“Who are you?” Ampelius asked in confidence, while also trying to hide his fear.

  The figure stepped into the pale light, revealing himself. “Legion Legate Commander Corvinus,” he said evenly. “Third Garrison Legion.” His eyes studied them both like they were a pair of unregistered anomalies rather than survivors.

  Bella folded her arms, with a smirk tugging at her lips. “About time the military decided to crawl out of whatever hole they were hiding in,” she said. “Better late than never.”

  Corvinus’s expression barely shifted. One brow rose. “We are only the local garrison, not the regular military,” he said. “Anyway, how exactly did the two of you end up down here?”

  Ampelius took a steady breath and told him everything he could remember. He skimmed over their escape from the apartment, but mostly lingered on what they’d faced in the last few hours, especially those Zavon creatures. Corvinus didn’t interrupt, he just watched as his eyes locked on him, almost expressionless. He listened like a child sitting at the edge of his bed, caught between disbelief and dread, like he was hanging on every word he didn’t want to believe, but couldn’t turn away from.

  “Yeah, those creatures,” Corvinus said after a moment, “whatever they are, they are incredibly tough to kill without the right ammunition. Their armor can withstand almost everything we throw at them except armor-piercing rounds. We’ve had several encounters with them since the attacks began, and that’s the only thing that seems to work. Unfortunately, that type of ammo is in short supply. We’ve been burning through it faster than we can resupply. It’s not something garrison units typically carry, especially in the autonomous zones. You two are lucky to have survived this encounter.”

  “I call these creatures Zavons,” Ampelius said firmly. “What do you know about them? Why are they attacking this city and killing everyone?”

  Corvinus looked thoughtful for a moment. “Zavons, huh? That’s a fitting name. How did you come up with it?”

  "It’s a name from my childhood," Ampelius explained. "My friend and I used to play war games and fight imaginary monsters, that’s what we called them."

  Corvinus nodded. “Creative. I might borrow that name. As for what we know, it’s not much. They seem to be using volcanoes to launch their attacks. Until recently, they were targeting military installations near volcanoes, whether dormant or extinct. They’ve been incredibly effective, wiping out entire bases one by one. About two weeks ago, Mount Bonavern in Italia was the first to go. The eruption sent a glowing green cloud over the nearby military installation, and there were no survivors. That base was just a few hours from Roma, where the emperor was at the time.”

  Ampelius’s eyes widened. “How many bases have been destroyed?”

  "Since the Mount Bonavern incident, nearly a dozen bases across the planet have been wiped out," Corvinus said grimly. "As of yesterday, every major city near a volcano has come under attack by these Zavons. This is no isolated event, it’s a full-scale, coordinated assault spanning the entire globe. The Roman military is mobilizing what remains of our forces to defend the territories, but we’re stretched thin."

  He paused a moment before speaking again. “These attacks aren’t just random,” he said quietly. “They’re tearing us apart piece by piece and hitting where it hurts the most.”

  Ampelius frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, they’re striking our key positions, mainly the military bases, but also some research sites and logistical hubs. They have even targeted a few communication infrastructure, though all of those facilities happened to be located near volcanic zones. It’s like they already know where to hit to cause the most damage.” Corvinus’s tone dropped. “And Rome is barely keeping up. These armor-piercing rounds are the only thing that seems to work, at least for us here, but we’re burning through them faster than we can replace them.”

  The weight of Corvinus’s words sunk in like dust after an explosion. Ampelius didn’t say anything, he just stared, trying to piece together the scale of what they were up against, knowing it wasn't just localized. Beside him, Bella let out a sharp breath and shook her head. “This is insane. How are we supposed to fight back?”

  Corvinus’s reply came steady, almost rehearsed. “We’re doing what we can here, but we need more than pure firepower to defeat them. But naturally, survival comes first.”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Before Ampelius could respond, the tunnel itself seemed to shudder. A deafening crash ripped through the air, followed by the groan of twisting metal and falling debris. From the wreckage ahead, a pale blue light began to bleed through the cracks. The soldiers all froze, weapons raised as a precaution, just as dozens of mechanical tendrils pushed through the torn ceiling in front of them.

  “We have contact!” Someone barked.

  The mounted machine guns on the train roared to life, shredding the air with a storm of gunfire as the soldiers rushed to cover their flanks. The sound was deafening, metal against metal, brass clattering across the floor, just as the bluish light above flared and danced through the smoke.

