Chrysalis

Queen Verita surveyed the field of carnage that polluted her throne room in disgust. That it had come to this. Foreign soldiers slaughtered before the throne, the most officious and historical location in her young Kingdom, by a Dungeon monster. Her ancestors would shake their heads in despair if they knew of this farce.

Brusquely she ordered her Guards to clean the room and do something about the dead and escort the townsfolk out of the room. Then she ordered two soldiers forward to seize the ambassador and bring him before her. The Regixian was still frozen with terror on the dais, shaking in fear as his eyes stared vacantly at the broken bodies of the men and women he had brought here to fight.

When Corrin had been pulled through the air to her death he had been so terrified his legs had lost all their strength, causing him to collapse onto his knees. As the two Queen's Guard hauled him up by his armpits they sneered in contempt as they noticed the damp patch on the front of the ambassadors trousers.

The Queen thought for a moment before signalling another of her Guard to attend her.

The soldier approached and saluted smartly. "Take the head of Corrin and put it on a spike at the castle gate. That should take the wind out of any mercenary scum who want to try and continue their rebellion".

The soldiers saluted again. "At once your majesty".

The Guard picked his way through the remains toward the fallen Mercenary Union president to complete his grisly task. Soon he walked briskly out of the hall carrying a red stained cloth wrapped around a roundish object.

When the mercenaries battling desperately to push through the gate and into the castle recognised the head being held up high on the tip of a spear they were filled with equal parts rage and despair. They knew they would never grasp the profits they had been promised to secure their support for this uprising now. Many mercs decided on the spot to flee the country as fast as their legs could carry them. If they were quick enough they may be able to avoid arrest. After all, they could ply their trade anywhere the Dungeon was, which was everywhere!

The news that the Queen had taken back control of the castle spread through the city like wildfire. The citizens cheered and poured into the streets to celebrate. Many were glad to have their benevolent ruler secure again on her throne but many others were simply glad the fighting had come to an end and peace could once again return to their lives. After weeks of fighting, death and destruction they wanted to get on with rebuilding and forget any of this had ever happened.

Inside the castle ambassador Andron was dragged before Queen Verita by her Guards. When he was unresponsive a soldier stepped forward and slapped the man viciously until he was able to come back to himself.

"It's a shame we had to speak under these circumstances, ambassador" Verita drawled.

Andron spluttered, trying to draw himself up and regain some of his dignity. His efforts proved fruitless whilst he was being held upright by two callous soldiers who gripped him so tight he was sure to bruise the next day.

"You can't treat me like this Verita!" he spat, "do you think Regix will stand for this?"

His gumption rendered Verita speechless for a moment. "You know" she bit back, "I find myself not caring a whit what Regix will stand for or not. As far as I'm concerned your pox filled nation of rats can jump in the Dungeon so they can live amongst their own kind!"

Andron gaped at her. "You dare?!"

Verita looked at one her Guards and gave him a subtle nod. The soldier immediately stepped forward to deliver another powerful slap to the ambassador, drawing blood.

letting him recover for moment the Queen resumed speaking. "I do. You're going to scurry back to your nest, rat. When you get there I want you

hang his head as the Guards dragged him out of the castle. They would throw him on a horse and send him on his way

The night they had fled the castle, slipping through a hidden gate in the darkness, she had wept. All the work of her ancestors, the toil and sweat of the citizens to carve out a new country from

in her hands. All of it. The traitors had been rooted out. She would take a sword to the merchants who had backed this coup, wash away the stink of rebellion with the blood of traitors. Once again Liria would experience a meteoric rise, no longer suffering from the leeches which had drawn away its strength. The light of justice was shining on her kingdom

Wait…

kingdom basking in the light,

Verita caste her eyes around the room only to find that the glow lamps on the walls had been extinguished! On one side of the room a single lamp remained lit and frozen above it like a gigantic spider was the monster, holding still as if a child caught with a

creature who had made her resurrection possible. Probing mentally she found the

What have you done to my

…..

the final light winked

little of my

How could a monster be this

monster's pitiless voice echoed in her mind once again. [It seems you have what you want, Queen], Verita always felt the way the monster said "Queen" sounded doubtful for some reason, [I have

that it had done what it had promised to do, it wanted to be

studied the still creature latched onto her wall. Despite not turning to face her she knew

tactfully asking several times the creature had simply

monster agreed, clearly refusing

covertly signalled

her. Its voice rang in

of the phrase "Tit

[I don't] she frowned.

one be treated well, they will return that goodwill, but should one be treated poorly, similarly it will be returned

could

[Yes].

for a moment. The monster

what it is that you choose

monster had been able to guess her intentions. This creature was so powerful already, and it would only go stronger, smarter, more deadly in

if they knew she had willingly borrowed the power of a monster, trust in her authority would be shredded. The Guard would not speak, the townsfolk could be persuaded and the people in the city would not be believed. People saw all sorts of things in the

heart the Queen could not believe that the monster could do anything to her here, in the seat of her power. In her own