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Edited by Liam_the_Censor: 8/1/2020 6:47:08 PM
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Victores et Victi: The Legionnaire, part 1

The rain poured onto Vici, a small town which lay close to the borders of the Empire. The village was notorious for bounty hunters coming through, seeking their next job. Beasts, demons, monsters and the like lurked in the forest just a couple miles away, perfect for men searching for exotic wares. The town was known to few, however, for its fair share of runaway criminals. The truly great hunters did not speak of the frequent escapees, if one was lucky he could bring multiple corpses to the state with one trip. With all this being said, it was a frightened town, and who could blame them? They could just as easily be slaughtered by malicious creatures as they could pillaged by a large band of robbers. The Empire of which they were a part appeared cold and distant to them, either unable or unwilling to project its might in protection of these citizens. Bounty hunters offered such protection, but rarely at a price these poor souls could afford. In their eyes, despite the many around them, they were alone. However, it just so happened that on one particular day one particular bounty hunter came into the town looking for one particular escaped murderer who had fled a fortnight prior. This hunter was named Liam Gue. He donned plate armor, carried a sword and dagger at his side, and rode a black horse. On his blue and yellow armor was the sigil of a lion, fitting for a man roaming what he acted was his territory. The man whose head the hunter had been sent to retrieve was a former Praetorian, a member of the royal guard of the late Emperor. As such few were skilled enough to kill him. Let alone well equipped. However, despite being at an apparent disadvantage, the huntsman strode into the town to bring this murderer’s head to the Senate and to the new Emperor, Tarquin Maridius. As Liam entered the town, he received no glances from the other inhabitants. The bounty hunters, however, were clearly speaking of him, admiring his gear. The convicts also talked among themselves, wondering if a new garrison was arriving soon. As the hunter went further into the town, he found himself in the market. Lining the street were small stands, bruised fruits and vegetables filled their baskets. Dogs barked as he approached, while merchants offered him their goods for higher than normal prices. He paid them no mind, he was set on finding the inn. If asked about his business he would say he was but a weary warrior, eager for a mug of ale and some warm food. As he passed through the market and into the rest of the town, he noticed a couple of robbers holding a knife to a man’s throat. They were demanding any coin he had, the villager swore he had nothing. Of course they didn’t believe him. The robbers harassed him until he gave in, causing the poor devil to collapse onto the ground in fear. The hunter simply moved along. “There will be another time.” He thought to himself. Shortly after, the hunter found the inn. The sign above its door was nigh unreadable, had it not been for a couple drunkards stumbling into the street, he may very well have missed it. Liam dismounted his horse and found a post to tie it down to. He grabbed a small pouch of money out of his saddlebag to pay for his supper and entered the establishment. Upon opening the door, he was greeted with a loud din of people talking to each other and yelling for more ale to the bartender. After scanning the room, the hunter found a small table on the other side where he could sit. As he went to take his seat, a man by the bar caught his eye. He seemed to be hiding himself, hunched over his drink and in a large coat. A moment later a boy no older than 16 came to him asking for his order. “Whatever is most popular.” The hunter replied. The boy nodded and turned to go towards the kitchen, but he doubled back towards Liam. “I hope ya don’t mind me asking, but what is a legionnaire such as ya doin’ in this town?” The young lad inquired. “Just passing through, looking for some warm food and some drink to quench my thirst. How did you know I was a legionnaire?” “I just noticed that lion on ya shoulder plate an’ thought I’s ask.” The boy paused and looked at the hunter’s side. “Mind if I saw your blade?” Liam nodded and unsheathed the sword. “Mighty fine steel ya got there.” “It is. This sword is lighter, stronger, and sharper than anything I used before it.” Liam himself was admiring the blade now. “In fact, I’ve never had to sharpen it in all the time I’ve had it.” “How’d ya get it?” The boy asked. “The late Emperor heard from my general that I had performed an act of great valor. So, he rewarded me with this, designed after the sword my father had passed down to me. Simple, but nevertheless beautiful.” He sheathed the hand-and-a-half sword. Liam paused a moment, “When did the man at the bar wearing the coat arrive here?” He asked. “‘Bout 2 days ago. Got a room here an’ hasn’t stepped outside since.” “Thank you. Now, about my supper...” “Oh yes, right away sire!” The boy then hurried to get him his meal. With all preoccupations out of the way, Liam looked over to the man who had caught his attention earlier. His eyes were glued to the stranger’s every movement. How his leg was impatiently bobbing up and down, his glances to his right and left, his fingers constantly drumming on the bar top. What truly roused the hunter’s curiosity was when the man drank. He was being cautious no doubt, he barely lifted his hand, but his drink had been slowly emptied to the point where the sleeve of the coat