Quintus felt like Orpheus himself, fleeing from the fell and dismal realm of the underworld itself. Though no lover or muse followed Quintus in his flight, promising to return to him should he escape. He had no such hope. For him, it was simply a matter of time until he was forced to look back and face...
2025-08-03 03:41:22 +0000 UTC View PostGaius swore loudly. "We're not out of the woods yet. Ready yourselves!"
The Legionnaires once more tensed as Marcus felt his grip tighten on his spellbook. Given the lack of other horses among their ranks, there seemed to be no other obvious target for the dragon to come back for. None except for them,...
2025-08-01 04:10:51 +0000 UTC View Post“Legion, halt!”
The long column of men obliged, scrunching up like an inchworm as the order was relayed back. Gaius sat tall upon his horse as he continued using commands. “We rest here before continuing on. Break and be ready to march again in twenty minutes.”
The Legionna...
2025-07-30 03:41:16 +0000 UTC View PostMarcus walked quickly through the Legionnaires' camp as he followed the messenger towards the city. He had been on quite a lucky streak in dice, and he did mean lucky, he only sometimes cheated among these men, when he'd been interrupted by a summons. One from the Legatus himself.
It had been a while sin...
2025-07-27 03:54:27 +0000 UTC View PostConquering a city was always a worthwhile venture. Even in the simplest of assaults, the excitement and sense of accomplishment sent Tiberius's heart pounding. Pluto, it was practically the purpose of his life.
Subduing it afterwards was torture.
It was boring. It was tedious. It was usually far more d...
2025-07-25 03:19:49 +0000 UTC View PostThe overall layout of Habersville’s new area remained similar to that of a Legionary camp. The parallels, combined with the neat gridlike streets made it incredibly simple for any of the men to navigate.
As Quintus left Habersville proper, he couldn't help but feel a bit of relief wash over him....
2025-07-23 03:47:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe Legion barely had to narrow their column as they passed over the bridge to Habersville. What had once been a quick and temporary stopgap now had been replaced with a more permanent construction of quality stone, the materials courtesy of Stonester, allowing them to easily stride ten abreast. It was eve...
2025-07-20 04:29:04 +0000 UTC View PostGerald sat in his third favorite garden, reclining in a comfortable seat within as he sipped on his second favorite wine. It was before noon, after all. He couldn't let all the good pleasures of the day go to waste by indulging before he had a chance to actually do some work.
Besides, he was hosting a w...
2025-07-18 04:09:57 +0000 UTC View PostTiberius kept his head on a swivel as he walked through the remains of the besieged city. Aside from the now crumbling wall, most of it remained relatively intact, a consequence of their utter inability to fight back once the Legion was inside. Which was why he felt so confident in his contempt for its con...
2025-07-16 04:43:41 +0000 UTC View PostMarcus approached Tiberius’s tent only to be greeted with the sight of a snarling and writhing baroness being hauled off. Quite an auspicious start to the evening, if did say so himself. Especially when the woman spotted him and shot him a glare meant to kill.
He shook his head in dismay. Evi...
2025-07-13 04:11:05 +0000 UTC View PostTiberius climbed the last hill with his entourage of guards, stopping at its apex to inspect the situation ahead. At the same time he cracked his neck, taking the opportunity to flex and stretch his legs and feet. His entire lower body felt sore. Hell, even his neck hurt.
All the marching he'd been...
2025-07-11 03:58:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe clean-up operations had dragged on a little longer than expected. The six armored warriors were no match for the Legion and their numbers. However, the hail of arrows and seemingly magical attacks forced them to act with a bit more caution. They had to be extra diligent to always work under the co...
2025-07-09 04:25:56 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 36: No Mercy for the Brave
/// some minor changes were made to chapter 35. I wanted to get this out yesterday, but in the last minute check I realized a couple things didn't line up right and I had to figure out how to fix things. It ending up requiring minor edits in 35, only in the second half of the chapter. If anything does...
2025-07-06 19:53:38 +0000 UTC View Post//There are few changes after the split. Also added the title. 36 should be posted in the hour
B2 Chapter 35: Truce or Dare
Tiberius took in the sight of the siege engines with pride. Their arsenal truly had become a sight to behold. On top of the scorpions, ballistae, and catapults, there were also trebuchets and massive siege tower...
2025-07-04 02:45:03 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 34: To Fight, or Not to Fight
Quintus looked over at the subdued noblewoman and her daughter. He'd taken them, their retainers, and the horses back to their camp and set a heavy guard about them before stepping away. He didn't particularly want them to privy to talks about what to do with them. Not unless it served a purpose. 2025-07-02 04:06:49 +0000 UTC View Post
B2 Chapter 33: The Ninth Son
Marcus gulped down lungfuls of air as he finally reached the edge of the Legion encampment. By the time he arrived, the soldiers had already encircled Hausten, the seat of the barony, and begun their siege. They'd even begun to build around the city itself, bizarrely erecting fortifications and trenches that al...
