Heretics & Heathens

Chapter I

A thick scent of battle fills the air. The skies are cloudy and the wind blows gently. A general focuses his attention to the tree lines. He commands a legion of twenty thousand. They set up their ballistas and ready their bows. Sitting atop his white stallion the general waits for whatever comes next. A lone scout emerges from the forest. Covered in sweat and blood. He rides up to the general and with an exhausted tone and a traumatized expression he said, "M'lord! Me and my troop were just ambushed! I am the only survivor,"
"How many are there?" Said the general with a stoic voice.
"I couldn't tell my lord. They struck like an unwavering swarm of lotus. Marcius and Balder were the first to be killed,"
The wind continues to blow gently towards the imperial line. Men decked in armor wait patiently for their foes to grace the battlefield with their foul stench. The imperial banner, a golden serpent wrapped around a golden sword on a red backdrop flies proudly showing the unwavering pride of the empire. With stern hearts and raised spirits, they wait for their enemies with not a drop of fear in their minds.
The screaming of wildmen and beating of shields could be heard from the forest. Battle was upon the sixth legion. The soldiers armed with pikes form a phalanx formation, the ballistas are cocked and ready, while the cavalry waits in the portion of the forest behind the legion. The sixth hold their ground, waiting eagerly to taint their blades with the blood of the heathens. The ground shakes and the screamings gets louder. Soon enough thousands of barbarians filled with hatred for their civilized adversaries emerges from the forest. The barbarians wear thick fur and leather clothes and are armed with crudely made axes and clubs.
The general unsheathes his sword and he points at the direction of the barbarians.
"Fire!"
The imperial marksmen fletch their bows and they send a hail of arrows hurling towards the barbarians. The arrows penetrate the barbarians' battle worn clothes. The ballistas rain down a firey death on the brutes. The large mass of men clashes with the imperial line. Many barbarians fell upon contact with the phalanx. The well trained imperial soldiers halts the barbarian advance, preventing them from ravaging imperial territory. The entirety of the barbarian army is infront of the imperial line. They outnumber their imperial adversaries by three to one. But the unbreakable strength and morale of the legion allow them to withstand the onslaught of barbarians. For every one soldier that fell ten barbarians fell with him. Emerging from the rear, the imperial lancers charge at the barbarians from the sides. The thundering hooves of the stallions shakes the ground to it's very core. The lancers crash into the horde. They send these uncivilized beasts flying with their steel-tipped lances. The barbarians soon breaks spirit and they try to flee the battle. The gaps within the imperial formation provides a tight escape for whatever barbarian that can still crawl. The battle was finally over. The troops celebrate by raising their swords up high. They all scream "Ithaad Vithaas!" An ancient battle cry that means "Long live honor!"

