A/N: Yes. I have made ze reboot of my story. Here's to hoping it has better quality than ze last and longer chapters too.
"Titus!"
Titus Valerius Felix let out a bloody smile even as the wounds in his body screamed in pain. He felt the grip on his gladius loosen and his knees weaken. The Centurion's legs gave out and he fell on his knees to the ground. Three arrows were embedded on his back and two more on his chest. An kunai was buried in his gut. Around him, soldiers from the three warring factions fought to the death. Titus chuckled before spitting out blood on the ground and grasping his weapon once more.
"Bellum... Omnium... Contra Omnes... "
The Centurion groaned as he rose to his feet and tried to steady himself. Holding his sword tightly, he swung it down on the Berserker in front of him and split her head in two. He kicked the body away and blocked an Orochi's strike but couldn't avoid the second attack across his back. Titus screamed in pain before punching the Samurai in the face. He knelt over the Orochi and punched him across the face, taking off the mask over his mouth.
"Bellum. Omnium. Calculo. Est."
Titus grabbed a rock and smashed the Samurai's face in after his last punch before rising to his feet, not even bothering to look at his bloody work. He retrieved his sword and blocked a Warlord's swing before slamming his helmeted head against the Viking's own. The Centurion then buried his blade into the warrior's gut before pulling it out and proceeding to cut off his head. Without so much as a care, he grabbed the severed head and turned around to throw his sword at the Raider charging him. The gladius struck the woman in the chest and threw her on her back to the ground. Titus then turned around and smashed the severed Warlord head against a Shinobi that tried to stab him in the back. He grabbed the dazed Shinobi by the head before giving it a mighty twist, breaking the Shinobi's neck.
"Lus ad bello, lus ad belli..."
Titus mad his way over the Raider. He bent down and wrenched his gladius free from the Raider's chest before raising his boot and stomping the Viking's head.
"...Bella horrid- gah!"
The Centurion was cut off as a naginata ran him through the gut. He fell to his knee and looked up at the Nobushi tilting her head at him. With a grunt of pain, he slowly rose to his feet as he kept a firm grip on the stem of the weapon. The Nobushi tried to pull her weapon away but Titus let out a laugh and refused to let go. He raised his gladius and swung down, cutting the weapon in two and forcing the Nobushi on her back when she tried to pull her weapon free. Titus stalked over to her as the Nobushi tried to crawl away but the Centurion didn't let her. He unsheathed the pugio behind his belt with a spin and stabbed the fleeing woman in the back, eliciting a scream of pain from her. Titus, however, ignored her and kicked away her straw hat before grabbing her by the hair and pulling hard. With her neck exposed, Titus proceeded to slit her throat with the gladius.
"Non... me constringis."
Unbeknownst to the Centurion, a Kensei was on a small hill a distance behind him. The Sword Saint raised his long bow and drew back an arrow as he aimed at the Centurion's back. His vision narrowed and everything around him fell silent. All he can see is the Centurion's back.
"これで終いだ."
The Kensei let loose and the arrow sailed through the air, past the heads of the other warriors in the battlefield before hitting it's mark. Right in the top middle of the Centurion's back.
Titus jerked forward but didn't scream as he felt the pain in his back. Time slowed around him and the Centurion dropped his sword before taking off his helmet. Surprisingly, none of the other factions seem to mind him anymore even as he aimlessly walked forward and reached out his hand in front of him. While everyone else was fighting, Titus, however, was in a different world. There were no Knights, Samurai or Vikings fighting around him. No blood and fire. Not even the ruins of the Forge. He was in a field of grass with the sun shining on his face and was standing in the middle of a dirt road. A few feet in front of him was none other than his father and mother, Lucius and Aurelia. His father smiled at him as did mother. Behind them, the Great City appeared. The sun gleaming down on it made it seem like it was made of gold.
In his lucid state, he did not realize that the battle was over. Iron Legion reinforcements have arrived, led by the Lord Warden herself. But even so, the Samurai and Vikings did not retreat but fought to the death. While the Knights of the Iron Legion were busy killing off the remaining enemy, Marcus Valerius Felix pushed past the soldiers and ran to his brother just in time to catch him as he fell. The eldest of the Valerii cradled his dying brother in despair. Powerless to stop the inevitable.
"F-Father... Mother... " Titus muttered as he stared blankly into the sky.
Marcus took off his helmet as Titus' breathing slowed before his body became still. The older Centurion closed his eyes and lowered his head, letting his forehead rest against his brother's own before planting a soft kiss on it. He didn't hear the thud of boots behind him as the Lord Warden walked over to them as well as the gathering Knights.
