I was already standing in the parade ground before Kaius showed up. Having already been awake for a while, I was one of the first men to make it to the open yard, and I stood in my appointed position, waiting for the other men of my cohort to show up. Typical, I thought to myself as I waited impatiently. Such irresponsible men are never on time. Casually, the men began to drift out of their barracks and take their places beside, in front of, or behind me. To my immediate left, there stood the novice Anthonius- who was more of a joke than a soldier. He had joined the legions a month before I had been killed, and had died a mere three weeks after his first day. So he had very little experience, which I could clearly tell by his appearance.

His childish face showed with exhaustion, usual for a trainee, and his eyes drooped with sleepiness. His crooked helmet half hid his motley black hair, which partially fell over his eyes. The straps of his helmet hung in a loose knot beneath his chin, showing his clumsy skills at simply tying a knot. At least his armour was on right. Even though it was not necessary.

I thought it kind to let him know that his attire was completely inappropriate for the occasion. I elbowed his arm. "Boy," I said in an even tone. "Your armor is shining today, young Anthonius."

"Really?" Anthonius asked, his sleepy eyes brightening as he beamed. "Why, thank you for noticing! I-"

"But it is a completely unnecessary waste of time to wear such apparel for a simple news meeting." I explained. I will admit I was being somewhat rude- but the young pup needed to get it through his thick head. It was better that he knew now than later.

Anthonius' smile immediately faded away. "Oh…" He said quietly. "I am sorry…"

I slapped a hand on his shoulder good-naturedly. "Ah, all is well, pup. You will learn one day."

Anthonius pouted, his bottom lip sticking out. "I am not a pup!" He snapped indignantly. "I am a soldier of Rome, belonging to the legions! One of the greatest forces in history! I-"

"Am a rich, spoiled, naive fool." I finished.

I felt kind of bad as I watched his indignity become disgrace, but I knew the tough scolding would make him stronger. It was how I learned to be a soldier. One had to be able to take a blow- whether it be to their physical person or their pride. In the army one lived by the sword, and died by it. The key to being the killer and not the killed was resilience. Anthonius was lucky to be alive again, and if he was to make the most of this miraculous chance, then he would need to strengthen his leaves into thorns, and secure his roots into the fertile grounds of the legion.

"Of course, with time," I finished bluntly. "Even a silly pup can learn a trick or two. Keep your chin up- and wear your armor proudly."

He gave me a curt nod, biting his lip. He was not yet a legionary, so I could get away with the rough treatment for a while at least. I turned my attention back to the foreground of the parade ground. The officers of the legions were already present, standing in two even rows on either side of where the General would stand. All of them were present, except for Kaius.

"Excuse me, pardon me, oh, my bad, watch yourself-"

I stole a glance over my shoulder, spotting the crest of Kaius' helmet rise above the heads of the other soldiers. I was unable to hide a smirk as I watched him struggle through the crowd and to the front, at his place beside Centurion Marcus. Marcus turned his head slightly, his lips moving as he muttered something to him. Kaius looked crestfallen, but he kept his back straight and his eyes forwards. A moment later, the door opened from the headquarters building, and the General stepped out into the light.

"Commanding officer present!" Marcus barked, standing stiffly.

There was a sort of sharp, shuffling noise as we snapped to attention. Next to me, Anthonius was struggling to hide his shame at his choice of dress, his hands opening and closing into nervous fists. I gave him a small nudge, shaking my head slightly to indicate that he should be calm. I turned my eyes forwards again to look at the General.

The General Octavius stood with a tight posture, his hands clasped behind his back. Although he held his spine straight, his shoulders were slumped forwards in a relaxed position. He did not look ill, but looked tired. He passed his eyes over us, a serious glare in his pupils.

"At ease, gentlemen." He ordered. I let my position slack. "I ask that you forgive me this morning for calling you all here on such short notice." There were a few voices that rose to voice their complaints. He raised his hand to silence them. "I know it is never an easy thing to wake up in the morning, and I will tell you there are mornings where I would rather sleep than stand here and talk. But I have not that luxury, and as long as you are the men of Rome neither do you. Now. I have a few announcements to make this morning. First, I have to announce a new promotion. Optio Kaius, could you please step forwards?"

Kaius started, looking surprised to have been recognized. He swallowed and stepped out of his line to stand in front of the General. Octavius smiled.

"I hear that you are now the Optio of Centurion Marcus, is that so?" He asked.

Kaius nodded. "Yes, sir."

"That is a quite an honor, to serve under the First Spear Centurion- and a lot of work as well. Do you think you are up for it, Optio Kaius?"

"Yes, sir!" Kaius promised.

"Good." Octavius smiled, and nodded back to Kaius' spot in the line. He waited until Kaius had reached it, before continuing. "Now that the promotion is done, there are a few things I would like to make clear to you all. You are good men, all of you; and responsible, too. I trust you all, as do those who live outside of the fort, in the town. I know we are in a rather precarious situation. We do not know where we are, and there are, no doubt, enemies in this land. Which is why the Senate has requested that I initiate some new policies. They have requested that we revert back to our original camp activities, and that I enforce the camp regulations, and continue our responsibilities."

