All of us were stunned, but it didn't give chase. The dragon let us run off. The dark elves probably wanted the rest of us to know what they had.

I called out to the other roaches who were still alive to retreat back to the main army. I knew that we couldn't progress any further. There were only a few of the squad left. And General Kull needed to know what they prepared for us.

Viking salivated at the chance to fight a dragon, but Cutter yanked him to retreat.

We ran back without meeting any resistance. I saw the main army standing near where they met the main road. I didn't realize it at first, but then I figured out that the general sent me along with only a few others knowing full well that we wouldn't make it.

When we got back, the general was furious. He wanted to know why we retreated.

"General," I said with unsteady breath, "They-they have something that could destroy us all."

"Spit it out, bug."

"They have a dragon. A dragon."

The other roaches that were nearby heard us and felt a chill down their spines. I expected General Kull to be surprised, but he wasn't.

He replied, "A daughter of Nia? I know. I am well aware of the fact that the capital is guarded by a dragon."

"You knew?" I exclaimed, "You sent a small unit out there for what, then?"

"You were supposed to draw the enemy out. Clearly, you have done a poor job even for the standards of a lowly roach."

I was angry. I knew he sent us out there just to die for no good reason. I didn't know whether it was because I angered him or that he planned to do this from the beginning. Nonetheless if he wanted any of us dead, I wish he would have just executed us rather than send me on some suicide mission. But the general knew that if I was executed, the other roaches may wish to flee rather than following the general's orders. After all, I was able to rally the roaches on the first day. He didn't want me alive, but couldn't kill me himself.

General Kull ordered, "Get back to the main army. We'll march forward together, useless roach."

I gritted my teeth. "Yes, sir."

And whatever left of my squad joined with the rest of the ranks. The army marched along the main road forward.

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Doc came to me and said, "Hey, Roach. I think Hornet and I have an idea on how to deal with the dragon."

"I'm sure," I replied, "But I doubt General Kull would be interested."

"We don't need to go to the general about it," Hornet said.

"We have to follow his orders. His words are to be considered the Queen's."

"But he isn't the Queen," Doc said.

I sighed uneasily, but knew that if we marched straight to the city with that dragon there, we'd all be turned to paste.

"Fine. Tell me," I said.

Hornet and Doc explained their plan to me.

"I saw the dragon have a collar like the ones those other animals had," Hornet said, "I think they're controlling the dragon, but if we break that collar, it might not want to help the dark elves."

"Might?" I exclaimed, "And you saw the collar? You're positive, Hornet?"

She smiled and nodded as if it was obvious.

Doc said, "At the very least, we can distract the dragon. I can tell you the rest of the plan, but we'll need to get off the main road."

Viking commented, "Does this include fighting a dragon?"

Doc gave a thumbs up and Viking smiled with glee while Cutter just stayed silent. Both Viking and Cutter were willing to help. But the four of them needed Roach. They felt like they would be a roach short if I wasn't there.

As I contemplated on what to do, a group of other roaches came to us.

"Hey. Roach, right? I overheard the fact that there's a dragon out there," One of the roaches said, "From the description that the other roaches that went with you, me and some other boys have no intention to walk straight into that. We heard that you guys may have a plan. Is that true?"

I noticed there were quite a few roaches who were willing to follow me than the general. I didn't exactly know why, but I felt confident with whatever Doc had planned. I nodded my head and without the general noticing, a group of us got off the main road and into the shadows. We ran amidst the forest of mushrooms hoping that there weren't a group of dark elves hiding, while Hornet was sure that there weren't any.

Doc told me the rest of the plan. It still felt like a suicide mission, but with much higher odds than whatever General Kull planned. And even if we died, the rest of the roaches would at least get some time to mount those walls.

At that point, I also decided that we could try the sewer plan, as well. We had enough roaches to try and infiltrate the city from within. I needed one of us to volunteer to lead that mission since only Hornet, Doc, Cutter, and I memorized the layout. Cutter raised his hand to volunteer. The group of roaches splintered into two.

Viking said, "I don't like being separated with you, but good luck, brother. Hope the Queen favors our battle. Remember not to die!"

Cutter gave a thumbs up and smile. Doc handed some pouched filled with the yellow mushrooms to him. Then, he led his group towards the city. There were some sewer opening along the sides, but they had to be quick. They sprinted off knowing that General Kull's army would encounter the walls before they got there.

Meanwhile, Hornet, Doc, Viking, and I also hurried. There was a clearing on the map that Doc though would be a perfect place to stage a fight. We just hoped that our small team would be able to handle facing a dragon. If not, then I hoped the Queen would praise us for our sacrifice. I wasn't expecting to live. This was war. I knew roaches would die. I just wanted every roach to at least have a chance - a chance to prove themselves. And most importantly, a chance for them to give the Queen a glorious victory.