Cast of Main Characters.
Maximus - Legionarii, Second in command of the Fifth Legion (battle field promotion)
Spurius – Legionarri, Commander of the Fifth Legion (battle field promotion)
Anthony – Legionarri, Decurion of the Fifth Legion (battle field promotion)
Domitius – Commander of the Equites Lanciarii, Sword Master and legendary fighter
Muckus – Former commander of the Fifth Legion (deceased)
Attius – Legionarii of the Fifth Legion, Muckus shadow
Bassus – Muckus’s father
Cita – Muckus’s mother
The Little Man – Head of the Assassins Guild
Toke – Commander of the Men of Demos
‘To eat the Bear.’
Part One
Anthony, Maximus, Spurius and Domitius stood looking down at what remained of Muckus, his mangled body flayed in some parts and worried by animals in others. Muckus’s face wore a half terrified half mystified expression, as if he knew what was happening to him but not why, the scouts had found Muckus still tied to a tree, his naked form slumped over hiding the worst of the damage from the dark ritual.
‘What do we do with this?’ Giving the body a push with his foot, asked Maximus. Muckus’s head tilted to the side, staring at the gathered men, his eyes missing but it seemed the empty sockets looked back at the men accusing them of something.
‘Leave it for the forest and all that dwell within.’ Grunted Domitius,
‘What of the Demos?’ Spurius asked,
‘Their gone, the scouts have found their trail heading back towards Lonely Hill fort.’ Domitius again grunted. A Legionarii came upon the men, catching Domitius eye he indicated he needed to speak to the grizzled man. The two men exchanged a few quite words before the Legionarii left. Domitius returned to the waiting men.
‘We return to Arretium.’ Domitius said, before turning and bellowing orders at his men.
Attius watched the gathered men cluster around the form of Muckus, no respect for the dead, one man had even kicked poor Muckus. Attius had grown up with Muckus, always there in the back ground, his shadow some called him always there but never noticed. He hadn’t known what to do when Muckus had been arrested, his shadow but a coward none the less, so he had lurked about, drifting lost, until word had come that Muckus had escaped, hope had blossomed like a flower after a storm, and then the hope was shattered just like poor Muckus’s body. A frown on his plain face as he thought hard about what to do now, poor Muckus was to be left for the crows, no coins placed on his eyes, Attius decided the only thing to do was tell Muckus’s family and let them deal with it. One look back at Muckus’s broken body and he disappeared into the crowd, just another shadow amongst so many men.
Toke stood looking back at the skull faced priest who had just informed him that the men of Demos were to return to the capital. The priest had not explained why, just given the order and stood staring at the commander, its perpetual grin slightly unnerving, Toke briefly thought about a contest of wills with the priest, but how do you stare down a skull? A shrug and Toke spoke,
‘Very well I will do as ordered.’ The priest nodded and walked away.
Bassus, Muckus’s father, stood meekly as Cita raged about the room. Attius didn’t want to draw attention to himself, again, after telling Muckus’s parents about his death, one eye swollen shut after Cita had smashed him in the face, her face red as she screamed curses into the morning air. Cita stopped and spun on Attius, spittle flying from her lips.
‘Who did this to my boy?’
‘Domitius arrested him…’ Attius said quickly not wanting to anger the large woman further, Attius knew that Domitius wasn’t the one who had actually killed Muckus, but still, he was the one who had arrested him and if he hadn’t been tied to the tree and had to have then escaped he would be here today. Attius felt sweat bead on his forehead as Muckus’s mother started again with the curses, her large meaty fists again curling up getting ready to hit something, Cita turned to her husband
‘Go talk to your…friends. You know what needs to be done.’
‘Yes my dear…um now?’ Cita back handed her husband, who fell over a chair his robes falling open exposing his hairy skinny legs.
