4 Night Four

As we were marching, quite distraught at the loss of so many comrades, Praetor Axavia suddenly stopped. He pointed upwards, and asked a simple question. "Is that a monastery?"

I followed the direction of his arm, and saw a monastery resting atop a mountain off in the distance. Oddly enough, I don't recall it being there on the way in, but we might have just missed it originally.

"Yes, Praetor, I do believe it is." I responded, my voice betraying my unease.

"Wonderful, we're going up there. We need to rest and recuperate, and that seems like a great place to do so." Axavia replied, and set forth towards the monastery.

After half a day's hike, we finally approached the monastery proper. The mountain had risen above the tree canopy, so we could see the moon behind the monastery in all it's splendor.

As we approached the monastery, a nun scampered out from it.

"Oh, visitors, how wonderful!" She cried, her tantalizing voice oddly fitting for her voluptuous form and nubile nature.

Axavia chuckled to himself briefly, before gesturing for the nun to come closer.

When she did, he leaned in and whispered something into her ear. At his statement, she gasped, and her eyes narrowed while looking at him.

He chuckled heartily and said aloud. "We mean you no harm, dear nuns. The weary men and women of my legion require shelter for the night, and would greatly appreciate any shelter you could give. I'm certain they would be willing to help in any tasks you require; isn't that right legionaries?" Praetor Axavia cries that last part over his shoulder.

His legion instantly responded. "Ave, Praetor!"

"Wonderful!" He exclaimed, and turned back to the nun. "I will be at your personal service for the duration of our stay, dear nun." He said with a smile and a wink.

The nun smiled wholesomely in response, and behind her a horde of similar beauties flowed from the deceptively large monastery.

As they approached, Axavia turned to us and shouted one final comment. "Remember, legionaries: the will of the divine is fickle, the standard is eternal. Now, go enjoy yourselves!"

The nuns each selected a man or woman, and led them towards the housing quarters in the nunnery section of the monastery.

Axavia, Allia, and the original nun all chose to stay outside. When I inquired as to why, he simply replied. "Someone has to stand watch!"

The next day, I stumble out, red faced, and fearfully whispered to Axavia. "They were not nuns! They're demons!"

Axavia burst out with laughter, and replied "was that ever in doubt? Seriously, who thought a monastery filled with actual nuns could possibly survive in a world like this? Although, I do admire their fashion sense."

I sputtered for a moment, turning that thought over in my mind, before Axavia held up his hand. "It's fine, Remus. One night of debauchery will do the men some good. But we need to leave eventually, so go gather the men out here."

I shook clear the memories of last night, and dove back inside to bring our comrades outside. It was slow going, as I had to drag some very unwilling legionaries out to stand before Axavia. Oddly enough, it seems the female legionaries were the most hesitant to leave...

When all were present, Axavia motioned for them to sit. One of the nuns approached behind him, and laid a seductive hand on his shoulder. He patted it gently, but kept his attention focused entirely on his legionaries.

"It is with great sadness that I must declare, we leave from this place in half a day's time." Axavia said, his calm voice breaking the silence of the misty night.

The nun above him simply smiled, not speaking up to contradict him. The legionaries, however, were in uproar.

"Praetor, why must we leave? It is safe here, truly safe. How could we possibly leave, especially when these nuns may require our protection? I, personally, could never abandon such good company to the whims of fate!" Tribunus Laticlavius Eli, my second in command, shouted in response.

Axavia simply looked up at the nun, and quirked and eyebrow. The nun held her hands up and shook her head, to which Axavia smiled.

Praetor Axavia turned to Eli, and responded to her exclamations. "I do not particularly care about what you've been getting up to with the nuns, but do not let it cloud your mind. For, I shall now reveal to you something most of you have realized, but are likely unwilling to admit." As he said that, the nun kneeled down behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder, nuzzling the side of his head and looking positively adorable.

Praetor Axavia completely disregarded her.

"These nuns are, big surprise, not Zerisians! They're actually succubi, also known as sex demons." As Praetor Axavia said that, the nun pouted slightly, and two obsidian horns emerged from beneath her habit. She smirked then, and her sharpened canines were visible for all to see.

Axavia simply patted her on the head like one would a small pet.