fell but slightly. As it did, a slight shimmer of gold could be seen on the stranger’s wrist. Not that of a band or any such jewelry. Liam approached the bar, a vacant stool stood next to the now suspect man. The bartender opened his mouth to ask for his drink, the hunter simply raised his hand to prevent his speaking. The boy to whom Liam had conversed with earlier exited the kitchen with his food, despite his youth he had seen enough to know it was best to move on as though his patron had not moved places on him. The hunter looked over to the man out of the corner of his eye, attempting to hide the fact that he was intently studying him as he watched. He noticed the beads of sweat dappling the man’s temple, his taking of long, uneasy breathes, and his fingers tightly gripping the mug. “I saw your blade, fine weapon...” the stranger spoke to the huntsman suddenly. “Especially for that of a legionnaire.” “Thank you.” Liam slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his dagger. “Do you have... experience with the army?” He asked hesitantly. “More than enough.” He replied. For a few moment there was a chilling silence. To the huntsman it felt like hours. With each passing second the tension grew exponentially. Moreover, Liam’s anxiety was increased as he did not want to strike down someone he was not certain was who he was looking for. Again, the man spoke. “The Senate hired you to kill me?” “I beg your pardon?” “Shame... your naïveté had you trust them. And your trust will have you killed.” After the stranger spoke this his arm lunged toward the hunter, palm outstretched to reveal a hidden wrist blade. The steel was quickly parried by Liam’s own, the dagger he carried at his side had been close at hand for such a situation. However, the Praetorian backhanded the hunter, causing him to stumble back for a moment. It was brief but it was enough time for the former Emperor’s guard to leave the inn and draw his sword. Liam quickly met him outside with his own blade drawn. (Continued in the comments)

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  • Edited by Liam_the_Censor: 10/20/2020 4:14:56 PM
    As the armies gathered in their formations, Liam marched forward to join the men at the front lines. He had been given temporary command over this division of the legion. Aurelius and his guard would supplement the rear until, if all went according to plan, the rest of the 37th joined them to battle the 10th. Once Liam reached the front lines, he shouted, “Form lines!” The legion locked their shields in the front, spears sliding through small slits in between. After this, just as expected, the entirety of Crassus’ cavalry advanced through the pass, and 3 centuries each ascended up the slopes of the mountains. Just over their heads, a shower of arrows began to rain down. “Testudo formation!” The Legionnaire commanded. Arrows in the hundreds upon hundreds struck the Republicans’ shields. All the lines rear of the vanguard locked shields overhead, as they did this, the legionnaires moved aside beneath the shields as their archers moved through the lines. As Liam held his shield facing the cavalry, they advanced at a rapid pace. “Nock!” Liam commanded, as he did this others throughout the ranks repeated his commands, the archers fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. The cavalry was gaining ground. “Draw!” The tug of bowstrings en masse underneath the shields could be heard. As the sound of hoofbeats grew louder, the Legionnaire ordered, “Break lines!” Every other row of soldiers sidestepped and withdrew their shields, revealing the archers to the approaching cavalry. Before the enemy could get any closer Liam, with a degree of satisfaction of the ingenuity of his plan, shouted, “Loose!” A volley of hundreds of arrows flew to their marks in the cavalry’s ranks. Many of the knights fell in the first shower of arrows. As they did, Crassus’ own arrows flew overhead. “Form lines!” Liam shouted again, arrows struck the shields and some of Crassus’ own men. “Nock! Draw! Break Lines! Loose! Form Lines!” These 7 words were repeated numerous times before as the cavalry charged through the pass. Before the enemy got too close, Liam ordered the archers to fall back before the remainder of the Imperial mounted soldiers hurled themselves at the Republican vanguard. As they did so, each half of the 37th’s cavalry descended down the slopes of the the mountains to the chagrin of their opposition. The cavalry ran down the imperial forces as they flanked the bulk of the 9th, which had joined their horsemen in attacking the lines. As planned, the majority of Crassus’ force was trapped in the pass as the Republican infantry and cavalry closed in. Despite the losses inflicted by their archers, there was still a notable portion of horsemen that Liam and the rest of the Republican infantry had to deal with. As a knight rode up and attempted to plunge his sword through the gap in the shield wall at the Legionnaire, Liam drove his spear beneath the man’s right arm. As the spearhead was withdrawn, blood dripping off the now warm steel, Liam shouted, “Second line, move forward!” The men just behind the first battle line took the place of the men in the vanguard, who now retreated to the rear. As Liam himself went back into his own lines, he removed his helmet briefly to speak with 5 of the centurions. “I need your best men, I’m going to create a wedge and meet our cavalry. Then I’m going out to capture Crassus. We’ve got to cut the head off the snake.” “Sir, the Imperial line is pressing our own. Even with your maneuver we’re still being pushed back.” One of the centurions replied. “Which is why it’s imperative we