Chrysalis

A hundred of the most highly trained and powerful warriors within the Liria Bulwark sat in the tunnels, sweat and grime covering their forms. Each of them was exhausted. They’d battled for hours here, on the edge of the defensive line. Wave after wave of shadow beasts had assaulted their position. Even the odd demon had been mixed in, something that Myrrin had never thought she’d see.

A tap at her shoulder caused Myrrin to turn and then raise her head to gaze up at the monstrous auxiliary soldier beside her. Unable to talk with a grotesquely fanged muzzle where his mouth had once been, he raised his claw tipped paws instead and gestured to her in the simple but effective sign language she’d learned at the fort.

She watched his hands intently for a moment before she shook her head.

"No idea. I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never seen anything like..." she gestured helplessly toward the scene that held them all captive for the last twenty minutes. "... that."

Head cocked to one side, the auxiliary listened carefully then nodded politely and turned back to watch the spectacle. Mirryn kept her eye on him for a moment longer before she turned back. It had taken her some time to grow accustomed to the auxiliaries. Half human, half monster, they were not a pretty sight to see. Not to mention, no two were ever the same. The twisted mutations they manifested depended in part on the monster flesh they were fed, and in part on the human being, she’d be told. Still, after fighting alongside them this last week, she’d gotten over her reservations. Condemned criminals they may have been, down here, they were Legion.

A blinding flash of light from in front caused her to shut her eyes and a deafening crash followed by a hail of stones and debris announced the use of another rock shattering skill. The constant howl and scream of monsters was dimmed for just a second before it rose once more to fever pitch.

It was hell, down here. Day in, day out, they’d fought and battled until they could no longer stand, until their hands no longer worked and they needed to be pried out of their armour, scrubbed down by workers and thrown into a bed for a few hours of nightmare plagued sleep. Then back into the action. Mirryn had fired so many arrows, slain so many monsters, she was sure the Dungeon would have been empty by now. But it didn’t make a dent. Nothing did. This was only one fort along the Bulwark and hundreds of thousands of monsters had met their doom here. But it was never enough.

Mirryn turned to her other side and laid a hand on the scarred runic metal of her new partner. The Abyssal armour she’d been issued, a fine example of the medium sized ’Ranger’ pattern that she’d been wearing throughout the conflict. Since they’d been relieved at the front she figured she may as well take it off and rest for a moment. It wasn’t exactly heavy, but wearing the armour was taxing on the mind and spirit.

BOOM!

Another impact pierced the shriek of monsters and another shower of dust and rock battered into the tunnel walls, drawing her attention back to the battle still taking place not even fifty metres from where she sat.

tearing through dozens of monsters

at it for twenty

to help at first, but the commander had gestured them to move

like, before she’d come down into the Dungeon on this delve? What did the sun even look like? It hardly mattered, it was bright enough down

the glare of the Dungeon her eyes flicked towards the veins that lined the tunnel. She thought for a moment, a frown creased her face as she tried to register what it was that she thought she saw. She stood slowly and began to walk toward the closest wall, her

from only a few metres away. Since when had she started to be unable to stare straight at one? But now she could. Now she could. Because... the mana ... was

Legionaries were resting, shouting at the top of her lungs

mana is decreasing! The wave

think she was doing, but gradually they realised what it was she was saying, what it could mean if it was true. One by one they turned

jubilation, hugs, even the monster auxiliaries were howling and

and joy in their hearts, the Legionaries suited up, readied their weapons and charged into battle alongside

of the tunnel, still in her armour. The flow of monsters had begun to decrease at last, and when the relieving force had arrived

had been the easiest

beyond her own limits he simply couldn’t be the same species

wasn’t sure she

still raged, but at a reduced cadence, some two hundred metres away. She’d retreated back to the

energy all the while. He didn’t even look

to be," he told her quietly. "Taken quite a while

clear he’d seen what she was thinking and Mirryn couldn’t help but blush at how easily