24 chapter 24 : Rescue and reunion

Arriving in Capua after long hours, Orion asked his men to divide into several small groups of merchants because arriving in a single block could attract suspicion from the authorities even as merchants.

 They had decided on a meeting place at the largest tavern in town.

 After his entry, Orion looked at the city which had acclaimed him so much a few years ago, he was considered like a god, admired and desired by all.

 However, there, he felt nothing in return for this city except disgust due to the fate of Marius and his family within it.

 He knew that because of his appearance people would easily recognize him so he wore a fake beard, it wasn't really difficult for him to make and he had made it himself during their trip.

 After searching for some time for information about the events that happened during and after the escape of Spartacus and the other slaves, he gathered some interesting information.

 Apparently, during the massacre of the gladiator escape, one of the guests managed to miraculously survive. It was Ilithya, Glaber's wife.

 Yet despite her luck, she remained in a deep coma for weeks. His life had been saved by a former slave of Batiatus, Ashur (The events are different from the series because of Orion. In this reality, Batiatus and Lucretia both died during Spartacus' révolte. Oenomaus killed Lucretia with his own hands because of the letter left by Orion ).

 When people learned of her survival, the news quickly reached Rome to her husband who hurried to come and verify the facts.

 Unfortunately, she had lost the child she was expecting before this tragedy and all of this had driven Glaber completely crazy.

 After having repeatedly searched for the location of Spartacus and his men with the support of Ashur who through his tricks had become his right arm, Glaber managed to locate them thanks to information given by hunters who had seen a group of several men speaking in a Germanic language pillage and kill a convoy of wine merchants.

 He also asked who had denounced the traitors who had helped the escaped slaves and he got the name of the servant girl who had betrayed Marius.

 It was Biseria, one of their servants that even Orion knew, he even knew the place where she lived and was going to go there personally.

 After ensuring that all of his men had gathered at the tavern, Orion asked them to wait there until he returned.

He went to Biseria's former home and did not find her there but as she was famous, the occupants informed him that she now owned her former employer's house.

 Orion took a horse before heading there quickly. Arriving at the gates of the villa, he managed to slip inside easily, killing the few guards that had been provided to Biseria. He entered inside the villa where there was almost no one except a few maids he didn't know.

 Orion had no emotions at the moment so to avoid any kind of escape, he killed every maid he came across. He didn't care if they were slaves or not but he was thirsty for blood.

 Everything was done silently until he located Biseria in his room kissing one of his servants.

 He entered the room calmly and when he was noticed, the two women jumped in fright.

 Biseria: You...who are you?! GUARDS!!! GAAARDS!!

 She screamed in panic as her lover quickly covered herself. Orion just looked at her with great coldness before removing his fake beard, making the woman's face covered in great shock.

 Biseria: MASTER ORION?! HOW ?! WHEN…?

 "They won't come Biseria. All your guards are dead, it's just you and…"

 Orion took his dagger and quickly lodged it with a throw too fast for the eyes of the two women in the neck of the servant who was trying to cover herself.

 " …Me ! » he finished his sentence with the same cold, expressionless look.

 Biseria looked to her right to see in horror her servant dying horribly. She again watched Orion walk towards her with a calm that terrified her, she knew why Orion was there but yet, on his face there was no anger or hatred, just a deadly calm.

 Orion: Stay calm Biseria, I'm not here to kill you.

 "Orion, please! Don't hurt me, I needed that money! I will do whatever you want..." she said while trying to undress in front of Orion who was already in front of her.

 Orion: I don't need your disgusting body, traitor . I don't even want to listen to your explanations, they won't bring my friend and his family back. Death would be a punishment both too gentle and quick for you.

 Immediately after finishing this sentence, Orion knocked her out with a punch.

 Later, Biseria was forcibly awakened by excruciating pain in her mouth. She opened her eyes to see Orion handling a red-hot knife in his mouth, she couldn't even feel his tongue anymore.

 As the woman writhed in pain, Orion began to speak as calmly as ever.

 "I know…I promised you life and I intend to keep my word. Let's just say...I'll leave you to a different life than before."

 Biseria continued to scream in pain and gesticulate as her tormentor continued.

 Orion: First, I took the organ with which you delivered this family. Afterwards…

 He moved forward to sever the Achilles tendons of both legs of Biseria who screamed even louder, the absence of her tongue making her cries of pain strange. Immediately she tried to stand up to run but could no longer stand on her legs at all.

 "I took the two members who allowed you to run to Glaber and sell someone who has always been good to you and finally…"

 Orion said as he pinned her to the ground on her back, he placed his knees on the girl's arms to steady them while pressing his hand to her neck to hold her head in place.