"One thing most people don't know about succubi, is that they eat your souls. Not all at once, but slowly. By the mouthful, one might say. By the time they are done feasting, their victim is a pleasure wrought husk." Axavia said, and the eyes of his legionaries widened.

"Now, the good news is, that takes quite a while to happen. The bad news is, them munching on your soul usually occurs simultaneously with the most... pleasurable part of the interaction. Due to this, it is extraordinarily easy to become enthralled with succubi. Don't become enthralled, and you should be fine!" He said, smiling and patting the succubi on the head again.

"But sir, is it safe to have anything consuming our souls?" Tribunus Laticlavius Eli spoke up then, her face a sheet of white.

"Great question Eli! No, it is never safe to have things consuming your soul. However, in small amounts, the damage is negligible. And your soul slowly repairs itself over time, which is something not even the succubi knew." Axavia responded, giving her a wink.

Eli let out a rush of breath, and blood slowly returned to her face as she realized she wasn't going to immediately die.

"Of course, having a damaged soul actually has some benefits in this situation. Monsters that feast on your soul are far less likely to chose you as prey, which means we should be able to avoid most of the truly nasty bastards out there!" Axavia proclaimed, simultaneously explaining why he had left his legionaries at the mercy of succubi.

"But sir... wouldn't that only work if everyone had their soul damaged? Didn't you and Allia stay out here all night...?" Eli asked hesitantly, and both Allia and Eli's faces quickly became red from embarrassment.

"Oh, I wouldn't say we spent the night alone, by any stretch of the imagination." Axavia responded, with a cheeky laugh and a wink.

As he said that, I heard the faint angry chiming of bells somewhere off in the distance.

"Oh... oh my." Eli responded, and some of the other female legionaries giggled.

"Well legionaries, you have half a day before we need to leave. Go eat, talk, give the 'nuns' displays of affection. I care not how you spend your time, just spend it wisely. It's going to be a while yet before we encounter anyone civilized again." Axavia said, looking off into the distance.

From the top of the mountain, we could just barely see the edge of the twilight forest, far off on the horizon. It was a massive mountain chain, with winding cave systems through which we had first come when entering this twilight plain.

As the other legionaries jumped up and scampered back inside to go play with the 'nuns' some more, Eli and I dragged Allia inside and out of Axavia's earshot.

"So, Allia, did you make him yours?" Eli asked the instant the door to the room had closed.

Allia blushed tremendously, and hesitantly responded. "I believe he might be slightly more libertine than we originally hoped for, based on how often he and the nun were passing me back and forth..."

Eli burst into laughter, and I rubbed the back of my neck. It seems we weren't the only people having fun last night.

"Regardless of what exactly happened last night, I do believe I am quickly becoming his favored. I doubt we can get him to wed me, unless he knocks me up properly. And the nun kept interdicting before he could do so." Allia continued, her face a brilliant scarlet color.

"Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Letting you get pregnant would be like watching food get away to the succubi, so we'll have to find another safe location before you can properly try again." Eli said, her hand on her chin with a thoughtful expression on her face.

I agreed with her, and we briefly discussed future plans, before returning to our previous nighttime activities. If we're going to leave in half a day, I'm going to spend it having as much fun as possible!

Half a day later, the legion staggered out from the monastery; some still pulling on clothing or tightening armor straps. The exo-armored scouts stood with our Praetor, standing guard while the legion made itself presentable. As we properly strode forth down the mountain, we heard a rancorous cheering and wolf whistling from behind us. We turned as one to watch, and the succubi were out in force, in various states of undress, and seemed to be having a party.

Then, before our eyes, the monastery disappeared. It didn't slowly fade from existence, it just disappeared. One moment it was there, the next it was gone. It was absolutely terrifying!

And in the monastery's place, a very confused fox now sat; with a golden bell tied around it's neck.

As one, we turned around and headed back down the mountain, but the exo-armored scouts dropped to the back, to protect us from any ambushes.

Very quickly, we all began to wish that we were back at the monastery with the succubus nuns. That was a very preferable alternative to the time we were currently having.

I'm not quite certain if it was the constant chiming of the damned bell, or the ungodly droning of the undead horde we were stuck in, but the entire legion was getting quite annoyed.

