19 Chapter 18 - Subjects.

"Get ready everyone!" Major yells to the group he stood in front of.

Major and most of the capable fighters in the bunker had gathered back in the kitchen while Rodahn remained below with thee weaker people and children, guarding them as they wait by their beds huddled in a worried state, mothers clinging hard onto their scared and frightened children.

Major edges closer to the door that was barricaded, unsheathing his glowing bright holy sword and moving the table away, hearing scuttling coming from the other side but otherwise it was safe to move.

"Stay close and don't stray or they'll pick us off one by one"

"What do we do when they start killing us?" one asks, shaking with fear with the spear in her hands.

"They wont if you stay in formation and do as I say"

"How do we know to follow your word?!" she cries out panicked, Major turning to her and straightening her back and stance.

"I used to be head commander of the Caspian Army, I've been fighting almost my entire life and I'm not about to die in my home, are you?!" He says in a sterner tone, this time directing the last question to them all, arming themselves and determined not to die. Determined to fight for their home.

"That's more like it, now, diamond formation" He says as he leaves the kitchen and inspects the hall, it was empty for the time being. The group joining him as they form a diamond shape with the sword and shield fighters, in the middle space stood the spears, moving along the hall with precise and quick speed.

The formation was tight with Major at the helm as the group listen intently for his orders, his eyes scanning the walls and floors, turning corners and moving past the stairs staying on the second floor.

"We should attack from top to bottom to save time, we can cut through the garde-"

"NO we cant go through there!" one of the group speaks up in fear, the rest of them nodding in agreement as Major looks a them curiously, before leaves fall from the ceiling, his eyes immediately shooting up to see two nymphs crawling along the ceiling with snarling wooden teeth dripping sap onto the shoulders of his group.

"Defensive Formation!" he yells as the group immediately surround the sides of their diamond with shields, the spears getting prepared as the nymphs fall down towards the formation before the spears impale the creatures, their dead bodies hung from the tips of the up-stretched weapons.

Separating for a short moment as they're removed the group looking happy and proud of themselves for acting quickly, before Major dampens the situation by grabbing their attention.

"Good form but we're far from finished, Arrow Formation straight ahead, now!" he orders them as they continue to follow him in the direction of the garden. In the bunker with Rodahn and the defenseless, he remains in the room with his eyes focused on the entrance at the end of the tunnel, his eyes ceasing to move anywhere else.

Until one of the mother speaks up towards their guard.

"Are you sure that axe is safe here?" she asked concerned clutching the arm of her son, whose red and puffy eyes were sore and stinging. Rodahn's immediate instinct was to go with sarcasm, but with the small boy upset he simple places the axe down by the bed he stood by.

"I apologize, but if needs be i will use it to protect everyone"

"...Thank you" she seemed surprised by his willingness to listen and do, but she goes back to tucking in her children to bed. Rodahn's eyes going back to the door at the end of the tunnel, but his heart stops once he sees the candle was blown out and the end of the tunnel was blanketed in black shadows.

The door now an inch or so, inciting him to slowly approach the axe he put down and grabbing it without taking his eyes of the door again, the mother tuts in the corner of the room.

"Typical Orc, cant stand to be away from its weapon!" she hissed, but Rodahn wasn't having it, swiveling on his heel at her, shouting at her with a stern and angry voice yelling.

"SHUT UP YOU FOOL!...something is here"

Her eyes suddenly widen as she cuddles up to her child in fear, whispering prayers to help save them from coming dangers as Rodahn's stance gets defensive as the open doorway, not seeing anything in the dark but his nose picked up the scent of something else, and it wasn't friendly.

Sick of the waiting he ventures out into the dark, unaware of the presence that was gazing upon him with a fierce hunger in its belly, growing painful with each passing minute.

Closing the door at the end of the tunnel and turning his attention back to the open doorway as the civilians peer into the darkness at the orc with unsure expressions, their eyes widening at the growing figure rising from behind the orc, spindly thin arms of black reach over his shoulder menacingly.

