Chrysalis

“Engineer Griner?” Titus rumbled.

“That’d be me. You must be the commander?” the burly, sleeveless man said as he turned from the enormous armoured suit he’d been working on.

Titus rolled his shoulders.

“Just about everyone down here is a commander, or higher,” he noted wryly, “so why would I be, ‘the commander’?”

Griner shrugged.

“I don’t make the rules. Turns out when you command successfully down here and up there, people take notice.”

Some in the Legion thought that the soldiers stationed in the deep looked down on those fighting high in the Dungeon, but that was far from the truth. Legionaries in these depths relied on the plentiful mana, powerful techniques and equipment it enabled to fight. In the first stratum, they would be helpless.

“‘Titus’ is fine, Engineer Griner. Now, I’m told you’re the man who’s been taking care of the old girl. How is she?”

The two turned and looked up at the intimidating suit of Praetorian armour looming over them. At eight metres tall, the suit wasn’t close to the largest the Legion could field, but the added bulk of thick armour certainly meant it was on the heavier side. Without a weapon or shield, the suit looked… undressed, but still presented an intimidating visage. Brought across the chest, with thick pauldrons at the shoulders and the Legionem Abyssi emblem engraved on the front. The decorative touches around the edges of the plates imbued it with a tangible sense of gravitas.

“I won’t say she’s as good as new. I’ve given it the once over, and, mechanically, she’s as sound as can be.”

“What about the mana circuits?”

a lot over the years, been assigned to two others after you left. Didn’t do nearly as well,

functional?

and rebuilding the damn suit from scratch, we aren’t going to be able to do better than this. It won’t be too much longer before the

to press against the cold,

years. Seeing it now was… hard to describe, like an old friend, or pet,

point in delaying. Can you help get it ready? I

“Sure thing, Commander.”

He rolled his eyes. He hoped whoever had the misfortune to take over his last command was having more luck

two men were alone in the armoury. Unsurprising, given so many of the bays were empty at the moment. Clearly, Minerva had been in luck and there was

the back and began to climb up the suit. He definitely had a few more twinges in his shoulders than the last time he’d done this, but it didn’t

the back armour fell away as the head rose up, creating a gap for him to slip

and get yourself comfortable. I’ll hook up the liquid mana once you are ready,”

“Thanks,” Titus acknowledged.

metal suit, closing the opening behind him. When the metal clanged shut, followed by the audible click as

so long inside this

stretched out his arms, finding the panels and grips that he sought, wrapping his thick fingers around them. He settled

pressing his face into the mask, the matrix that melded his consciousness with the armour. He tsked. Whoever was in the suit last had been a touch shorter than him, he’d need