  Ampelius pulled Bella close, shielding her as the tunnel erupted in gunfire. Bullets sparked off the tendrils, each hit flashing bright before fading into nothing. The vine-like appendages didn’t even react, they just kept moving.

  They slithered over the wreckage like an octopus feeding on a carcass, stripping it apart piece by piece. Then, without warning, the tendrils began to coil together, fusing into a perfect ring of barrels, each staring down at them like the mouth of a machine gun waiting to fire.

  “Fall back and take cover!” Corvinus shouted. His eyes never left the thing taking shape above them, but his soldiers obeyed without hesitation, breaking into a tight formation along the tunnel walls, using what they could to protect themselves.

  Then came the screams. Two soldiers abruptly seized up and fell to the ground, lifeless. No visible projectiles, no audible discharge, just the hauntingly brief flash of blue from the rotating barrels as they fired in sync, each shot landing with deadly precision.

  Ampelius barely had time to process what was happening before a third soldier went down, though this one had his chest bursting open in a spray of thick, blue gel-like fluid.

  “Smoke out!” someone yelled, and a second later came the sharp pop of a grenade. The tunnel vanished into a rolling cloud of smoke, swallowing light and sound alike.

  Unsure if the thing was still firing, Corvinus snapped back into command.“Deploy the barrier! Move!” he shouted. The soldiers got to work in an almost perfect rhythm as they pushed the defensive shield into the open gap between the train and the wall, inching it forward step by step.

  Ampelius turned to Bella. “Are you okay?"

  She nodded, though her face said otherwise. She was getting pale, and her jaw was tight, with one hand pressed to her side. “I’m fine,” she lied, her words sharp with exhaustion. “But we can’t stay here.”

  A nearby explosion rattled the tunnel, shaking dust from the ceiling. Corvinus shouted something over the noise, but his voice was barely audible. The soldiers were already regrouping, pulling back toward the armored train as the barrier sparked under another hit.

  Ampelius glanced toward the retreating line, then back at Bella. “They’re leaving,” he said, urgency creeping into his tone. “Come on, we’re getting on that train, or we’re not getting out at all.”

  Bella gritted her teeth, leaning on him as they started moving through the smoke toward the soldiers. The hiss of engines and the clang of metal echoed ahead, a promise of escape, or just another fight waiting to happen.

  Commander Corvinus glanced back as his soldiers broke formation, moving toward the train before doubling back to cover Ampelius and Bella. His gaze fell on Bella, and his frown deepened at the sight of the blood soaking through her side. “That wound doesn't look good,” he said. “Let's get her on the train, I'll have my medics take care of it once we’re clear. We’ve got the proper equipment back at base; she’ll be fine.”

  He turned toward the armored transport as the engines roared to life. “Both of you, move! You’re coming with us.” Then, raising his voice over the chaos: “Load up and seal the car! Let’s move, people!”

  The soldiers surged into action, guiding Ampelius and Bella toward the waiting train as Corvinus took one last look at the smoke-choked tunnel before stepping aboard.

  A piercing screech tore through the tunnel, followed by a thunderous crack that shook the ground. Debris rained from the ceiling as a crimson beam cut through the smoke, slicing the darkness in two. Four soldiers were caught in its path, shadows for only a heartbeat before their chests burst open in a spray of thick, blue fluid.

  “I don’t get it,” Ampelius muttered, eyes wide. “That blue stuff, it’s always vaporized people before. Why is it just the impact this time?”

  Corvinus turned sharply, jaw tight. “I’ve never seen them use anything like this. They’re adapting.” His gaze flicked toward the tunnel ceiling. “We need to seal this place before more of them push through.”

  Bella’s voice trembled. “Are there other Zavons in the metro?”

  “Yes,” Corvinus said grimly. “They’ve breached several tunnels, but so far we’ve only faced their foot soldiers and beasts.”

  “Beasts?” Ampelius echoed, exchanging a look with Bella.

  Corvinus nodded once. “These beasts are fast, and they can tear a man apart in seconds, but they die easy. Problem is, they never come alone. Where there’s one, there’s a hundred more. Every encounter brings something new or something worse.”

  The soldiers moved quickly, hauling the wounded and ushering the rest toward the train. The defensive barrier sealed with a final metallic thud just as another blast ripped through the haze. One man went down, blue fluid bursting from his chest as he hit the tracks.

  “Captain!” Corvinus barked, voice cutting through the chaos. “Get us out of here—now!”

  “Sir, yes sir!”

  The train jolted forward, steel screaming against steel as it tore down the tunnel, leaving behind only smoke, blood, and the fading hum of that crimson light.