Chrysalis

Titus stood huddled with his advisor in the center of the cramped chamber his axe resting on its head on the dirt. Donnelan was afraid of that axe. It had even invaded his dreams. The thick, bloodthirsty aura that seemed to roll of it in waves was suffocating, and ever present. It had burst into wakefulness suddenly during the wave defence. The trainees had felt a strange stirring of the mana in the air before that aura had burst out, making them feel as if a demon had their throats between its teeth.

And that’s how they had felt every moment of every day since.

The only blessing was that the beasts hated it as much as the trainees did. Ever since the axe had awakened they had ceased to attack the fort. Choosing instead to battle against each other, keeping their distance from the Legion. The line soldiers had been relieved that, even if they felt the spectre of death constantly, they no longer had to fight.

The endless tide of monsters that had clashed against their defences had claimed a few lives over the two week defence. For those young legionaries experiencing their first wave it was a sight they’d never forget. Thousands of monsters rolling forward like the tides. An endless sea of violence and death. Aiming hadn’t been important, it was impossible to miss, no matter what skill was used. They fought for hours without pause, until their arms were heavy as lead, their vision blurred and their heads afire. Then they’d stumble to their blankets where they’d sleep like the dead before waking up to do it again.

It had been hell.

Up until the axe. Donnelan had seen the looks on the officers faces when it had happened. The monsters immediately fled the walls but the brass had been shocked. Shocked and worried. The commander had raced to his tent where he’d left the axe and walked out with the thing slung over his shoulders and his eyes tight with worry.

Being a magician in training Donnelan had managed to puzzle out exactly why they were so unhappy. That shift in the mana, as if it were being sucked down a sinkhole. The axe had drunk it in like water, causing it to ’awaken’. Putting aside the idea of a sleeping or waking weapon, something that Donnelan had never heard of, let alone thought possible, the reason why it was so strange was that it should not have happened. Not up here. Barely a few kilometres down the mana should never be as thick as this. Not even close. It had grown so dense that it was enough for the axe to pull in and rouse itself, something none of the officers, certainly not the commander, had expected to happen.

That left Donnelan with yet another worry. Why was the mana so dense? Why was it still rising?! He could feel it coming on now. Saturation sickness. Extended exposure to mana wasn’t natural for human kind. The diffuse levels of energy on the surface were normal for their bodies, they had adapted to it over thousands of years. The levels he was experiencing now were too high, he was getting sick. All of the trainees were getting sick.

If they didn’t get relief soon, they would suffer mana poisoning. If they weren’t treated then, they’d die.

They knew that, everyone knew that. So why were they going deeper?!

over his worries Titus was speaking to one of his specialist trackers. "Your certain of that Lisestus?"

died here in the chamber, along with a whole lot of other stuff. No ant

about the Queen? You should be able to

class. "I can’t tell commander, she may have died here with the colony or not. Too many monsters have died in

to the Legion, able to detect the residual energies of monsters after they had passed away. Deploying those unique skills depleted mental energy at a rapid pace however. Lisestus’ would need a brief lie down after sensing

colony had lived, presumably after the Queen had fled here from the lower levels, either chasing the young that had been stolen or fleeing from danger once

been killed by the wave or had escaped. If they’d managed to flee then Titus had absolutely no idea where they could be. The matter was out of

stretched his old bones. With the axe Anima Sitio having awakened, he didn’t need to continuously swat small fry. The weapon was constantly advertising it’s hunger, daring them to come. Only the stronger beasts would

ear. Something was coming. He raised a hand to get the attention of

to feel it also. As if the air

rumbling up from the tunnels leading below . A low growl that shook the dirt around them like an earthquake and drove several trainees to their knees. Many soldiers were forced to brace their hands to the walls to steady themselves as their legs seemed to have

a gale. In the wake of that

eerie after two

face was grim. He stared down at his axe, seemingly lost in thought. To most observers he appeared calm, but as she burst into the chamber and took him in, Aurillia knew that in his eyes the thirst for

hissed, "Was that what

and picked it up as he

commander. "What are your orders

but we mustn’t deviate from our mission" he turned to look his Tribune in the eye, "I know you worry

her head and leaves the