Lord Warden Adrastia took off her helmet, revealing a woman in her late-30's with piercing blue eyes and fiery red hair. She stood behind Marcus before placing her hand on his shoulder then gave it a comforting squeeze. No words passed between the two and no other sound was heard as a man who lost his brother silently wept. Even the skies wept that day.
~Line Break~
Marcus stared at the tomb of his brother, Titus Valerius Felix, and ran his hand along the lid of the sarcophagus. Before he became a vengeful dead man walking, Marcus always thought he would be the first one to be buried among the three of them. He would've buried Titus in the Tomb of Valeria back in the Great Empire but he knew his brother had become attached to Ashfeld. They all did. Ashfeld was far from their Empire. In a way, Ashfeld became a second home to them.
The Tomb of Valeria would have been fitting but they dare not return to their old home. Just the thought of it made him relive the horror of living under their uncle's rule and the bloody civil war that followed. While their parents and the purged Valerii were buried in that tomb, their dreaded uncle's headless body was left crucified and food for the crows while his skull was fed to the pigs. The Valeria were known to value strength and honor but the Valerii siblings were also known to hold a grudge. Especially to those who had wronged them.
"You still had more time. You... you should've never died. Not when I was there. When I could've saved you." Marcus began muttering in the dark chamber "I hoped that I may have some nieces and nephews running around before the time came for you to leave this earth. They would be as cocky and strong as their father but hopefully not too blinded by the tits, cunt and wine."
"That is if any woman actually tolerates him enough to bear his children. Do illegitimate children count?"
Marcus let out a soft chuckle and turned to the entrance of the tomb to see his sister, Lucia Valeria Felix Aureliana, walking down the steps of the chamber. The youngest of the three siblings looked at the tomb before facing the eldest and wrapping her arms around him. Marcus let her cry on him. He can't comfort her. Say that everything was alright. It wasn't. Titus was gone. Forever. There was no use trying to deny it.
"We lost you once and you came back." Lucia muttered before pulling away "A small part of me hopes that the Gods would grant the same mercy to Titus but it is for naught. The Gods aren't that merciful. Not ours nor the Iron Legion's."
Marcus kept silent and simply brought his sister into a one-armed hug before the two silently stared at Titus' resting place. To be truthful, he didn't see his resurrection as mercy. No. Life was nothing more than a game to them. He may walk the earth among the living once more but Marcus Valerius Felix was dead. He died on the battlefield, betrayed and left for dead along with the soldiers who stayed loyal to him in the end. He felt his life leave his body as he held onto the last relics of the Great Empire. The Aquila. But Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge, brought him back so he can avenge those who were betrayed and walk the earth as her Champion, Damocles. He was just another piece on the board. A plaything of the Gods and their game.
Lucia was right. That Gods aren't merciful. But he hoped that they do grant Titus this one mercy even if it was a fool's dream. Let his soul walk the fields of Elysium in peace. Away from war, death and destruction. And when the time comes, may they be reunited once more. The Centurion heard his sister stiffle a yawn and convinced her to rest. When they left and made it near the bedrooms, Lucia had fallen asleep and Marcus carried her to her room.
Later, Marcus returned to the chamber after he brought Lucia to her room and laid her on the bed before leaving to let her sleep. He had changed into a dark red tunic underneath a black leather musculata with gold designs and a short, white toga with red lines near the edge of the cloth. When he walked down the steps, a figure stood watch over the sarcophagus. A woman in tattered black robes. Her features were hidden by a hood but when she turned to look at him, he was not met by a pair of eyes but a strip of black cloth tied around the woman's head and covering her eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
It took all he can to stop the venom from leaking out of his voice, not like she didn't know. This woman, no, God, was the one who brought him back to life for his revenge. This was his master and he, her Champion. Standing before him was none other than the Goddess of Revenge herself, Nemesis.
The Goddess remained quiet before laying a hand on the top of the sarcophagus. Marcus' eyes narrowed before he came to a realization.
"You can't do this. Let him have his peace in death. You've already taken that from me. I beg you. Don't take this from him too. Don't let him be a pawn to your game."
"Fear not, Damocles. For I have not come to bind your brother's soul to my will." She dropped her hand from the sarcophagus and walked over to the Centurion. Despite the fact that he towered over her mortal form, Nemesis still emitted an aura of power that would've brought even the strongest of men to their knees but not her Champion even though he was fighting the urge for his knees to give in.
"The vengeance in his heart had been quelled when you struck down your betrayer and his army. No. I have come to give him a second chance in life as I have given you." She quickly raised a hand before he could speak "But, as I said, not bound him to my will. However, his purpose is not here. But in another realm. He will live once more to fight and if his task is done, the Gods will allow him to return to this world."
"This world?" Marcus scoffed "So my brother comes back from the dead only to fight in a war in a different realm away from us?"