But Rodahn was quick, ducking under the freezing swipe of the creature, rolling away and gazing upon the creature with a shocked gasp, taking a step back from it as the women shriek at the creatures gaping mouth, rows of spiraling teeth in its maw, its face and body a shadowy black mist that resembled a old anorexic man.

A depressed and wailing cry comes from the beast once its spotted, its elongated fingers cradling its own face mournfully, before slowly trailing down to its stomach and looking up at the orc with its empty eyes focused on Rodahn.

Getting ready to pounce.

Major however wasn't having as many issues as his friend, who advanced through the top floor pretty swiftly with his makeshift task force of staff, who had picked up the brief training with Major which had come in handy, killing most of the nymphs in the area before approaching the garden.

Major began thinking of Camilla, all her flowers were still thriving, but not without the massive roots binding in the soils of the pots they grew in, leading deeper into the garden which was cramped with heavy foliage that blocked the entrance, the group taking a well deserved break from killing the creatures infesting the castle.

They were all tired, but none of them were wiling too give up yet, most of them knowing whats behind it, besides Major who asks about the garden.

"What should I expect in there?" He probes the group as they look at the garden with nervous glances then back to their commander.

"When the small squadrons of them came scouting the place we managed to scare them off...but they came back with more and..."

"And what?" he asks getting slightly impatient before the guy in the corner steps up and moves towards the hardened leaves.

"This is the nesting area, they brought their queen to set up a new nest in the perfect spot...its full of glass in there with fertile soil that holds nutrient plants that the queen can feed off" he elaborates for Major, his eyebrow raising in surprise of his knowledge. standing up with him at the same height.

"How do you know so much about that?"

"I used to tend the gardens for the princess before she abandoned us-"

"She didn't abandon you...she traded her life for the safety from her brother and she deserves your respect" he argues with him before looking into the nest between the small gaps, only to see a sea of green and browns.

Looking back to his team with a stable and calm expression, looking back to the man who tended to the garden in the past.

"What else do you know about the nymphs, anything about the queen?"

He sighs, and approaches Major with his thin fencing sword held tight in hand.

"The queen operates similarly to bees, a hive mind that controls the workers to bring their knocked out prey back to the nest to feed her and the new born pods"

"What about the garden?"

"It'll be guarded by soldiers and the queen will be somewhere high, she needs the most amount of sunlight available in a protected place...this wont be easy Commander"

"I know...and you are?"

"Tylen" he replies, a smile forming on Majors face as he looks upon the group with a charming grin, fueling their bravery with an inspiring pep talk as Rodahn continues to dodge the creatures that attacked him in the bunker tunnels, its floating form relentlessly attempting to sink its spiraling teeth into his flesh.

Screeching and groaning with each attack, few cuts and scrapes on the orcs body from avoiding it. Knowing what would happen if he were to swing his axe at it.

"Stop dodging and kill that thing!" the people cower behind their beds as Rodahn continues to tire himself out, growling in frustration at the impatience of the people.

"Its a Wraith, it'd be like cutting smoke!" he gruffly winces as its claws brush against his arm, cutting deep and creating jet black wounds that oozed black. The sweat on the orcs face dripped rapidly down his face as the feeling of fear slowly creeping up on him as he tries defending himself.

But the wraith phased right through his defense and strikes hi again, this time up his side, the wounds not as deep but still black and rotten. The stench of death filled the room as it continues to move on towards the people, their shrieks and cries grew louder as the creature enters in the open door way.

"N-no!...face me demon!..." Rodahn struggles to stand as the black substance starts coursing slowly through his veins, the black showing up through his green skin. Dragging himself to his feet with great effort.

"Endar...would've swatted you like...a FLY!" he yells, taking his axe and swinging at it one more time, the attack useless and the poison was already spreading rapidly through his body, and the creature was unfazed. It was a waste of an attack...wraiths can only be killed by magic.

Its groans of hunger were loud as Rodahn closes his eyes in shame, failing another task he promised to keep...Before the screeches of pain makes his eyes widen in surprise to get a look at the creature. A massive hole in its body that looks like burning embers spreading the hole wider as a floating light remain above Rodahn and in front of the people he was guarding.