break their advance. If I get those men, I can do that and capture Crassus. Their cavalry will be broken and we can flank the tenth, doing the same thing we did here, only this time, we’ll have the numbers.” The centurions looked to each other before they voiced their agreement. Each of them retrieved their 5 best men from the lines. They were experienced veterans, despite their age, much like Liam himself. He then led the men and their commanding officers forward and as they got to the front of the lines, he commanded them to get into their shield formation. Spears weaved in and out of the slits between men as they found their mark in a knight’s armor or a horses heart. As the enemy cavalry was boxed in, the mobility of their horses was rendered useless. As Liam and his men pushed forward, they eventually ran into their own cavalry. “Legionnaire! Clear the area around me! My men and I will need to get to Crassus!” The knight rallied his men and broke between their infantry and the enemy cavalry. As he found a moment of respite from the fighting, he called out to one of the lieutenants. “I need thirty horses for my men and I, we’re taking the fight to their general!” “And how are we going to fight without our horses?” The lieutenant called out indignantly. “If I could fight them without horses, so can you! Now get off your damn horse!” “That’s an order lieutenant!” One of the centurions commanded. The lieutenant finally obeyed and found enough men to give up their horses and unmanned horses to take to the enemy. Before mounting, they dropped their spears and shields. As Liam and his men broke off from the fighting in the pass, a large portion of the men on horseback came with them so as to flank the 10th. Across an open field, Crassus sat on horseback with a guard of maybe fifty men. The glint of their swords being drawn met the eyes of the approaching party. “Draw swords!” Liam said to his own. The hooves of the horses, even as loud as they were, could not drown out the battle cry of the Republicans. When the two forces collided, Liam made a beeline straight for their commander, who still sat behind his men with one other guard. An Imperial legionnaire attempted to stop him, but was knocked off of his horse before he could stop his foe’s advance. Crassus drew his own blade, one of the best blades forged short of Eternal Steel, and charged towards Liam with his guard. The three engaged in a masterful display of swordsmanship. Parries, slashes, attempted stabs, and maneuvers only the most skilled warriors could utilize were performed by the three men. However, in an opening, Liam cracked Crassus’s guard in the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking the Knight off his horse. Crassus then tackled the Legionnaire off his horse, grounding the two men. When Liam and the Imperial General got up, the guard was still recovering from the hard blow he received. Crassus lunged toward Liam, aiming for his opponents leg. The other quickly parried the blade, giving himself an opening. Liam took the opportunity and kicked the man in the breastplate, knocking him to the ground. As Crassus attempted to raise the blade, Liam knocked it out of his hand with his own sword. The Legionnaire then kicked the General’s head, knocking his helmet off and bloodying him. Just after he did so, the Legionnaire heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw the guard he had struck running in his direction, sword in hand. The Imperial legionnaire charged the Republican in order to defend his general. Liam flipped the sword to where he was holding the blade, and as the enemy got close, he stepped out of the way and struck his back with cross-guard. With the soldier slowly attempting to regain his footing, Liam walked over to Crassus, who was crawling towards his sword. Before he could take hold of the hilt, Liam picked the man up off the ground, bringing the razor sharp sword to his hostage’s neck. Liam turned himself and the General to the now standing guardsman. “Drop the sword! Drop it or I’ll cut his throat!” Liam shouted. “He won’t do it, kill him!” Crassus said struggling. Once Liam regained his hold, he brought the cold Steel to the man’s neck, any slight movement could result in the sword being stained with fresh blood. “He seems to think I’m lying. I don’t blame him. But, I think you know that I will do it, drop the sword!” The guard looked his general in the eye before releasing his grip on the hilt, letting the weapon fall into the grass. Just after he did this, some of the Republican riders approached. Blood stained their armor, but there were no wound to suggest they were their own. One of the centurions who rode with them spoke. “Legionnaire, the enemy is broken and retreating. General Aurelius is regrouping the men.” As one of the riders was tying a rope around the wrists of the Imperial guardsman, Liam threw Crassus to the ground. “Tell General Aurelius we have a valuable prize, leave a couple of your men here to escort these two back with me.” The centurion obeyed and signaled his men to collect the prisoners while he returned to camp. After the Legion gathered, they set to crossing the river, which they completed in 3 days. After the 37th crossed, they marched toward Quirinius’ rally point. It was a not a short trip to reach the other Republicans, but they eventually arrived at the Republican camp. However, when the legion did so, the Republican army was under attack. As the Legion walked over the ridge, “Form Lines!” Was heard from Liam. The battlecry of the 37th roared through the fields and rang in the ears of their enemy and their brothers.

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