Titus stifled his grimace as he walked from the battlefield. To others who looked at him, he was as stone faced and unshakable as ever, but inside, he was tired. High stats and the superhuman abilities of a powerfully levelled Legionary were able to sustain him for a long time, longer than almost any other type of soldier on Pangera, but not forever.
A few days ago, by the Legion, only a few days? A few days ago the ants had escalated the conflict, no longer content to delay and cede ground. The rise in intensity had required that Titus and his troops match their fervour.
"Are you alright, commander?"
Titus recognised the voice of his daughter, and the concern that she had. She knew better than most that he hadn't rested in almost a week.
"Fine," he replied.
He heard a doubtful snort from behind him and nearly smiled. Morrelia had not learned grace as she aged, much like her mother.
"I didn't expect that you would need to fight so much yourself, isn't it a bit overkill for you to show up?" she asked.
Without turning, Titus gestured for his daughter to walk by his side. After a moment she was there, her hands resting easily on the hilts of her blades. Although she looked relaxed and confident on the surface, Morrelia's emotions were far from settled. Battling against the Colony was still something she couldn't bring herself to do, and fortunately, she hadn't had to up to this point. Even though Titus had entered the fight, even as one of his assigned guards, she simply didn't have any opportunity to fight, her father destroyed every ant he could reach.
The Colony had adapted quickly to his appearance on the field and began to avoid combat the moment they realised he was around, something Morrelia was more than grateful for.
"Time is against us in this campaign, daughter," he told her, "the insects are being careful, trying to force us to expend our strength and waste our time. Every day that passes, our supply lines grow longer, our Legionaries more weary, and for what? Are we even killing the creatures faster than they are replacing themselves?"
The Commander's hand gripped tight around the handle of his axe for a moment before he relaxed again. The spirit trapped within raged without end but he crushed it with his will after a brief struggle. Whenever he grew frustrated, angry or tired, the foul beast would attempt to break him. Laughable.
"Unless we gain access to their nest and kill every Queen we find, we won't be able to make real progress. Once that's done we can take our time to hunt down and extinguish every individual."
Morrelia was silent for a moment.
"It doesn't bother you at all that they're sapient?" she asked, finally.
Titus raised a brow.
"No."
He placed a hand on the armoured shoulder next to him.
"They are monsters, born from mana. They are the children of the Dungeon and it is that which they serve. I'm surprised that I would need to explain this to you, of all people."
The young Legionary beside him didn't reply immediately and Titus continued to walk back towards his own lines at his usual long stride. Behind him, several squads were in the process of making meticulous checks over the defences the ants had just abandoned. No matter how many times the Legion foiled their traps and ambushes, the blasted bugs never stopped trying. He knew they didn't even expect them to work, they just wanted to slow down and exhaust his soldiers.
It would have worked too.
"I suppose I'm just not used to fighting monsters that can think and feel," Morrelia sighed, hiding her true feelings within.
He nodded. This was something every delver who achieved the strength to reach the lower strata had to deal with. Though rarely would anyone encounter it in the second strata of all places. Monsters became more intelligent, built societies, traded and formed relationships.
But it didn't change what they were, fundamentally. When the cataclysm occurred, the old Legion records showed that these supposedly 'peaceful' creatures had rallied behind the Ancients and helped lay waste to the surface. The Legion never forgot and never forgave. For them, the war had never ended.
"Not to worry," he told her, "you'll come to see the way of things, in time. Follow in the footsteps of the veterans and you can't go wrong."
He didn't notice the slight sigh his daughter released behind her helmet.
"I suppose so," she said.
When they returned behind the lines, Titus waved her away as he went to consult with the officers, leaving Morrelia with some precious time to her own thoughts. Though it didn't last long.
"Hey Morr!" called Myrrin who approached enthusiastically, "how are you?"
The berserker smiled to see such a friendly face.
"Tired," she replied, "where are you getting your energy?"
"Just got off break," the archer grinned, "rested and ready to go! They put five hundred of us back in camp for some shuteye. Seems like they want to make a big push before the reinforcements come."
Caught in the middle of nodding her understanding, Morrelia froze.
"Reinforcements?" she said.
"Yup," her friend cheered, "about time too! I heard the commander put the request in pretty much the second we landed here. Not sure how many are coming, hopefully another Legion at least. Then we'll be able to smash our way through these bugs."
Myrrin sounded particularly fierce by the end of her statement, revealing the depth of her antipathy toward the Colony, taking Morrelia aback.
"I didn't think you were so eager to kill them." she said, a little stiffly.
She got a 'are you crazy?' look in return.
"They're monsters," Myrrin said, "and my squad has lost two people to them in the last few days. Why wouldn't I want them dead?"
It was true. The fighting had grown more intense and even though the ants were being killed, the Legionaries were too. The grim rage within the Legion camp had only grown higher with each passing day as more of their members fell. The cumulative effect of her doubts and this new information was enough to make Morrelia feel ill. She needed some air.
"I'll catch up with you later Myrrin," she said, "good luck out there."
Myrrin tried to catch hold of her friend, but she evaded her grasp and slipped back amongst the rows of tents and out of sight. The young woman stared for a moment, a worried expression written on her face, but turned back to her duties after a moment. Morrelia was tough as nails forged from larger, tougher nails. Whatever was bothering her, she could handle it.