It was Nix, The light that he emits harms the being of pure shadow, his fluttering form shooting straight for the creature, looping in and out of it's shadowy body with skill unmatched by any over fairy. The wraith fading away as the smoke that carries it dissipates into nothing, his voice calling out to Rodahn with worry.

"Ro?! Oh gods it hit you twice..hold still" his twinkling voice sounded more tired than normal, his non stop flying lead him back to Caspia in the hopes of finding someone, and he was successful.

"It...burns..." The orc stains as Nix floats closely to the wounds on his side, grazing over them with his bright sparkly light, the wounds were once full of thick black goop that stung the freshly cut muscle like salt.

But his light cleans the wounds of the death and helps them to close after a few minutes of catching up.

"Thank you fairy..."

"Its Nix, and i'd appreciate if you'd tell me why you thought weapons would work?" He says with a frustrated tone.

"Not like i know any nifty spells..." he says standing to his height, the people sigh relieved as he approaches them with Nix next to his shoulder with a happy light that shone through the shadows, while Major had barely any light with all the plants in the way. Tunnels of light billow through the cracks in the leafs that paved the ceiling glass.

His group cautiously behind him in a single file line with their weapons at the ready, sweeping by the colorful flora and shrubs. The holy sword hummed as they gain closer to the middle of the gardens.

The people were anxious of this place now knowing what was here but with their fearless leader at the front of them they stayed collected, Majors brows was hunched in focus as his eyes surveyed the area with quick precision. His eyes shooting around the ceilings seeing a bulbous cocoon with tinier ones around it.

A silky yellow colour they pulsate and move around as the things inside them get agitated at the intruders in their nest, vibrating and shaking as the silk that was connected to them tremble and alert the queen, a screech comes from the end of the garden, high up on the wall a piece of tree bark cracks and explodes with viscous strength.

A talon clad claw reaches out, then another...before another pair reached out...more and more start appearing from the tree as her face finally slides from the bark with slow intensity.

Her eyes were a shimmering magenta shaped like hourglasses, her teeth were jagged and long like an angler fish with dripping goo falling from her elongated mouth.

A beautiful disaster with grassy skin and wings that resembled a dark brown moth, emerging fully from her nesting cocoon with her wings fluttering quickly in the dense forest of a garden.

Her arms hang at her sides with her legs were like tree bark shaped like sharp and pointy cones that were secreting a nasty liquid.

The crowd gasp at the sight with someone gagging at the back, Major wasting no time he snatches a bow off one of the dead men in the garden. His skin glazed over with a silky keeping him fresh.

Firing an arrow straight into her head, hitting off her hard head and bouncing off cracking the tough exterior as she glides down and grabs one of the men. Carrying him to the wall and sticking him there with her silky, the sludge in her mouth hardens it.

He tries fighting back, but she jabs him with her leg as he stiffens up, unable to move with the deadly toxin coursing through his body.

"Bring that bitch down!" Major orders them as they jump into action, throwing their spears at her, piercing her body twice as she falls into the shrubs.

More nymphs round the corner and bolt into the nest at full speed, occupying some of the people with Major as him and two others take on the Queen.

They were tricky and piled by the nest in seconds blocking the exit as the queen regains her strength standing up getting ready to fly away, but Major jumps onto her back.

Slashing away at her wings with fury as the others hold back the battling nymphs, while the other two slash at her arms cutting a few off before she throws them all away with few strikes.

Screaming violently as her wounds bled a dark green onto the leafs on the ground, roots growing from the soil the liquid fell on.

"The head! Cut off the head!" Tylen shouts up to Major on her back, attempting to get a clean cut on her neck her bucking knocking him off balance.

But after much concentration he swings his sword strongly, his body in the air falling from her last buck. The holy sword chopping straight through her neck. And the minute the Queen's head hits the floor with a hard thump, the nymphs surrounding the entire city of Caspia convulse in pain.

Collectively screaming all together before falling the the ground and shriveling up into decayed mounds of plants, like thousands of flowers wilting at once.

And for the first time in a month or so, Caspia was quiet and at peace.

No more fighting, just peaceful silence as the wind burrows through the kingdoms jungle, the only sound was the rustling of leafs and creaking of wooden homes.

The day has been won.