Legion earthworks were nothing short of engineering genius, but even those would struggle in the face of an enemy that knew no fear, fatigue, or pain. Even as dozens of deep ones bled to death in spike pits or beneath the gaze of the palisade, hundreds more marched forth to be cut down by Legion blades. It was attrition warfare, something at which humanity's armies usually excelled, but what could the XIV do against an enemy that outnumbered them so terribly?<br/><br/>Aulus had left Absalom propped up against a rock as he joined Titus and the other soldiers of the expeditionary party. When the errant recruit charged forth, Titus knocked him back with an elbow.<br/><br/>'Wait. They haven't seen us yet. They don't know we're here.'<br/><br/>'Optio, we must help the Legion! Don't you see--'<br/><br/>'Oh, I see the monsters, all right. Hard not to.' Titus took a knee and spared a moment to observe the field. There had to be something directing the creatures. Something had to stir them up to arrive in such large numbers so suddenly. Was that--?<br/><br/>An upright piscine form, slender and almost mannish in its build. It stood atop a rock outcropping, translucent and seemingly unnoticed by the Legion's warriors in the rear of the monster horde. It seemed to be not all there, the cloth of its ancient vestments billowing in some phantom wind. The tides of battle rose and fell, but Titus knew a commander when he saw it. The enemy's movements always seemed to work in relation to its position, as if it was the center point of their existence. If they could disrupt that thinking, perhaps the Legion would have a better chance of beating the deep ones back.<br/><br/>'There. That creature. The Speaker from before. We make for that.'<br/><br/>Aulus scratched at the stubble on his chin. 'It doesn't look tangible, Optio.'<br/><br/>'No, it doesn't, but we have two spellcasters here, remember?'<br/><br/>'The mage is injured, Optio, and you yourself tire easily with spells, even when your Goddess' power waxes.'<br/><br/>The paladin raised an eyebrow, distinctly feeling the pain in his tired, burnt out limbs. 'Do we have any other options? It's that, or we dive in and die glorious, stupid, pointless deaths.'<br/><br/>'Point, sir,' grunted the other.<br/><br/>Titus turned back to the others. 'Alright, here's the plan. Anyone with a proper shield arm, with me. Absolom, POG, stay well back and hidden. We need you two alive as support if things go south, so I won't waste you two on this fool's errand. Everyone else, drop your packs--we need to be light and fast if we want to have a hope of getting past the rearguard. Our target is the Speaker on that rock. If we punch an opening, I should be able to pull together enough aetheric energy to take it on, if only for a few moments. Meanwhile, Absolom, you need to put together a few illusions to help us get past the regular fish, if you can muster the energy. Something to help us sneak or fight--whichever you think will put the least stress on you. But don't push yourself. If things go south, you need to keep enough left to let Caine and yourself escape.'<br/><br/>'It's a long shot,' said Caine. 'For all we know, that thing could crush you all with a thought. You might not have enough power left in you to take it on for more than a few swings.'<br/><br/>'I know,' Titus said, 'but again, it's all we have. It looks like it's controlling the deep ones via a psychic link. The translucency tells us it's not fully present, which means it can't be controlling things through pheromones or biology. If we can distract it for even a split second, that could be enough for the Legion to turn the tables.'<br/><br/>'We could all die banking on this suicide run.'<br/><br/>Titus drew his blade and channeled a small mote of his reserves through it. The heat of an infinitesimally small star ran along the edge, causing it to glow red-hot. It wasn't much, but anything that helped him cut through the chaff would get him to their true target faster.<br/><br/>'We're Mortis. Every run is a suicide run.'