2025-06-29 03:25:34 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 32: We Have You Surrounded
The march to the barony’s seat was uneventful. Even as they made camp and set watches that night, Quintus couldn’t help but expect some previously unseen force to pop out of hiding and ambush them, or a group of adventurers to take them by surprise. Yet even as the distance between them and their d...
2025-06-27 03:43:50 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 31: Simply Offensive
A long line of defeated men marched under the careful watch of the Legionnaires, their hands bound before them. Their faces showed that their resolve had been well and truly crushed. Nevertheless, the Legionnaires kept their hands on their swords just in case anyone decided to try something.
Tibe...
2025-06-25 04:32:17 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 30: Family Man
Marcus couldn’t help but stare in awe at the scene before him.
He had left behind the battle between the Legionnaires and the five adventures. It was quickly winding to a close and the outcome was obvious, anyway.
He'd really, truly expected the army to have a more difficult time dealing with t...
2025-06-22 03:05:59 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 29: Boneless Wings
Quintus blinked. “No bones, you say?”
“Right.” Cassius gestured toward the “man” as he battered at another section of the line, forcing it to shift back and rotate even more Legionnaires in. “I don't exactly know what that means or how it's possible, but it's what I see.”
The Primus...
2025-06-20 03:42:53 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 28: A Bone to Pick
When Tiberius came to, everything hurt. His shoulders, side, and ribs were the worst, aching as though he’d been repeatedly smashed with a battering ram. But the rest of his body wasn't faring much better.
As the initial haze of unconsciousness faded, Tiberius felt another sensation come to the f...
2025-06-18 03:43:27 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 27: Ides of March
The first few levels of a common skill were usually fairly easy to get. All one had to do was use it a bit, maybe improve one’s form according to what the skill suggested if one was feeling particularly ambitious. Easy.
Which was why Marcus suspected he’d be coming home to quite a few...
2025-06-15 03:36:53 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 26: Some Call It Bravery
Tiberius wasn’t sure whether to curse Quintus for his stupidity or praise him for his bravery.
It was the Primus Pilus’s job to serve as a proper example for the rest of the men, to be a beacon of valor and excellence. But this? Launching himself in such a suicidal assault? This was not exactly...
2025-06-13 03:37:44 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 25: Quality vs. Quantity
The armored man let out a guttural scream that echoed across the hills. He began to emanate a sickly green glow as he charged toward the Legion's line. He leapt straight over their fortifications and aimed for the spot between two Legionnaires, ignoring the sharpened spear points and stakes that shattere...
2025-06-11 04:16:48 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 24: The Fantastic Five
The five figures moved slowly but steadily toward Quintus’s cohorts of Legionnaires. Their unhurried pace made them give off an oddly intimidating aura, as though their arrival was inevitable and didn’t need to be rushed. Fortunately, it also gave Quintus time to organize the men.
He called out a...
2025-06-08 04:26:35 +0000 UTC View PostI hauled it roughly into a secluded alcove off the main tunnel. Behind me, Astrid and Alana followed, each one dragging one of the unconscious clients. The alcove was narrow, its walls slick with mildew and moisture, but there was enough of a space that I didn’t feel like I was going to be snuck up on if someone was walking through the tunnels...
2025-06-07 04:57:18 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 23: Best Laid Plans
Tiberius watched the ambush begin from afar, his [Keen Eye] skill allowing him to observe the action from several miles back. Getting the skill to this point had been… interesting, to say the least. Tiberius had never thought that looking at faraway things was something one could train in, ...
2025-06-06 03:26:22 +0000 UTC View PostB2 Chapter 22: It’s a Wash
Habersville’s bathhouse was less of a house with baths and more of an art museum that had been erected around a large pool. Clear waters filled the center of the space and lapped against tall pillars set along its edges. Murals and carvings decorated every surface, their reflections rippling softly as bathers...
2025-06-04 04:05:49 +0000 UTC View Post2/2
B2 Chapter 21: What is Your Profession?
Quintus led a long column of men as they snaked through the hills, keeping to the valleys and behind the elevated terrain as much as possible. They’d managed to evade notice so far, but he wasn’t sure that would last much longer. The hills themselves were not nearly as pronounced as the...
2025-06-01 04:24:23 +0000 UTC View Post1/2
B2 Chapter 20: Running Away From Your Problems
Despite being surrounded by water on all sides, neither Marcus or the Legionnaires that accompanied him deemed it bath-worthy. It had already been of questionable cleanliness before their fight, and now that it had been turned into kraken soup? No one wanted to touch it more than abs...
2025-06-01 04:14:14 +0000 UTC View Post