Back at the imperial camp, the soldiers celebrate their recent victory over the heathens. The general and his personal guard soon arrive. Taking off his helmet, the general reveals his aged battle-worn face, his well-kept fading auburn hair and his kept beard. The general dismounts his white stallion. He heads to his personal tent at the center of the camp.
"General Gaius! I congratulate you on your recent victory," said the camp's quartermaster.
"Thank you mr. Cairus! Hopefully this is the last we hear from these bastards. I am supposed to return to Aurelius by next week,"
"Aye sir! Speaking of Aurelius, I just got word from the war council. They have requested for lancer captain, Lucius Thornhall. He will be sent to Dijikstaa to help maintain imperial influence and to help secure our monopoly in the Xi river trade,"
said the quartermaster as he hands general Gaius a scrolled up document.
"Bring me Mr. Thornhall," said general Gaius as he lets out a sigh.
The quartermaster bows his head and he exits the tent. After awhile, Lucius enters the tent with his feathered helmet in one hand. Lucius Thornhall is a young man, with a strong jawline diamond like eyes and umber hair.
"You requested for my presence general?" Said Lucius with a stoic tone.
"Yes, please take a seat," said Gaius.
"Do you have any problems with my performance in battle?"
"No. No, No......In fact I'd say you're my personal favorite. The way you led that charge awhile ago was perhaps one the best use of cavalry that I've seen in battle,"
"So why did you call me to your tent?"
"Well...I just got word from Aurelius that you are being moved,"
Lucius wrinkles his forehead, not knowing how to take in this new information.
"Moved? Where? I've fought with this legion since I was a junior lancer," Lucius speaks out in protest.
"To Dijikstaa, you'll be put under general Cato's command," said Gaius.
"Ayabad territory!?" said an angered Lucius.
"Lucius....listen to me! If it were up to me I'd let you stay with us. But the war council has made their choice!" Said Gaius with a reasoning tone.
"Fuck Aurelius! Fuck the war council! And FUCK those Ayabad sand slavers!" Said Lucius with a stern tone.
"Listen, Lucius. I am sorry that it has to be this way. But I cannot risk disobeying orders from Aurelius, or else I'd be branded a traitor and be sent to the gallows," said Gaius with a stressed tone.
Lucius lets out a sigh and he nods his head with an expression of dissatisfaction.
A soldier enters the tent.
"General! We've just received word from our scouts. They've spotted a fortified town east of barlus hill,"said the soldier
"Gather fifteen men. Lucius, ready your blade and get your horse! You're riding with me!" Commanded Gaius
The seventeen men gather outside tha camp and they ride out to barlus hill. Atop the hill they spot the fortified town surrounded by a thick forest with only one narrow dirt path leading to the town. They gallop forth, the town is protected by a palisade but lucky for the men the gates were wide open. They ride into the town killing the barbarians stationed there. Many barbarians try to flee but their mere human feet cannot outrun the hooves of war stallions. The town has been devastated and is left in an appaling condition by the brutes. Many houses are burnt, the dead litter the town's roads and the townsfolk are malnourished with many sick and dying. Gaius and his men dismount their horses and the soldiers disperse to search for more barbarians.
"Fear not citizens! We have come to liberate you! Consider yourself under imperial rule once again," said Gaius
The citizens remain frightened as if they went through the most horrid experiences. The faces of most of the townsfolk are still frozen with fear and many have become pale and grisly.
"Sir! We've inspected every household, no barbarians in sight sir," said one of the soldiers
"That only leaves one place then," said Gaius as he points to a worn-out church made of logs and held together by twigs and vegetation.
The mere mention of the church is enough to frighten the townsfolk. The women and children begin to cry and the men break down into incomprehensible screaming.
"Sir, it seems that the townsfolk are wary of the place," said Lucius
"All men to me!" Commanded Gaius as he and his retinue slowly make their way to the church at the center of town. A madwoman stops them at their tracks. She wears a rugged faded white dress while her skin is covered in warts and dirt. She is slender and pale like most of the folk, and her face is shallow.
"For the sake of your sanity! Turn back! Turn back! Abandon hope for the fallen speaks," said the woman frantically.
"Step aside citizen," said Gaius
"No! You don't understand! Death and drakness stalks the town and that pit of damnation is it's lair!" The woman then preceded to tear off locks of her hair while laughing maniacally.
Two soldiers then restrain the woman who begins to weep. They then take her away with her screaming becoming even louder as Gaius inches towards the church. Gaius places his hand on the damaged and withering door, pushing it open not knowing what to expect. Upon entering Gaius freezes with an expression of utter shock and horror. The pews and all the holy relics have been removed and in their place were dismembered body parts and stains of blood. Red candles are lined up on the boarded
windows and in the center layed a dead priest, surrounded by dead rats. But he was no man of the Highfather. He wore a black robe decorated with animal bones and a sheep's skull adorns his head.
Nearby was a vial of poison, it was clear that this man perfered to die rather than be thrown into an imperial prison. And at the end of the church stood an altar. A sculpture of a black dragon with its mouth dripping with fresh human blood. Adorned with severed fingers and decaying flowers
"By the Highfather!........Burn this place to the ground and have a priest cleanse the town!" Said Gaius with an appalled expression.
The soldiers grab a piece of plank and with the flames of the still burning candles they raze the church to the ground.
"I have never seen such an appalling sight, surely the work of heretics," Said Lucius.
"I fought against barbarians for two decades. I am familiar with their heretical gods and their practices. But I have never seen such a terrifying and bloodthirsty diety," said Gaius.
"So what now?" Lucius inquired.
"I return to Aurelius tomorrow. While for you, you should get ready for your trip. Dijikstaa isn't a near place," said Gaius
Gaius and Lucius then mount their horses and they head back to camp.