 "BWEERKHYYY (Mercy)! BWEEERKYYYYY(Mercyyy)…" she begged crying profusely while in his cold voice, Orion responded.

 "These were most certainly the cries of Marco and Celia who died horribly because of your greed. I loved these children as if they were my own and they were always polite to you ." 

 Immediately he slowly advanced his blade until he plunged it into Biseria's left eye, who screamed while writhing in pain.

After waiting for her to calm down a bit, he held her face in place by doing the same thing with her right eye. After screaming for a long time, she lost consciousness.

 Orion left the place after pouring hot candle wax into the ears of Biseria who had become mute, crippled, blind and certainly deaf. He had heated his blade to prevent the girl from any hemorrhage that would shorten her life. She will live but in darkness, silence, uncertainty and terror.

 As if he had done nothing, Orion returned to the meeting point where his men were. He told them he had gone to see an old acquaintance and gave them his instructions.

 Orion: If you looked for information before coming here, you know that Glaber went to attack Spartacus near Vesuvius a few hours ago and we certainly missed them by another route.

 We then have to catch up with them to help Spartacus, he was a friend just like Marius, I also trained him from the short time I was a gladiator. I will go there with a few of you, the majority will stay here to do something important.

 You will massacre the rich houses of this city and plunder them, prioritize their weapons money and food. Look for carts and find us at the foot of Vesuvius. You will be able to find your way by the smoke you see.

 As he finished speaking he looked at his men to see if any of them had a question to ask about the massacre they were going to carry out in this city during the night but each of them had just one determined look.

 They used to do this kind of thing with him to retaliate against those who provoked them.

 Moreover, from the second they had chosen to follow him on this "quest", they had committed to following his plans by putting aside their moral senses.

 Orion wanted to terrorize and bleed Rome and they had chosen to help him. Additionally, almost all of them were former slaves of the Republic so they also had their own grudges against Rome and its citizens.

 He gave them a map showing them where they needed to go. Fortunately, among his men, two were former slaves from Pompeii, they ensured they could meet there the next day.

 Without lingering, Orion was soon on the road with 20 of his men including Demiclas, Galatae and Theokoles towards Vesuvius.

The rest of his 30 men led by Stratos, Ajax and Vayline remained to plan their killings for that night.

 Orion, on his horse with his other men was not worried about arriving there too late. Glaber had left with his small army accompanied by another praetor of the republic, Publius Varinius who was also his rival.

 Each of them had their men and not all of them had horses so they were forced to keep a slow pace because of the men on foot. So Glaber's few hours of head start meant little to Orion.

 After a long ride, Orion and his men had finally arrived in the woods surrounding Vesuvius. Thanks to Phobos , they were able to locate Glaber's troops who were attacking Spartacus and his men sheltering in a temple.

 After following the crashing sounds, they noticed catapults firing flaming projectiles to besiege the temple.

 Near the siege machines, they found nearly 60 men who were feeding the fire from the 6 catapults present and protecting the horses.

 Orion only had 20 men with him to take out sixty Roman soldiers and that was more than enough.

 Each of the celestials could be called a monster on a battlefield. Even if a gladiator were strong, he would not be in the least comparable to even the weakest celestial.

 For almost two years, they had undergone infernal training every day from each of Orion's lieutenants whose combat levels were worthy of Greek legends.

 Under their guidance and constant training battles, they had reached frightening levels.

 Yet the biggest secret to their strength was not their training but hypnosis.

 A few months after beginning the training of his men, Using a formula similar to the truth serum he had made Lucretia drink, Orion had created a brew that could leave an individual in a lethargic state where their brain was receptive to the 'hypnosis.

 He just needed to convince his men that each of them had a gift for fighting and learning, then the brain would do the rest. If the brain itself were convinced that it could learn and perform certain things then it would simply do them without even the knowledge of its owner.

 During training, each of Orion's men was surprised to learn the basics of combat much more quickly by applying the advice and tips given but each with their own style.

 They were shocked that they could become much stronger overnight and the only explanation they had was the brew given from their lord's hand.

 Each of them took Orion for a god capable of making the simplest of men into a warrior without peer.

 Of course, the lieutenants were also treated to their dose of the divine beverage and their only regret was not having had access to it sooner.

 Yet, despite their strong combat abilities, none of the celestials could even dream of managing to touch Orion during a fight, he was literally above their level and in a different dimension.

Orion could kill every single one of them with a single blow if he wanted. For him who could almost see the future in the short term, a strong or weak opponent had no difference in his eyes.

 Of the twenty men taken by Orion, 13 of them were archers. An average celestial archer would be seen as a genius elsewhere. They equipped themselves with their bows and approached the Roman soldiers stealthily, placing themselves at a distance far enough not to be visible during the attack.