‘Yes now my love.’ Cita sneered back at her prone husband. Attius standing in the corner, unnoticed, decided it was time to leave. Slipping out a side door he made his way through the sprawling house and back into the city of Arretium, one thought came to his head, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
Walking quickly down the wide clean street, weaving slightly from the blow to his head, Bassus came to the shop front, the sign creaked slowly in the soft breeze as it swung back and forth, Bassus stood outside watching the sign with its brightly coloured picture of a little man holding a large jug move with each breath of the wind. Mesmerised briefly by the bright colours and the hypnotic movement he shook his head and staggered into the shop, earthen jugs were stacked to the ceiling and the was air thick with dust that drifted about the shop on unseen currents. Bassus wobbled up to the counter where sat a small bird like man, who cocked one eyebrow at Bassus’s beaten appearance. Bassus took a deep breath and tried to compose himself before speaking, a moment and he spoke.
‘I…have a job…my son murdered…um I have a job.’ The Little Man smiled a nasty smile.
‘Ahh Bassus so nice to see you again, now my dear man, tell me about what happened to your delightful son. No wait don’t tell you’ve already said, murdered, a pity. Who is the target?’
‘Domitius’
‘The Sword Master? A legend amongst the good people of the Romuli’
‘Yes’
‘It will cost you, I may lose men. Domitius could be …tough.’ Bassus pushed two heavy purses across the counter towards the Little Man.
‘Done, Domitius will die!’ exclaimed The Little Man. ‘A drink perhaps might be in order maybe a game of dice?’ Bassus nodded happily for no one denied the leader of the Assassin Guild anything.
The sun set over Arretium, as shadows extended and people stumbled home from a hard days work, or perhaps to much wine, Maximus, Anthony and Domitius found themselves enjoying another round of cool wine, Spurius had left early something about finding a soft woman before they found out what their new orders were and what was to become of the remaining men of the Fifth Legion. The night wore on as the three men drank wine and ate, telling tales and trying to forget the troubles they had all experience. A darkness briefly rippled across Maximus’s face as he remembered doing the same with his dead brothers, even sour Gallus almost smiled at the tales told by the care free Leontius, sitting back Maximus let the sounds of the city wash over him, a dog barking in the distance and then suddenly quite, the voices of the two men sitting with him droning on in slightly drunken tones. Maximus pondered why the wine shop wasn’t packed with patrons this night; in fact he hadn’t seen the owner or a serving girl for a while either.
Standing Maximus looked around, the street was deserted, a frown pulled its way across his face, Maximus started to turn back to his companions when a man stepped around the corner draped in a dark cloak that seemed to drink in the darkness around him. He suddenly raised a compact, yet powerful crossbow from inside his cloak and fired. Years of battle saved Domitius, just, as the bolt ripped the side of his face open and buried itself into the wall behind him. The assassin let out a high pitched whistle, dropping the crossbow he then drew his blade and advanced on the three men. Maximus pulled his gladius free and moved to meet the man.
Anthony watched in disbelief as the assassin moved in seeming to think he could beat the three men, did he not know they were Legionarii? More assassins came running around the corner, oh, thought Anthony.
Maximus found himself in a deadly dance as the assassins blade snaked in, the man kept twirling in his cloak, a wild dance of cloak and blade, the dark material obscuring his movements. Maximus saw the other men come around the corner, six against one time to end this, he thought. The next spin of the cloak and Maximus stepped in; the assassin who thought his style of swordsmanship was unusual enough to keep his adversary confused was surprised to find himself suddenly off balance as Maximus grabbed his cloak and halted his spinning dance of death, Maximus pulled the man towards him, as the man lost his balance and stumbled Maximus stabbed his gladius up and under the assassin’s chin, feeling his warm blood gush over his hand he yanked his blade free, quickly turning he ran back to his friends. More crossbow bolts ripped through the air just missing the running Legionarii, Maximus saw Anthony and Domitius make their way into the wine house. Sprinting into the room he found Domitius crouched just inside the door.
