***Adult content in this chapter***
Sounds of clanging of metalwork, shuffling of feet outside the tent, a breeze touching her hot skin, a woman's pleas not far away as she was being reprimanded with a whip. Olivia's mind desperately grasped at anything that would distract her from what was happening to her body. A Legionary Centurion panted over her, his hot breath lingering like a fog as he repeatedly thrust into her, sweat dripping on her pale skin. Physically speaking, he was no different than the other soldiers around camp; tall, muscular, with pitch black hair and peppered with scars of various shapes and sizes from his face to his ankles. If he wasn't a scumbag Legionary soldier, she might have found him attractive; alas this wasn't that scenario. For over a week she endured him, which was an unusual thing for her. Usually if a soldier wanted her, they took her to their tent, did their business and left her to her carry on with her work; but this one was persistent and it made her feel singled out. She commanded her body to be limp, to not resist; it would be over soon. Sometimes she was able to block out these moments, and for a while she was getting good at it. She remembered the first time she was raped, right beside her own mother and in front of Christopher, her young brother. She fought them the first time and the subsequent times they subjected her to this animalistic brutality, until she realised that they enjoyed it. Her screams of rage and pain and attempts to fight them off aroused them and added fuel to their sadistic appetites. Now, as a way of protest, she went limp whenever one of the soldiers took her, removing herself from what was happening and retreating into the depths of her mind; though today it was harder than usual. Maybe because this one was unrelenting. A stinging slap on her buttock brought her back to the present.
"Oh fuck", he grunted, his thrusting accelerating and the sound of wet flesh slapping together like someone eagerly clapping for an encore filled the small, stuffy tent, "Oh fuck, oh fuck, fuuuck…".
She felt his body tense up and his member throb inside her, grabbing whatever meagre handfuls he could get of her lean flesh as he filled her up for the second time today; hoping that this was the last time.
He stroked himself while still inside her as if trying to get as much cum out of it as he could and proceeded to lift her legs up and hook each one on the inside of his elbows, raising her pelvis to stop anything from dripping out.
"Fuck, you feel so good", he panted.
'Your breath stinks like a dead dog' she thought in disgust, keeping her eyes fixed away from him and onto the intricate cracked surface of a storage container to her left. Suddenly she felt his fingers begin to run down her inner thigh and stroke her lips.
"I can make you feel good", he whispered, as though it were a tantalising prospect for any woman after just being raped.
His words made her want to spit in his face and kick him between the legs, but if she did, he could easily kill her or exact punishment by hurting her mother or sister instead.
"No…thank you", the words seethed out through her teeth; but he didn't listen.
A cold shiver ran down her spine as his finger grazed her clit and began to rub it in circular motions. The sensation was so sickening it brought on a wave of nausea that made her body heave and convulse. Her reaction made the soldier pull away, just in time to avoid her regurgitated bile. She'd barely had any food over the course of the day and the mess was minimal but bringing up the little bit of whatever was in her stomach created a painful void that felt like knives stabbing her in the abdomen.
"Shit", he swore under his breath, grabbing one of his shirts to clean up the mess, noticing how empty her stomach must have been. He tossed the shirt to the side, got up, dressed and made a move to leave the tent, "Stay there, I'm coming back". And with that he left her alone for a few moments, just enough time for her to pull herself up onto her elbows and cover up her lean naked body. When he came back, he carried in a tin plate full of food and a jug of clean water.
"Here", he placed the plate and jug on the ground in front of her, "Eat".
Olivia's eyes darted up at him in fear. There had to be a catch; no Legionary soldier did something like this for a slave unless they wanted something from them... Something big.
"I'm alright now", she shook her head.
"Eat", he insisted, motioning toward the food, "You need to keep up your strength".
"For what?" Olivia whispered, fearing the answer.
The Centurion smiled and leaned in close to her, stroking the side of her face which only brought up another wave of nausea, "I thought my advances were obvious. I want you to be the woman to bear me a son".
Inside the women's tent, Elizabeth tended to the weeping wounds of a mute old woman who was reprimanded with twenty lashes. The reason for her punishment? She faltered and spilled some water on a Centurion soldier. She was lying on a mat on the ground, unconscious but still breathing while Elizabeth applied some healing poultice on her wounds.
In her previous life, the one she led before being enslaved by the Legion, Elizabeth was a doctor in the NCR. A non-married woman, blonde and in her mid-forties, she lived in an outpost on the border between the NCR and the Legion. A couple of years into her service, the outpost was attacked and everyone, except the women, were killed. Now in her pre-menopausal years, she was deemed unfit for breeding and her role in the Legion was as healer. Even though she was seen as unfit for breeding, that didn't stop the advances from the soldiers; if you were a woman and were deemed even vaguely fuckable, you'd end up raped sooner or later.
The flap of the tent opened; from the corner of her eye Elizabeth saw Olivia enter and go to her mat and rummage for something in her personal bag. She appeared to be hiding her distress, so Elizabeth finished up with her patient and moved to her friend to see what was troubling her.