 Covered by the cloak of night, the thirteen archers led by Galatea waited for his signal while Orion and the seven other men including Demiclas and Theokoles approached the soldiers without them noticing.

 Arriving at a good distance, they positioned themselves on the opposite side to that of Galatae and the archers before suddenly charging at the 56 Roman soldiers.

 " ATTACK !! WE ARE ATTACKED!!!" One of the soldiers screamed to alert the others before a blade cut his throat.

 The massacre began and despite their extremely low numbers, Orion and his men had no trouble killing the Romans, especially Orion who took a Roman life with each movement.

 In less than a 30 seconds, over twenty Roman soldiers were dead but as the soldiers paid attention to Orion and his unit, at the rear of the Roman ranks, several soldiers began to fall as arrows lodged in them. .

 " SHIT !!! ARROWS ATTACK FROM THE BACK, THEY HAVE ARCHERS!!" a senior officer shouted before an arrow lodged in his throat.

 The massacre didn't continue for long until all the soldiers were dead. Just like that, twenty men had without effort or loss massacred a small garrison and without being out of breath.

 *KEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH *

 Phobos came and rested on Galatea's shoulder as she closed her eyes, after a few seconds she opened them again.

 "The Roman leader has launched the attack and your friend is being overwhelmed with his men!! We have to act quickly" she said looking at Orion.

 Demiclas: I still don't know how you manage to communicate with this bird but it's damn useful !! Are there others like him?!

 "We'll see about that later, let's hurry" Orion said as he headed towards the temple as the others followed him.

 [At the temple]

 Spartacus and his men were trying as best they could to fight against Glaber's men who were superior in number in addition to Ashur and his unit, a small group of mercenaries and bloodthirsty criminals, the strongest of whom nicknamed "the Egyptian" was fighting with Oenomaus.

The fight between the two was close until the Egyptian managed to put out Doctore's eye with one of his daggers.

 "OENOMAUS" Gannicus yelled as he came to the rescue of his old friend by chasing the Egyptian away with a kick that he didn't see coming.

He then took Oenomaus inside as he was injured now.

 Strangely, Varro was also there and fought on the side of Glaber who had enlisted him by force by kidnapping his wife Orelia and his son.

He faced both Agron and Duro, leading the fight without much effort even if he held back so as not to kill them as much as possible. He didn't want to turn against his brothers but he had no choice.

 Spartacus after killing another Roman looked around to see his men being overwhelmed. They were dying one by one and he had to do something.

 " RETIREMENT !!! EVERYONE, WE NEED TO WIN THE TUNNELS INSIDE!" He shouted and his men obeyed by fleeing towards the interior of the temple.

 Spartacus looked for someone, it was Sura who was at his side at the start of the fight but he no longer saw her.

Soon, Crixus and everyone else had already retreated and were just waiting for him to set fire to the space between them and the Romans.

 Believing that his wife may have followed the others, he also retreated and with the help of Crixus, Segovax, Agron and his brother Duro who managed to get rid of Varro and flee, he set the fire behind them to stop the advance of the Romans and take the time to flee through the tunnels. However, just as they were about to leave.

 " LEAVING YOUR WIFE BEHIND YOU SPARTACUS?!" Glaber's voice rang out, chilling the Thracian's blood.

He looked through the flames to see the opposite side where he saw Glaber smiling at him while Salvius, one of his trusted soldiers held Sura. She had one knee on the ground and appeared to have a stomach injury.

 Spartacus: SURAAAA!!!

 Crixus: They got her ?! When ?!

 Segovax: Shit!!

 Duro: We don't have time for…(interrupted)

 Agron: SHUT UP!! Have you already forgotten who saved your miserable life during our rebellion?! You would be dead without her!

 Sura on the other side looked at Spartacus with great sadness.

 "My love, it's my fault. I wanted to take his life personally for everything he put us through but there were too many of them. Leave, don't risk the lives of others because of my recklessness." she said as tears fell from her eyes.

 Glaber: How touching ! The wild and proud Thracian, first separated from his wife and then reunited , will lose her again. However, she can still survive if you surrender and come begging at my feet like the dog you are who dared to defy Rome.

 Crixus: Spartacus…

 Spartacus himself looked across at Varro and begged, "Brother! Why ?! We have been fighting together for years. Why betray us now?! You know my wife, please."

 Varro with wet eyes looked at Spartacus before looking at Glaber.

 "Praetor , maybe we can just capture them and..." he didn't even finish his sentence before the Egyptian behind him punched him unconscious.

 Glaber: It seems that in addition to the wife, I also have the best friend of the Thracian dog. To encourage you, your blond friend will die first.

 He nodded to the Egyptian who raised his dagger to kill Varro when an arrow lodged directly in his left ears.

Dead on the spot, the formidable Egyptian mercenary collapsed.