"Seriously legionaries, we've gone over this before! Up and in, down and out! One stab for each undead, then move on to the next!" Axavia shouted above the groans of the horde.

His advice helped, but it was negligible at best. We were barely sixty people, stuck in a horde of hundreds. It was only due to the exo-armored scouts and our hardy shields that we were even able to hold back the horde long enough to fall into formation.

As the battle continued, I found myself growing more and more annoyed. Eventually, I roared with anger, and shouted at the top of my lungs. "Give us back the hot nuns, damnit!"

The other legionaries picked up the cry, and Axavia burst out laughing. We eventually joined in, and soon the clearing was a cacophony of laughter, undead groans, and the sound of swords piercing flesh.

It felt good to be alive, not simply surviving! We had finally known safety, and these undead dared to get in our way? They cannot possibly compare to the wendigo. They are simply a bump on our path to victory!

With that thought in my mind, I raised the standard above my head and roared. From the eagle, a beam of pure sunlight emerged, illuminating the misty night around us. Everywhere the light spread, the undead fell. Soon, there was nothing left but the charred corpses of our enemies, and my victorious legionaries. And with the power of this banner, none can stand in our way!

That thought was immediately brushed from my mind as an overpowering roar shook the earth and shattered the heavens. It was immediately countered by a horrific wailing of banshees, and I was blessedly introduced to the beautiful silence of burst eardrums.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Axavia with a hand out. I gave him the standard, and he motioned to follow him.

We did so, the entire legion stumbling forwards in the darkness and the mist, completely devoid of sound; and without a single way to tell which direction the fight was in.

Axavia stopped tripped, and fell on the ground. Immediately after he did, a massive tree over one hundred feet tall flew past; barely a foot over his head. We all looked right, and could faintly see a group of horrifically deformed nude women tearing into a massive reptilian beast that stood on two legs.

As we watched, it leaned down and bit down one of the women, before tilting It's head back and swallowing her still writhing body whole

We stood up and sprinted in the direct opposite direction of the fight, quickly growing confused by the complete absence of noise.

After many hours sprinting, we collapsed in a group, quickly getting back to back and hiding behind our shields. Over time, our hearing had returned, albeit only partially.

I turned to Axavia, and asked a question I was quickly growing used to asking.

"The fuck was that?" I spoke the words, but couldn't hear myself saying them. So I shouted them, and could barely hear it as a whisper.

Axavia acted as though I had whispered, and replied as such. Or maybe he was shouting? Either way, he got the information across to me.

"A Tyrannosaurus Rex fighting a group of banshees. You see something new everyday in this gods damned forest!" Axavia shouted, giving a weak smile.

I shook my head, thankful my braggadocios thoughts hadn't led us to our doom. Although... a quick recount of those present left me with a feeling of dread.

We're missing ten people. They were right behind our praetor, so where could they have gone? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to think about that, as I had come to an absolutely terrifying realization.

We're lost.

Our mad flight from the clashing beasts has left us terribly turned around, and completely lost.

I, unfortunately, had the duty of informing our Praetor of this information.

"Praetor Axavia, I come bearing bad news. In the flight, we lost the ten legionaries of third cohort. Centurion Helius was with me, so he's still alive. To continue, we have also become terribly lost; and have no way of telling which direction is East." I said quietly, concerned about the other legionaries panicking.

"The lost cohort is a major problem, but the direction one is less so. I can devise a solution for that with the aid of the engineers. Go, ensure the remaining legionaries catch their breath, and be prepared to march within five minutes." He said in response, and walked off to join the engineers.

I faintly heard them talking about iron, static electricity, and the poles of terra. But I really couldn't understand a word of it, and so turned my focus to the legionaries.

As promised, five minutes later, we were ready to leave. Praetor Axavia was holding a small clay bowl filled with water, upon which a slim price of iron floated. It seemed to move on it's own, as though following some inner compulsion. Axavia explained that it would always point due north, so we just had to walk in the direction of the right side of the bar, and we would be traveling East.

I have no clue how the bowl works, merely that it does. He called it a compass, but I'm certain it's just magic.

The remaining cohorts grouped up once more, with our Praetor at our lead, and an exoskeleton scout on each flank. Then, the Fifty Second Legion set forth once more, into the mist.