Chrysalis

Titus took another deep, slow breath, feeling the mana thunder through his body, tearing away at him from the inside. The conflict was never-ending. Much like the wave that ravaged his world, the raw arcane energy that permeated the Dungeon poured into him and sought to rend his flesh.

How long had it been since he’d sustained himself this deep? Before his children had been born. He’d been a much younger man then, in body and mind. In those days, he’d relished the struggle to master himself, to harness the power that pulsed in the veins of his post-baptism body. Now, he simply endured, patiently waiting as his condition slowly adapted to this new normal.

“You look miserable,” Minerva observed from somewhere nearby.

The commander kept his eyes closed.

“This is my normal face,” he said.

“I know.”

He felt a sharp poke on his forehead, but didn’t react, controlling his breathing instead. He’d learned a long time ago that the best way to annoy his fire-breathing monster of a wife was to simply not react. Sure enough, after he maintained his routine for another minute, he received a quick ‘paff’ to the top of his head.

“How can you sit there all day?” Minerva grumped. “If you don’t move soon you’re going to grow moss.”

“Unlike some, who were relaxing deep in the Dungeon, I’ve spent the bulk of the last twenty years on the surface, darling wife, and I need time to adapt to these conditions. I feel like a highly qualified officer in the Legion would have known that before she dragged me down here in the first place.”

“What cheek,” she harrumphed, giving him another soft thwap on the head which he barely felt.

him to feel it, then he surely would. At least the

impatient to see you in action again. You must be getting bored being cooped up in this adaptation chamber all day every day.

he opened his eyes finally and saw she was looking genuinely apologetic. He was taken

gone

This just isn’t the romantic getaway I’d been hoping

quite sure if she was joking. It was entirely possible that Minerva did consider the two of them returning to the Dungeon’s depths to fight against the most deadly

in a twist. I think I’m pretty much ready to

they’d been together, it still moved him to see her

“Really? Finally!”

began to try and

for? Time to suit up!

to prevent his wife from dragging him out of the

minute, Minerva.

now?” she demanded, turning back to

need to report to command. After that, I need to speak to the armoury. After that, I need to acclimate to the suit. There’s a laundry list of things I need to do before I can sortie and fight. Not all of us can jump into Praetorian armour after a

can’t handle it,”