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.

by himself. The great axe in his hands hummed with delight as each swing send red blades of light tearing through dozens of monsters at once. Every now and again, he would stomp down with one armoured foot and the tunnel itself would shake, which forced everything in front of him to stumble, which

it for

help at first, but the commander had gestured them to move back and kept going. So they had. It felt surreal, to be here at the front and not fighting.

ached. What had life been 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 here, the tunnels

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 attention

veins. She stared straight at one from only a few metres away. Since when had she started to be unable to stare straight

back toward where her fellow Legionaries were resting, shouting

The wave is ending! The mana

she were mad. What did she 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 to the walls and looked for themselves. It didn’t take long for them to confirm with their own eyes what she had said, and

even the monster

their hearts, the Legionaries suited up, readied their weapons and charged into battle alongside the tireless commander. One last push! One last push

last, and when the relieving force had arrived from Raileh, her squad had chosen to stay

with the commander there, it had been the easiest shift she’d

own limits he simply couldn’t be the same species anymore. Just what did a Legionary have to go through to get that

she

and took stock. The battle still raged, but at a reduced cadence, some two hundred metres away. She’d retreated back to the fort proper and most of

the soldier there. His eyes gleamed with fierce energy all the while. He didn’t even look tired. When he saw her staring, he said a final

used to be," he told her quietly. "Taken quite

and Mirryn couldn’t help but blush at how