Chrysalis

The captain of the Rylleh guard knew, deep in his gut, that he was dead, that everyone around him was dead. He felt as if his blood had slowed to a crawl in his veins as he stared at the projection, more red lights blooming to life each second. There were thousands of them, because of course there were. He knew what was coming. In that moment, he felt as if two divergent paths lay before him. He could surrender to the inevitable death that awaited him and every person living in the city, lay down and give in, or he could fight and take as many of the filthy monsters down with him as he could.

It didn't seem like much of a choice at all to Wallace.

"Yasmine! YAS! Get over here!"

His second in command, a quaver of panic running just beneath the surface, rushed back to his side and he stepped in front of the display before he turned to speak to her.

"What's been happening?" he asked.

He could hear the rumbling and clatter of more guardsmen piling into the headquarters, responding to the emergency summons that was automatically sent out once the alarms were tripped.

"Well," Yasmine steadied herself, "I've done as you asked. All of the outer guardsmen are retreating to the gates, which are being closed and reinforced. The reserves have been summoned and the city has been notified of an attack."

Wallace nodded.

"Right, I want everyone to abandon the gates and fall back to the city centre. Issue an evacuation order to the populace. Everyone into the city centre, collapse the buildings in a hundred metre radius beyond the square. Then I want -"

"Have you gone mad?" Yasmine demanded, aghast. "Are you abandoning the city?! You'll kill us all!"

"They're tunnelling through the rock! The walls are useless, they're just going to go around them. They're tunnelling up from underneath us as we speak!"

"That's impossible! What about the enchantments? The reinforced rock? It's absurdly hard to break through the stone!"

"It would be if they were human," he ground out, "but they bloody well aren't. Now listen close and keep your bloody mouth shut, alright?"

He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, his old calloused hand digging painfully into her flesh. She looked at him and noticed for the first time the faint glint of something mad in his eyes, something other.

you alright, captain?" she

soon," he chuckled, "now shut up and listen. I'm going to tell you something and it's very important that you don't spread this around. The last thing we want is a panic,

"I-I think so, captain."

are under attack by ants. This is an ant

to lean closer to hear him. He could see the moment she comprehended him as her face drained of blood

allow her to panic. "The gates are going to be useless, they'll tunnel around and come at our people from behind. The only way we have a chance is if we gather in the square and use those walls to hold them off. Alright? Breathe, Yas. Just breathe. We can make it, but we have to

she gathered her courage and nodded. She would do her best for the

nodded and released her to her duty. He'd had to lie to her, to keep her steady. Even when they gathered in the square, the ants would tunnel under the walls and come at them from beneath, but hopefully they'd be able to swat a few of

the smile that twisted his face, Wallace rushed out to give his

Not far away.

want us

gate! Orders

are!" Ernes yelled back through the communication crystal, "has that

on the other side of the enchanted gem grew

men to the square and follow orders! This is an attack, not a

his post during an invasion, regardless what his orders were! When

Ernes?" one of his

stupid enough to take this city

rushed out of the guard house attached to the west gate and helped to finish closing and sealing the gate. A massive construction of enchanted metal and stone, the gates had held off hordes of monsters during the recent

Mages at the ready,

the gate by now and they leapt to their tasks like a well-oiled machine. As their major, his heart swelled with pride as he rushed to join them. A full fifteen metres high, the back of the gate was lined with three tiers of viewing ports accessed by ramps that joined across the centre. At his command, the guards flew up the ladders and took their positions, ready to throw open the hatches built into the gate and annihilate

I give

made by what he did here today. This was going to be the defining moment

threw open his own hatch and courageously lent over to look, exposing his head to enemy fire. For a brief second, he gained vision of the tunnel approach

how is it, sir?" the guard next

exactly what he'd just seen. He'd expected onrushing soldiers, siege

look," he muttered