"Hey", she stood next to Olivia, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, "What happened?"
Olivia shrugged and shook her head, "I can't…". Her body was trembling and while she was getting some fresh clothes out, she couldn't hold her emotions in any longer and burst into tearful sobs.
Elizabeth knelt and wrapped her arms tightly around Olivia, "Shhh… I'm here, I got you". She could smell what had happened to her and knew that there was nothing else she would want at this time than to clean herself. "Here, let's go get you cleaned up. You'll feel a lot better after that. What do you say?", she stroked the loose hair away from her face. Olivia nodded, holding tightly onto Elizabeth for support.
Walking through the camp headed towards the river, they kept their heads down and felt prying, hungry eyes following them. Getting to the edge of the river, Elizabeth put Olivia's clean clothes to the side on dry ground and helped her into the water. Although the soldiers did a good job of keeping the area of the river used by the camp free of mirelurks and lakelurks at bay, Elizabeth kept a watchful eye on their surrounding area, especially as at this hour the area was empty. The water was painfully ice cold and even though it felt like it sent a jolt of electricity through Elizabeth's body when it touched her skin, Olivia waded in regardless, submerging herself fully underwater.
"Let's get you cleaned up", she said, moving next to Olivia with a bar of soap and a cleaning rag, getting to work on her hair and upper body. By this point Olivia was shivering and Elizabeth had to work quickly, for both their sakes.
Once they finished and rushed out of the freezing water, Elizabeth tightly wrapped a linen cloth they used as towels in the Legion around her shivering friend, holding her close to keep her warm.
"Thank you", Olivia trembled, a pained expression on her face.
"I only wish there was more I could do", Elizabeth sniffed and blinked tears that were welling up in her eyes, "You've been taking those herbs I gave you?"
Olivia nodded fervently, "Yes… every time it happens".
"Good", Elizabeth helped her get dressed, "Don't let any of the soldiers see you taking them, they're getting suspicious. I overheard one of the Centurions talking about low pregnancy rates among young women within the camp". If word got out that the women were using herbal contraceptives, mass punishments would be carried out. No doubt that if they found out Elizabeth was supplying them, she would be placed on a cross and left to die of exposure and thirst.
"Don't worry… They won't find out", Olivia whispered through chattering teeth as she pulled her clean cloth trousers back up and tied them with a thin piece of rope.
Arm in arm, the two women made their way slowly back into the camp.
"Who was it?" Elizabeth asked, noticing that Olivia was deep in her thoughts.
"Aurelius", Olivia murmured, still feeling nauseated by what had happened.
Elizabeth looked her over as they ambled, "Did he hit you?"
Shaking her head, Olivia suppressed a sob, "No… Not this one. He… gave me food, after he finished…"
"Oh…", Elizabeth's eyebrows raised in surprise, "That's… surprising".
"I almost threw up on him", Olivia confessed, "But he didn't lash out at me. I don't know why".
"At least he didn't beat you like the others", Elizabeth tried to find the silver lining in the dismal situation, but it didn't help.
"He's still a raping piece of shit", Olivia spat, a hatred in her eyes the likes she'd not seen in a long time, "I should have fought back. I should… I should have…"
"And then what? Give him more reason to beat you, or worse, kill you?" there was a tremble in Elizabeth's voice. She pulled Olivia in an embrace, hugging her so close that Olivia could feel her heartbeat on her skin, "I promised your mother I'd take care of you".
"I know… But I can't keep living like this", Olivia confessed, shaking her head, "I would rather do something and die knowing I tried, than continue living in this endless nightmare".
"Me too", Elizabeth sighed, "One day we will get a chance. But until that day, we have to survive. Do you hear me?" she gently cupped Olivia's face in her hands, giving her a reassuring smile, "We will get out of this shit hole. Somehow, someway… I promise you".
Her words gave Olivia some comfort and she smiled weakly back at the woman who had done so much for her and others. She knew that Elizabeth always made good on her promises, and if she said that they were going to get out of this together, that's what was going to happen. All she needed to do was wait until the right time came and take back her freedom.
Commotion at the gate of the camp roused the attention of everyone inside. Legionary soldiers rushed down to the bridge, shouting orders to their subordinates who swiftly followed their masters' orders. No one knew what was going on, but it was important.
Olivia and Elizabeth were shoved to the side, a soldier aggressively grabbing Elizabeth by the arm and separating both women away from each other.
"Go back to your tent, woman", he shouted at Elizabeth, spit flying out of his mouth, "You're blocking the way!"
"Hey!" Olivia protested but was met with a hard shove from the soldier that toppled her painfully to the rough ground. With a wild and terrifying look in his eyes, he moved to punch her while she was sprawled on the ground. Olivia put her arms up to defend her face and braced for the impact, but it never came.
"What are you doing?!" a man's voice barked above her. When Olivia opened her eyes and looked up she saw Aurelius standing next to the man, his hand firmly holding the soldier's arm.
