The resonant chitter of the Hive-Scythe was a death knell. The answering clicks from the field were the sound of an army rising from its grave. They were coming. All of them.
Lucian didn't waste a second. He pocketed the iron key and scrambled down the treacherous stairs, his mind racing. He couldn't fight a swarm. Not shackled, not with a crude talon as his only weapon. Survival now depended on strategy, not strength.
He landed on the ground floor just as the first Drone appeared in the doorway. It was a black, skittering nightmare against the grey light, its mandibles clicking hungrily. The barricade the illusions had built was useless; the creature simply crawled over it.
"They're here!" the numb man shrieked, pointing a trembling finger.
The burly man, the "foolhardy soldier," let out a roar of defiance that was equal parts terror and rage. "I'm not dying in this damn hole!"
He charged. It was the exact, stupidly heroic action his archetype demanded. He swung his shackled fists like a desperate brawler, aiming a wild blow at the Drone's head. The creature sidestepped with fluid grace, and its scythe-like foreleg lashed out, slicing through the man's chest as if it were paper. He collapsed without another sound, his role in the play finished.
Lucian watched his death with cold detachment. It was a valuable, if predictable, sacrifice. It had bought him maybe three seconds.
Two more Drones scrambled over the body of the first, their multifaceted eyes scanning the room. The veteran illusion shoved the numb man behind him, his face a grim mask of resolve. "Get back!"
Lucian's eyes darted around the room, not at the monsters, but at the structure itself. The crumbling walls, the rubble, the unstable staircase. This tower wasn't just a tomb; it had to be a weapon. His gaze fell upon the central pillar supporting what was left of the second floor. It was thick, but deep cracks ran through it like dark veins. Above it, a large section of the ceiling sagged dangerously.
An idea, brutal and desperate, took shape.
"You!" Lucian yelled at the veteran, pointing to the pillar. "Help me with this!"
The veteran's eyes followed his gesture, and a flicker of understanding crossed his face. He understood the mad logic. While the veteran ran to the pillar, Lucian turned to the last remaining illusion, the numb man who was frozen in terror.
"You want to live?" Lucian's voice was sharp, cutting through the man's fear. "Run. Get upstairs. Now!"
The command was a lifeline. The numb man didn't question it; he scrambled towards the staircase, his panicked movements drawing the attention of one of the Drones. It gave chase, its claws clicking on the stone. Perfect. A distraction.
Lucian and the veteran slammed their shoulders into the central pillar. It groaned, and a shower of dust rained down. It wasn't enough.
"Again!" Lucian roared.
They hit it again. A large crack splintered up the stone. The tower shuddered. The Drones already inside paused, their insectoid heads tilting as if sensing the danger. More were pouring through the doorway now, a tide of black chitin.
A scream echoed from above as the Drone caught up to the numb man. Another pawn removed from the board.
Lucian ignored it. He and the veteran slammed into the pillar a third time. With a deafening crack, the stone gave way. The pillar shattered, and the entire ceiling section it was supporting collapsed inward.
Tons of rock and debris crashed down onto the center of the room, crushing three of the Drones in an instant. The impact shook the entire tower, sending dust and stone fragments flying. The doorway was blocked by the cascade of rubble, temporarily stemming the tide of the swarm.
Lucian had thrown himself clear, rolling to avoid the worst of the collapse. He came up coughing, his body bruised. The veteran hadn't been so lucky. A large block of stone had crushed his legs, pinning him to the floor. He was alive, but his part was over. He looked at Lucian, his expression not of pain, but of grim satisfaction. He had died a soldier's death. His echo faded into motes of grey light.
Lucian was alone.
The dust began to settle. He was trapped in the ruined base of the tower with the remaining Drones—two from the initial group and one more that had been injured in the collapse. Three to one. The odds were better, but still terrible.
He needed to find the lock.
His eyes scanned the floor, frantically searching. The key was heavy in his pocket. It had to be for something here. And then he saw it. The collapse had dislodged a large, flat flagstone in the center of the room, revealing not dirt beneath, but the dark edge of a metal hatch. In the center of the hatch was a small, iron-covered keyhole.
His path to survival.
The injured Drone, its leg twisted at an unnatural angle, dragged itself towards him, chittering weakly. Lucian dispatched it with a single, precise stab of his vulture talon to its head, absorbing another welcome shard of soul essence.
Two left.
They were between him and the hatch. They scuttled apart, trying to flank him, their mandibles clicking in a predatory rhythm.
Lucian backed away slowly, his eyes flicking between the two creatures. He couldn't fight them both at once. He needed to create an opening. He feinted left, drawing the attention of the Drone on that side. As it lunged, he didn't dodge away. He dodged towards it.
The move was unexpected. He ducked under its snapping mandibles, his shoulder slamming into its legs. The creature was thrown off balance, stumbling into the path of its companion. For a single, chaotic moment, the two Drones were tangled together.
It was the only chance he would get.
Lucian sprinted for the hatch. He fell to his knees beside it, his fingers fumbling in his pocket for the key. He pulled it out, its cold iron a stark reality in his hand.
He jammed the key into the lock. Behind him, the Drones had untangled themselves. He heard their furious chittering, the sound of their claws scraping on the stone as they charged.
He turned the key.
With a deep, grinding clang, the lock turned. The hatch shuddered. He didn't have time to open it. A black shadow fell over him. He twisted, raising his shackled arms in a desperate, futile block as the first Drone leaped, its razor-sharp mandibles aiming for his throat.