Chapter 1 Battle
“Century, Brace yourselves!” The Centurion yells out to his 80 Legionaries that made up his formation.
Felix could not help it. He kept on shaking, being on the front ranks with shield on hand and sword ready to thrust.
However, he was not shaking out of fear, but of excitement. The years of battle which drove them to this final moment makes the prospects of returning home all the more possible.
Over 200 Barbarians march before them. All armed diversly from one another. Some held axes and shields, some held spears, or swords, and often wore either crudely built chainmail with helmets, or nothing more than the tunics on their chests.
Some even wore the scavenged armor of martyred Legionaries that met their unfortunate end at the early days of the war.
Yet despite their overwhelming numbers, they weren’t trained like Felix, and sure as hell aren’t as experienced as him and his fellow Legionaries.
They had spent over 3 years campaigning within the borders of the Empire, quashing Barbarian hordes that had broken through the borders and raided the countryside. It was these Rhonic Barbarians that killed his friends and razed his village.
And here he was now, taking part in one of the largest battles in his career. Over 77,000 Legionaries, combined from the other Legions of the Empire fighting against 200,000 barbarians in the massive plains of the Eastern Border.
His Century was just one of hundreds. This battle was to decide their whether if the Crisis will end or not.
The first barbarian lunges forward as his formation drew closer, bashing his shield against Felix’s and trying to stab him over his shield. However, this maneuver was all too familiar for our hero.
The barbarian’s movements were untrained and stiff, and with the fluid movements of Felix’s martial skills, he ducks to the side of their shield and slices the Barbarian’s calve, making him kneel to one knee before Felix sinks between his blade between the brute's collar bone.
He straightens himself, unmoved by the death of a man, for all around him, it was just carnage. His Century slowly moves backwards, and he follows, taking small steps backwards together with the Legionaries besides him.
They moved as one formation, not breaking nor wavering. No one spoke a word, only grunts and yells.
Then, the sound of a trumpet echoed behind him. It was time to switch.
He takes a step aside and fell back further into the formation, letting the other Legionary who was once behind him take his place. This maneuver replaced the fatigued Legionary up front with a fresh Legionary from behind.
To the enemy, this would seem as if they were fighting an endless wave of Imperial Soldiers, all moving fluidly from back to front.
By the time Felix reached the back line, he maintained his position, staying behind the column of men he traversed.
The back line was somewhat quieter than the front of course, and a servant approaches him.
“Water sir Felix?” Crome, a camp servant says as he is holding a pitcher and a cup on both hands
“Ah thank you, Crome” he says as he takes the cup and gulps down its liquid contents “Tell me, have you heard from the other Centuries?” he adds, giving the cup back to the servant
“I had heard the 4th Century broke through the Barbarian lines, although that’s much about it” he replies
“That’s great!” Felix cheers “Our Right flank is secured then. One more push and we’ll finally defeat these scum” he smiles
Crome smiles back and leaves, offering refreshment to the other Legionaries.
Felix looks back and sees stretchers of wounded men being treated by the Servants. Some were impaled by Javelins or cut down but the axes of the enemy.
But he could only count them with his fingers. And far as he knows, being just at the front he could tell the Barbarians were losing their momentum as the Century just halted itself.
Eventually, it was time for Felix to take the front once again, after many more of the Legionaries switched places. By the time he was near the front ranks, the Centurion sounds the trumpet from behind.
“Century, Advance 10 paces!”
Thus, the Century followed. 10 paces forwards and the Barbarians were being pushed back. Felix steps over the bodies of the Barbarians which had slowly pushed the Century back. And now, he was going passed them.
“Century, Advance 15 paces!” Several officers yell out
Again, the Century complied. By the time Felix was at the front row, he could only see atleast 50 or so Barbarians keeping their distance from their shields.
Some fled, but some well-equipped Barbarians, perhaps Nobles and Veterans, stayed in formation.
Yet Felix could see in their eyes that they were about to break. He smiles but says nothing. The entire Century was silent. Only the sounds of footsteps, metal and the growls of the Barbarians filled the silence.
The silence filled the barbarian formation with an uncanny feeling. A silent force, looking you dead in the eye slowly advancing as if they were after your life. Such is the ways of the Legion.
Eventually, the Barbarians stopped taking steps backwards, and the sound of water filled the silence. They Century were about 5 more paces between the Barbarians, however the Barbarians were cornered against a cliff.
One of them speaks up in the Imperial tongue.
“We surrender. Let us stop this needless slaughter and go home!” They spoke
The Legionaries were dumbfounded over what they had just said. Some began muttering their own words, but it was Felix who broke the silence
“You raid our lands and speak of madness. And now you ask us to leave and forget all this had happened? No! None of your trees, none of your swamps, just an open ground and us. No more mercy shall I give”
It would be wise to tell that Felix is an Optio, bearing the vertical crest of his helmet, therefore, he was a respected man. The Centurion, who was walking towards the front ranks when the Barbarian spoke, overheard Felix.
He walks up to his side and whispers “Well said, however I give the command, not you”
“I know sir, but it had to be said” Felix replies
The Centurion nods in acknowledgement. He raises his hand, red cloak spilling out of his arm. The Blue horizontal crescent from his brass helmet, visible to all, takes all the attention.
“Let this be the end” The Centurion mutters, before swinging his arm forwards, and yelling out his final command of the battle “Kill them all!”
Felix and the Century surges forward, and the Barbarians either jumped down the river and drowned or was cut down as they made a last stand. No mercy was given, even to the wounded.
Treading over the piles of dead, one Barbarian, a teenager, looks up to Felix eye to eye, and begs for mercy.
However, Felix has had enough of this war, and raises his sword. But before his could thrust it downwards, the teen leapt up from the ground and stabbed Felix below his armor, blade sunken into his abdomen.
He grips the hand of the young barbarian and pulls the blade out, then proceesds to stab him as he was just about to do.
However, the sudden loss of blood causes him to go unbalanced and falls to the river. His fellow Legionaries, who had just realized what had happened, rushed to try and get him out of the water, however the current was strong, and it was too late.
Felix’s eyes struggle to stay open. His head bounces from one rock to another, with his helmet keeping him from further injury. But the blunt force of some impacts forces him to lose consciousness.
His life was fading, he could feel it. Blood was seeping out of his wound and his mind slowly felt as if it was losing its life.
But just as he was about to die, a sudden force collides with him. A feeling of rejuvenation. It burnt through his chest and mind. His would slowly feel as if it was being burnt by the fires of the Sun.
Just when he thought the Darkness was about to overtake him, he jolted up and found himself within a void of mist and fog.
Am I dead?