"She and her friend were in the way", the soldier complained, "I merely –"
"I have claim over this woman. If I see or hear any man attempt to hurt or possess her…", Aurelius paused ominously, a satisfying grin on his lips, "I will personally see to it that they are severely disciplined".
The soldier nodded, the wickedness in his features that was present only a few moments ago replaced with fear, "Understood, Centurion. I apologise for the misunderstanding".
"Good. Make sure the others know as well. I want to avoid any…unpleasantness". Aurelius pushed the soldier back forcefully, enough to make him stumble on his heels as he frightfully left them and went back to his duties. Olivia watched, stunned that a Centurion would even bother to help her, but before she could even say anything about it Aurelius turned and made his way back to his post, as if oblivious to her presence.
"Get up!" Elizabeth whispered, helping her up on to her feet, "You shouldn't have done that".
"Why did he stop him?" Olivia ignored Elizabeth's scolding, perplexed by what had just happened.
"I don't know but be glad that he did!", she glanced back in Aurelius' direction, " If you ever see one of the soldiers reprimanding me, or anyone else, do not interfere. It will only make things worse for everyone".
Quickly and with their heads bowed, the women wove their way through the commotion and back into the women's tent.
"Make way!" a soldier in the crowd yelled, "Move! Move!"
Aurelius stood to one side to let them pass. The Legionary soldier and several other men were carrying three wounded and exhausted Legionary scouts into the camp and up to Caesar's tent.
"Must have been in a fight with a tribe", he heard a soldier speculate behind him.
"Did you see? Two of them had leg and arm amputations. I bet it was cannibals", another piped up.
Aurelius turned and faced them with a cold and authoritative air, "We are Legionary soldiers. We do not bet".
The look on their faces was priceless. He left the two men to stew in their fear while he followed behind the group carrying the wounded, eager to find out what had happened.
Inside the tent, he took an inconspicuous position in the corner by a long wooden seating bench, folding his arms in front of his chest and waiting to absorb the information from the wounded. Caesar himself was sat in his throne chair not ten paces away from him with a familiar figure wearing a Vexillarius helmet and dark goggles whispering in his ear.
'Ah Vulpes, you've finally come out of your hole to join us', Aurelius mused. When Vulpes finished, Caesar nodded and turned his attention to the wounded scouts in front of him.
"What are your names", Caesar questioned, his voice carrying in the silent tent.
"Domitius", one of the scouts answered. He was a grizzled man with a powerful build, bloodied and freshly missing several fingers on his left hand. "This is Ilario and Kaius", he motioned to the other two men in his party behind him, one of which was missing a leg and seemed very close to falling unconscious.
"Speak", the master demanded, "Who did this to you?"
"Cannibals, Caesar", Domitius answered with a wince. His answer made the room stir, and rightfully so. It was thought that the Legion had eradicated the cannibal tribes; the most feared ones that the faction had ever come across.
The answer didn't seem to satisfy Caesar though, "How many in your party were lost".
"A dozen. Including two who are unaccounted for".
Though displeased, Caesar nodded and motioned for one of his aids to record the information, "What were their names".
"Marcellus, Argento, Bastien, Cassius, Festus, Phelix, Sabin, Victor, Scipio, and Remo are the fallen", the scout answered.
"And the missing?" Caesar motioned.
"Aelius and Valens".
"Have they been captured by the enemy?" Caesar looked critically at the scout, who was dripping blood in his tent.
The scout seemed to think the question over before giving a hesitant answer, "… I do not know".
"Did you try to look for them?"
"No, Caesar… we had suffered casualties and-"
"So, if they're not dead or were taken by the enemy, they could be cowards. Or worse, absconders", Caesar's piercing gaze fixed on Domitius. His speculation seemed to surprise even a grizzled old veteran such as Domitius. Caesar motioned to Vulpes and whispered something in his ear, ignoring the injured men in front of him. Only when he finished did he dismiss them to go get treatment for their injuries.
This was indeed an interesting situation that presented itself to them; one that had the potential to present a promotion. Aurelius moved forward past the other soldiers and out of the crowd.
"If you will allow it, I volunteer to find the missing men, Caesar", Aurelius spoke with confidence.
Caesar didn't even bother to look up from the paperwork in his hands, "And what makes you think that they are even alive?"
Although his face was well obscured, Aurelius could tell that Vulpes was frowning with disdain behind those black goggles of his.
"I don't, but if they are alive and have been captured by the Cannibals, I will eradicate our enemy".
Aurelius' foolhardy initiative granted him an amused look from Caesar, "And if you find that they are cowards or are deserters?"
"I will bring them to your feet to face justice", Aurelius answered with a smile.
His proposal seemed to stir interest in their leader, and after a few moments of mulling the idea in his mind and listening to the hushed advice from his counsel, he nodded in agreement. Aurelius could have sworn that that he saw the slightest of grins on Caesar's face.
"Very well. Select your men. You leave in the morning".
