity known as shadow preferred to communicate through those few acolytes dedicated to receiving their messages, rather than reaching out to just anyone. The nameless one considered the suggestion and decided it might be worth a try.

We are out of time. The meeting is intended to take place in only ten minutes and we have no clues as to where. The situation has become desperate and I am unwilling to let it go. I suggest we all appeal to the shadow and see if it will intervene on our behalf. This mission was brought to us by the shadow originally, after all.

After a little more discussion the group agreed and got to work. The chamber entrance was sealed and all light in the room was suppressed as each member channelled as much shadow mana as they could, blanketing the room in utter darkness. The mana thickened gradually, seeping into the air around them and saturating all it touched as the ants bowed low in supplication, covering their eyes ceremoniously and waiting. For several long minutes, nothing except the growing density of shadow marked any change in the space as they each remained perfectly still. Then, there was a faint sound, almost like a sigh, and the gathered shadow mana scattered in an instant, bringing the light back.

The nameless one raised her head eagerly as others leapt to reopen the chamber. As sight returned to them, they found words written in pure darkness engraved on the wall and they felt joy in their hearts. There was no escape for the targets of the order.