The men around me groan, and I could not help but add my disappointed voice. The last thing any of us wanted to do was drilling exercises, and no one in their right mind enjoyed being on watch duty. And it was not only that. There would be latrines to scrub, the horses to tend to, although the was the auxiliaries' job, and routine inspections. Everything that made army life miserable. And for the officer's, paperwork and strength returns. I sighed. Kaius would be doing a lot of grumbling soon.

"I know, I am not excited either," Octavius soothed. "However much we loathe it, we are still soldiers. There will also be a few barrack changes. Some of the rooms, I have noticed, are rather full, while others have as few as two men in their walls. I would like the maximum to be four, since we are at peace for the moment. You men are elite, and deserve a somewhat comfortable residence. I will try to ask the Senate for incentives for you. Perhaps, maybe, weekly passes to the bathhouse?" Excited murmurs came from the men, causing the General to give a small chuckle. "I thought you might like that. Now that housing is out of the way, it is time we discuss more important matters. No doubt you have noticed that there is another room, so to speak, outside of the one which houses our city? The Senate has given me orders to explore beyond the threshold."

I felt a stab of anxiety at the thought of leaving the safety of the city again, remembering what had happened my last time out. There were a few other fearful murmurs too, and I noticed how Marcus shifted uncomfortably. Whether Octavius noticed or not, he did not say.

"I want to take ten men, with provisions for several days, and who are prepared to-"

Boom!

There was a loud bang from the other side of the city, which caused the ground beneath us to tremble like an earthquake. I shook as the ground lurched beneath me. A few of those men who had been caught off guard stumbled or fell, while others stood with their feet braced apart, their faces full of fear. I turned my frightened eyes to the General, who stood with his arms out, his head stiffly turned to look at the other end of the city. There were sounds of screaming and panic as another shock was heard. I was prepared this time, and I stood very still as I felt the vibrations beneath my feet.

Octavius, finally over his shock, shouted an order. "Return to your barracks! Armor up at meet at the front on the double!" He turned. "Centurion Marcus! Take your men and to the other side of the city. I shall follow up as soon as the men are ready. Dismissed!"

I wasted no time, and ran across the parade ground towards my barrack room. I dodged the men rushing in and out from all sides, fingers shaking as they tied their chinstraps and fastened their sword belts. I pushed open the door, sprinting to my armor stand. I pulled on the segmented chest plate, fastening it the best I could without help. I fastened my groin guard and slammed my helmet down over my head. I snatched up my sword and shield as I rushed through the door.

"Rufus!" I faltered in my running, glancing to my side at Athena, who was leaning out of the doorway of the side door I had gone through earlier.

I jogged over to her just as another booming shock shook the ground. She gave a small cry and grasped the wooden doorframe. I could hear the sounds of panic coming for inside the medical block, and for a moment i feared for Lucios.

"Rufus, what is happening?" She asked urgently.

"I do not know," I replied helplessly. "The General has ordered us to the other side of the city to investigate- is Lucios okay?"

"Yes," Athena nodded carefully. "Oh, Rufus, do be careful!"

"I will," I promised quickly.

"Athena!" Lucius roared from inside the medical block. "Get in here at once! The patients are going mad in here!"

"I am coming!" Athena yelled. She looked at me with her gentle brown eyes, vibrant with fear. "Be careful, Lucios. You and Kaius."

I gave a small nod, and wasted no time as I ran back to the parade ground. I took my spot beside Anthonius, the young man shaking in his sandals. I could only spare him a look of encouragement, and nothing more. The General took his place in front of the formation, and shouted the order for us to advance at the trot. I ran with measured steps, the men on either side of me doing the same.

The booms continued as we ran, pushing our way through the streets. Many of the townspeople had moved aside and were huddled in their homes, while a few, more curious souls stood in their doorways or followed behind us. My heart was racing as we ran on. I could smell the scent of what I thought was smoke, although it had a rancid tint to it that made me cringe. I raised my arm to cough into my elbow. The collective sound of sandaled feet slapping the marble-textured ground announced our arrival to Marcus' cohort, who were formed up in a defensive shield wall in front of a sheer height of wall at the very edge of the city.

"Halt!" Octavius' voice called out. We did so. "Form wall!"

I shuffled into position along with the other men, lifting my shield to just below my chin. Anthonius was struggling to lift his, and I noted how he had to use both hands to keep the heavy sheet of wood off the ground. He would have to hold it himself.

"Step back!" Octavius ordered, his voice becoming drowned out by another boom, which visibly shook the wall. "Step back, now!"

I could tell the General was serious by his tone, and that this unknown threat was deadly. Else he would not be acting so concerned. My fellow legionaries took a collective step back, rippling along like a banner in the wind. Another loud boom happened, making visible cracks in the wall.

"How odd," Marcus mused, taking a step forward to examine the jagged lines.

"Centurion Marcus, step back in line!" Octavius yelled.

The next boom was the loudest I had heard, and I watched for less than a second as the wall burst open, spewing debris to all sides. I raised my shield to cover my body, falling into a crouch as chunks of stone flew into the ranks. I heard the cries of pain and surprise from the men around me as they were struck. I heard Anthonius give a frightened cry, and without really thinking I grabbed his arm and dragged him and his shield towards me, to provide extra shelter for both of us. Smoke filled the air around us, forcing us to screw our eyes shut at the stinging particles. And above it all, my ears could pick up only one voice.

"Marcus!"