‘Anthony?’ asked Maximus, noting the large wound on Domitius face freely weeping blood.
‘Out back, checking to see if there is a back door to this place.’ Growled Domitius
Maximus glanced out a window, he could see assassin’s moving into position, making ready to storm the wine house; he counted at least ten men that he could see. Anthony came back into the main room, a quick shake of his head indicated that there was no back door as he weaved his way between the tables of the wine house.
The three men squatted down together, Domitius spoke,
‘Tell me,’ as he spoke the fitful light from the oil lamps caused his face flicker with each word ’do you want the bear to eat you? Or do you want to eat the bear?’ The men looked at each other and spoke at the same time,
‘We’ll eat the bear.’
‘Good men, let us ready for the coming feast.’
The windows of the wine house exploded inwards as crossbow bolts smashed through them, quickly followed by assassins as they bounded and rolled into the room blades at the ready. The first to land was felled by Domitius, striking with appalling speed he stabbed the assassin in the throat, blood exploded from the wound as Domitius pulled his weapon free painting his face in the dying mans blood, clearing his eyes he moved to met the next assassin.
Anthony found himself facing an assassin with a long slender blade that moved through the air with a mind of its own; he was quickly covered in small wounds as he barely managed to keep the slender blade from himself. Only his reflexes kept the assassin from landing a killing blow, without warning a chair crashed into the assassin’s side knocking the man down, Anthony took the opportunity to stomp on the fallen mans chest, hearing bones break he nodded thanks to Maximus who flung another chair into the path of the next assassin through the window, fouling his landing, the assassin rolled across the floor and came to his feet and launched a flurry of blows, using hand and foot having lost his sword, at Maximus. Maximus lost his gladius, it being deftly kicked from his now numb hand, another kick impacted with the side of his head, stunned Maximus struggled to remain up right, seeing a fist coming at his face Maximus only just managed to avoid it when a chair sailed into the assassin, sending him off too Maximus left giving him enough time to ready for the assassin as he flew back at Maximus, a fist came screaming in, which he again just avoided.
He was taking a pounding and he knew he needed to finish this manic, the next blow he caught the man by his wrist, years of training with a blade making his grip like iron, with a savage twist he brought the assassin’s arm up and back behind the man, hearing a satisfying crack as his shoulder popped out of the joint, a scream and the man fell back, Maximus picked up another chair and floored the shocked assassin, who collapsed blood leaking from his ears.
Domitius pulled his blade free from the dead assassin, as the remaining assassin’s fled back through the windows. Of the ten men who had attacked half now lay dead on the floor of the wine house. Silence outside, inside the sound of three men breathing a sigh of relief after a short, but brutal battle. Domitius’s face had swelled up, his wound looking like a second puckered mouth growing on the side of his face, Maxiums was bruised all over and Anthony looked like someone had tried to slice him up one cut at a time.
‘What now?’ asked Anthony, wiping blood from his eyes as one cut on his forehead continued to bleed freely.
‘This room has too many windows…should we move up stairs and wait out the night? The stairs will prevent too many coming at us.’ Asked and suggested Maximus.
‘Alright we’ll move up stairs and wait the night out. When morning comes I’m sure theses chaps trying to kill us will melt away with the night.’ Domitius said already moving across the floor towards the stairs.
End of Part One.
Primicerius
Re: After Action Reports (AARs)
Originally Posted by Borissomeone
I was going to call it 'Night of Knifes/Knives' (grammar), but I like the other one better. Mmmm not sure when it will be ready currently writing the fight scene with lots of assassin fun
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Citizen
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Domesticus
Centenarius
In Memory of Blackomur
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nice thank you.
) and I will bring in a new female character. The next part will be called 'Epirus', the Uruk, the Teutonic and the Romuli all come together in a massive battle
. Also a plot will be discovered by Toke, one that will destroy Thera, he will need to decide if he lets the Uruk Dominion go ahead with the plan or will he betray them and save Thera...
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