 Not even another second later, another arrow also lodged itself in the left ear of Salvius who was holding Soura, killing him instantly.

 Shocked, surprised, and frightened, Glaber and his men looked to their left where the arrow had come from to see Orion also on the temple fence with a bow.

 Orion: Hello there. 

 The shock was general, especially for Glaber, Sura and Ashur who knew him. On Spartacus' side, the shock was even greater, the men present knew the man standing there and they were all speechless.

 Glaber: YOU??

 Sura: Orion…

 Spartacus: Orion

 Crixus:... 

 Everyone was trying to overcome their surprise when screams rang out from behind Glaber's ranks, it was Orion's men killing the Roman soldiers like lions in a flock of sheep. They were not the only ones, on their way to the temple they had come across rebels coming out of a small cave linked to the temple tunnels.

 Fortunately, several of the gladiators had recognized Orion who suggested that they go attack Glaber's troops from behind and in no time, they were there.

 Ashur knew he was facing certain death and tried to escape but an arrow immediately pierced his knee, he fell screaming in pain.

 Glaber tried to quickly react by trying to grab Sura but he had to immediately stop his movement, he had the dangerous feeling that he would die from an Orion arrow if he tried to touch Sura.

 "AAAAAAAAAAAH"

 Spartacus, Crixus, and the three others leapt through the flames, screaming like lions, rushing towards Glaber and his now disadvantaged men. Galatea and the other archers of Orion also mounted the walls to shoot down their arrows at the Romans.

 Orion meanwhile sat quietly watching the bloody spectacle until only Glaber and a few men including Ashur remained who had surrendered.

Varro had also been captured and under the surveillance of Theokoles, he himself was shocked to see Orion again and was extremely ashamed that the Homecoming had taken place under such circumstances.

 Orion came down from the wall as Spartacus immediately came to meet him after moving Sura to safety.

He and the others wanted to talk to him but he told them it wasn't time yet, he only had one priority now and that was Glaber who he headed towards.

 Glaber: You! Why ?! Why did you come back here?! To support your slave friends ? Do you really think Rome will-(interrupted)

 Orion: I am not here to support Spartacus and his friends. I am here to avenge those close to me whose blood you have shed. People I loved and you killed. 

 Glaber: What?! I don't remember doing such a thing!!

 Orion: Let me refresh your memory, a few weeks ago after Spartacus rebelled with his people, a traitor was delivered to you for helping the slaves.

This man was Marius, a friend as close as a brother to me and you killed him, his wife and two young children, poor innocent people killed for helping men who only wanted to be free.

 Glaber, remembering all this, had a serious look on his face. Spartacus and the gladiators upon learning that the man who had helped them had been killed because of them were both shocked, sad but above all angry.

 "YOU DIRTY BASTARD!" Agron shouted as he advanced towards Glaber but…

 "Thank you but he's mine!" Orion said with terrifying calm and indifference.

Agron stopped his steps at the second looking at Orion in fear, he then took a few steps back before sitting down with a terrified look.

 Nasir his lover came near him.

 Nasir: Are you okay?! You look like you've had a shock.

 Agron: That...I don't know. Orion's look is just...

 Nasir: Orion ? That's the name of the handsome guy who's really good at archer ? Who is he ?! He saved us... 

 Agron: Death, he's Death Nasir! I didn't know him personally but I can just assure you that he is... different now.

 Nasir: What?! Are you sure you're alright ?

 Returning to Orion, he looked at Glaber and explained to him that he was going to make him suffer personally for what he had done.

 When Spartacus heard this, he thought about claiming the Roman's life because he had his own grudge with Glaber but knowing that they had won thanks to Orion's intervention, he said nothing.

 Orion gave Spartacus free choice to deal with the rest of the surviving Romans including Ashur and Varro.

He then took his men and went to stay at the encampment set up by the Romans with Glaber severely tied up while Spartacus remained with his men at the temple.

 As he left with his people, Orion left behind Spartacus a lot of curiosity in his camp. Many wondered who he was, some were extremely happy to see him again and others had an irresistible curiosity when thinking of the young man, this was the case of Saxa, a young warrior from Germanic lands.

 " Who is that man ?! You know him ?" she moved closer to Mira and asked.

 Mira: Yes, when he was champion under my former master. However, there are no words to say who he is. The best I can tell you about him is who he is...in my opinion, an extraordinary being.

 Saxa: Out of the ordinary huh? It made me very wet just now.

 Mira: What?!

 Saxa: Nothing. 

 The young blonde before Orion's arrival had a great interest in men like Gannicus, she intended to make him her man until Orion arrived. She was used to men and some were special.

 However, in front of Orion, she who had slept with so many men had the impression of being a virgin again.