"So you have no faith that your brother will survive in this realm?"
"He died in this one. What are the chances that the same will not happen there?"
The Goddess of Revenge held out her hand and a dagger materialized before handing it to the Centurion. Marcus slowly took it and looked at the pugio, expecting the same word written on the flat of the blade. Instead, the word was different as well as the design of the pommel. Gone was the broken mask of Damocles, in it's place was the unbroken mask of a Centurion. His eyes finally registered the words engraved on the blade.
SEMPER FIDELIS
He turned over the blade and found himself smiling.
INVICTA
As Marcus held the dagger in his hands, Nemesis placed her own over his. The Centurion looked down at the Goddess of Revenge and couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock at the small smile she gave him.
"Have faith in your brother, Marcus Valerius."
The Centurion remained quiet as the Goddess of Revenge pulled her hands away and the dagger slowly vanished from his hands. He looked to where her eyes were supposed to be, knowing she could see him despite the blindfold.
"Why?" He asked "Why would you do this? For a mortal no less."
Nemesis smiled but did not give him an answer. Instead, her form gently floated off the ground before slowly fading away. Before she fully left, the Goddess answered him.
"Because I care."
And with that, the Goddess of Revenge was gone. Leaving the Centurion alone in the chamber. Marcus let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair before making his way up the steps but not before placing a hand on Titus' sarcophagus one last time. Once he exited the chambers, he was met with the sight of a helmetless Lord Warden Adrastia standing in the middle of the corridor. Rather than wear her armor, the Lord Warden was clad in a sea green tunic, a pair of leather bracers, brown trousers and boots. She wore a medallion around her neck that had the symbol of the Iron Legion. He could see the bastard sword attached to her belt as well. Despite the villa being peaceful, they never really go anywhere without a weapon of sort. He, in fact, has a pugio sheathed on a scabbard attached at the back of his belt.
"Lord Warden." Marcus bowed his head slightly "I wasn't expecting your arrival. I could've had the servants make proper arrangements to the villa."
The Valeria Villa. An old ruin from the time of the Great Empire brought back to it's former glory by Marcus when he joined the Blackstone Legion. He was the first of the Centurions to step foot in Ashfeld since the Fall and the first Knight he had encountered was the Lord Warden herself, Adrastia Locke, when she was tasked to help Stone repel the barbaric invaders from Harrowgate. Soon after, he found himself following the Warden through the years when he saw for himself the strength, bravery and leadership the Warden possessed. Even as far as joining the Blackstone Legion. But his loyalty was never with Apollyon so he sought help from a different source in rebuilding the ruins in secret. With the manpower he hired from the other Legions, he had rebuilt the old ruins and turned it into a large villa, it could even be considered a palace really, making it his home in Ashfeld. When Adrastia deserted the Blackstone Legion, he took her to the villa where she stayed they started making plans on how to stop Apollyon from achieving her goal. But looking at it now, it seemed they failed anyway. They were living in an 'Age of Wolves' now.
"I came to pay my respects to your brother, Marcus." The Lord Warden replied before walking over to him.
Marcus looked down at Adrastia as she stopped in front of him and placed a hand on his arm.
"And see if you needed a friend."
The Centurion smiled and patted her shoulder before motioning to the corridor.
"Care to walk with me?"
"Of course."
The Lord Warden answered with a nod and the two walked down the corridor. They didn't talk or converse. They just walked around the villa in companionable silence even when the moon shone bright in the night sky and the only thing lighting the villa were the torches on the wall. After who knows how long, the two finally stopped walking and took a seat on one of the benches in the courtyard. Marcus turned his head to look at Adrastia and found himself smiling to which she returned the gesture in kind. He did needed a friend tonight.
~Line Break~
Titus' eyes snapped open and sat up with a start. The Centurion blinked and found himself somehere unfamiliar then realized he was out of his armor and was only in his trousers and boots. His tunic, weapons and armor lay next to him. He looked around and noticed the armoured and unarmoured men lying or sitting on cots while bandages covered their wounds. The Centurion looked to his left to see a bowl of, what he presumed, chicken stew with a spoon and a small goblet filled with water. Just then, his stomach decided it was a good time to make it apparent that he was famished and growled.
"Hehe. I agree with you there."
Without hesitation, Titus took the bowl and dug in. It didn't take long for him to finish it, mostly because the lack of flavor. He couldn't savor the taste if it didn't have any, right? As Titus drank the water from the goblet, the memories from his last battle kicked in. Slowly, the Centurion lowered the goblet and set it on the ground as everything came back to him. The three way battle between the Knights, Vikings and Samurai. The arrows piercing his flesh and the wounds he received from their foes. The pain in his back that served to be the one that actually killed him. Wait? Killed him? Yes. He was supposed to be dead! He was in Elysium. Just a few more steps and he would've reached Mother and Father. But why was he still alive? And where the fuck was he anyway!? The soldiers that come and go wore armor he was not familiar with as well as the heraldry on their shields. A white tree with a crown on top and seven stars above it.
