chapter 1

'My name is Quintus Dias, I'm a soldier of Rome. And this is neither the beginning nor the end of my story. Two years on the frontier, this place is the arsehole of the world. Even the fucking land wants us dead.'

While Dias was staring into the darkened woods ahead of him, contemplating his crappy life as a roman soldier, a burly, tall and warmly dressed man slowly made his way to Dias until he was just a few centimeters away from him shortly before winding back his arm and slamming his calloused hand into to the back of Dias.

"AGH! what the-"

Before the startled Dias had the chance to curse, he was abruptly cut off by the man.

" Centurion Dias!!, it's too damn cold to be standing watch."

The burly man said with a wide, chipped tooth smile. which earned him a smile in return from Dias.

"It's nice to see you captain Gratus, it's not my watch, I'm just wondering what's out there."

The burly man we came to know as Gratus chuckled in response to Dias's answer to him, before speaking to him.

"What could be out there beside rock, those pathetic, scraggly trees that make up that forest and the possible heathen or twenty hiding in the mud somewhere. Go, I'll take over, you should get some sleep and recover your energy, soldier, the Patrol returns at dawn."

Gratus said followed by a boisterous laugh.

Dias sighed before replying to his captain.

" Yes sir"

He then began walking down the wooden stairs of the front Gates watchtower with a heavy look on his face.

' How does Gratus keep his happy go lucky attitude? The longer we stay in this god forsaken place, the deeper the cold and damp soaks into our bones. And the rain makes way only for the stinging Bite of the north wind. while we lose brave men to foot rot and frostbite, the Pict King Gorlacon sends his war parties to raid along the frontier at will. When will this misery end?'

"Gentlemen"

Dias while walking past two tattered and tired looking soldiers sharpening weapons, greeted the men.

"Evening, sir"

"A Cold night on the front."

Dias replied to the men who could only nod their heads in sad agreement. once in his battered looking tent on his tattered and filthy cloth he called a bed, laid a half-naked Dias who shortly resumed his thinking.

' My father believed that to truly defeat an enemy, you must know them better than yourself. I Know this enemy well. They play only to their strengths, refuse to be drawn into open combat. instead, they pick at the scab until we bleed, hiding in the shadows like filthy animals, striking hard and fast then falling back in the night. come the dawn, we count our losses and sow the earth with our dead. In some ways they are similar to the demons, this is a new kind of war a war without Honour, without end.... Not that war would have a need for Honour in the first place.'

After some contemplation Dias then drifted off into an uncomfortable and barely warm sleep.

POV: Captain Gratus

'About two hours had passed since my second in command, Dias retired to his quarters, I bet two silvers, that brat is probably sleeping while thinking about pointless things. Not that that I blame him the situation in the front is utterly Horrid to say the least, it's hard to think that we will be able to make it out of this hellhole alive, but when the emperor sends orders you humbly obey no matter how nonsensical those orders are. such is the way of a soldier.... enough with these depressing thoughts, I need to take a Royal piss'

Gratus chuckled to himself for a moment, before walking to the edge of the gate wall pulling out his cock and pissing down over it.

" ssssssooooooooooh, nothing like a well-deserved piss."

Gratus took the moment to relish the relief he was feeling at the moment which was soon interrupted by a sudden feeling of foreboding his instincts was telling him to step back RIGHT THIS MOMENT, and so he did. but as luck would have it, he was a tad too slow.

*THWIP*

" ARGGGGGGGGGGGGH"

Gratus screamed, his head flooded with pain, his eyes traveled quickly to find the origin.... they didn't have to search long. on his boot lied his severed cock and a chunk of his ball, his base was now spewing a fountain of blood and Gratus couldn't help but to fall to his knees cupping his missing junk.

" IN THE NAME OF PRIAPUS WHO DARES TO-"

*FWIP*

Gratus couldn't finish his sentence since an arrow found itself lodged in the lower part of his throat. and again, Gratus crumpled to the ground, holding his neck and gasping for air.

" CAPTAIN- SOUND THE BELL, TO ARMS TO ARMS"

shouted a nearby soldier who was then himself shot by a swift and accurate arrow to the eye. The atmosphere quickly changed, the sound of the bell ringing, metal clashing, and people screaming filled the air.... it was a battle, and the romans was quickly off to a bad start.

POV: Dias

" TO ARMS TO ARMS"

the sudden warning and screams woke the sleeping Dias with ease. he quickly shot up from his bed grabbed his sword, unsheathed it and rushed out of his ramshackle tent. and was immediately hit by the smell of iron, piss and shit. the scene was brutal many died in just a minute's time. Dias caught glimpse of one of his men, a panic-stricken Marcus, running towards him.

"MARCUS!! QUICK RIDE TO RIDE TO AGRICOLA AND WARN HIM NOW!"

Marcus couldn't his sudden fear so quickly, so Dias did what any seasoned warrior would do... gave him a slap on his helmet.

" ENOUGH, GATE!! MOVE, SOLDIER"

Dias yelled before yanking Marcus with him while he headed to a nearby horse. he then helped Marcus on it in the form of a violent shove,

"HURRY YOU FOOL HEAD TO AGRICOLA AND WARN HIM"

Dias shouted again this time while cutting down a Pict warrior trying to flank him and narrowly dodging a thrown axe before running up to the owner and plunging his sword into his stomach. he briefly looked back to see Marcus out of the gate and making some distance only to get shot in the arm by an arrow but by the grace of the gods Marcus rode on into the darkness of night. Dias quickly brought his attention back to his battle and used great strength to pull his sword up into the chest and out of the body the man.

"DECON, BROTHER, YOULL DIE ROMAN SWINE"

another Pict warrior bellowed, shortly before charging at Dias with his spear, who wasted no time talking or screaming but instead focusing on the direction said spear was heading, which happened to be his abdomen. Dias quickly pivoted his foot, and body and dodged while also lunging to the man's right side. He then grasped the man by the throat before gripping with everything he had abruptly pulling his arm back, as a result ripping the warriors trachea clean out of his neck. he wasted no time on the man before hacking his way through several other men towards the gate and up the stairs where he found his dear captain, and friend Gratus, who was struggling to breath with an arrow in his neck.

"GRATUS"

*Coughing gurgling*

" Sav...selp"

Gratus managed to gurgle out.

"HOLD ON"

*BAM THUD*

Dias had tried to stop the bleeding but wasn't able to as he took a heavy blow to the back of the head and was launched off the gate and onto the ground by what seemed to be a goliath of a man with two blue markings on his face and a huge double handed hammer at hand.

"AHH" *THUD*

The giant man shouted and jumped off the gate and onto the ground making sure to give Dias a greeting stomp to the chest knocking the wind out of him. before raising the hammer high above his head ready to smash the centurions head to a pulp with a smile.

Not wanting to die without at least cursing the giant Dias mustered enough air into is lungs and did just that, speaking in Pict dialect.

" GO TO HELL YOU BASTARD"

The man gave a savage smile and threw his hammer down with a thud before picking the weak little man up by the head and speaking.

"Shall I make your death slow then you bitch"

"Albus we should kill them all"

The goliath known as Albus was interrupted by blonde haired ranger women who was finishing off one of the last roman soldiers in the camp. As a reply Albus spoke.

"No, this one could be useful. He comes with us"

The man said with a sadistic smile on his face. the woman then gave a slight smile of her own, knowing albus well and spoke.

"Whatever, LETS MOVE OUT!!"

she ordered the rest of the warriors before walking away. Albus chuckled in response to his friend then spoke to Dias. " You will experience a hell of your own, bitch." Shortly before head butting the soldier and knocking him out.