Titus suddenly felt a small weight in his hand and looked down to see a dagger lying on top of his hand. The Centurion took the blade and examined it, taking in the details of the dagger. A Centurion's mask on the pommel. Titus instinctively reached behind his back to unsheathe his dagger only for his hand to grasp nothing but air. His head turned to his weapons and armor on the side and saw they were all there. Even the scabbard attached to his belt. The only thing missing was the dagger itself. Raising a brow, he turned his eyes back to the blade and read both engravings on it out loud.
"Semper Fidelis... Invicta. Heh."
From the entrance of the large open room, an elderly Ranger turned his head to his subordinate.
"Inform Captain Faramir that the stranger has awakened."
The younger Ranger nodded and turned to leave while Madril returned to observing the stranger as he rose from his cot and began putting on his armor and weapons.
~Line Break~
Titus finished securing his bracers before grabbing his helmet. He stared at the emotionless mask attached to his galea before donning the helmet once more. The Centurion sheathed the pugio on the scabbard on the back of his belt and grabbed the gladius from the ground. He sheathed the weapon before turning around just in time to see three men in green and gray cloaks approach. The one leading them was a man with fair hair and beard and, like his companions, wielded a longbow and a sheathed sword. He noticed that when the man passed by some soldiers who weren't injured, they stopped whatever they were doing to salute the man. That just confirmed that Titus' guess that this man could be their leader so Titus did his best to be polite and greeted him accordingly.
"Hail, stranger."
"I could say the same to you." The leader replied as he reached the Centurion before asking "May I ask your name?"
"That depends." Titus answered with a shrug "Will you do the same and do you want the long or short version of my name?"
"I will and either will do, friend."
"Very well then. Titus Valerius Felix, Centurion of the Iron Legion. At your service, friend." Titus ended with a small bow.
"I believe it's my turn to show the same courtesy. Faramir, son of Denethor II. Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien."
"Well met, Captain Faramir. Now, if I may ask, where am I exactly?"
Before Faramir can answer, they were interrupted by a loud and horrible shriek. The intensity of the sound forced everyone who were standing, including Titus, to cover their ears and fall to their knees as if the shriek caused physical pain.
"Agh. What the fuck! What the hell was that!?"
"NAZGÛL!"
Titus, surprisingly, heard soldiers outside scream. He looked to Faramir and saw the man quickly ordering the soldiers and Rangers to arm themselves. The fair haired Ranger helped the Centurion up before running outside. Titus, no knowing much about the place, followed after the Captain and unsheathed his gladius. When they made it outside, Titus was met with the sight of soldiers covering their ears or firing arrows, along with the Rangers, at the giant, fucking snake with wings and talons flying in the sky.
"Where the fuck am I?"
"Orcs!"
Titus turned to see the soldier who yelled the unfamiliar word fight off a squat, broad, bow-legged, grimy, man-thing. It wore a crude set of chainmail armor and had a single edged sword that was covered in dried blood. The soldier swung his sword but the Orc, if Titus had to guess, ducked under the attack and jumped on the soldier before knocking his helmet off then actually sunk his sharp teeth into the man's neck. The action reminded him of the Viking's Shamans. Crazy bints. How many times has he seen them bite off a man's fingers or throat? One too many.
Suddenly, someone screamed behind him and saw another one of the ugly fuckers running towards him with it's sword raised. Titus faced his attacker and kicked it in the gut with enough force to push it into the ground. Without giving it a chance to recover, he unsheathed his gladius and threw it directly into the Orc's chest. Killing it instantly. Titus scoffed and walked over to the dead Orc before wrenching his weapon free and watched as the wound spilled black blood. Titus didn't give it much thought as more Orcs seemed to pour out of the archways and buildings and were quickly overrunning the soldiers around him.
"Faramir!"
The Centurion finished beheading an Orc to see a man with fair hair and beard like Faramir's but wore armor similar to the soldiers with the addition of a black cape. A closer look at the man had Titus ponder if Faramir and this soldier were related. Speaking of which, the Ranger Captain himself was in the middle of pulling his blade free from an Orc's gut when someone called his name. He turned around to see his brother, Boromir, approaching him as his company arrived to reinforce his men.
"Finally decided to join the party?"
"I can't let you have all the fun."
The two shared a laugh before turning to fight the three Orcs running toward them. Before they met in melee, Titus came in and tackled one of the Orcs before lifting off then slamming it into the ground hard. The brothers didn't waste time to attack the remaining two Orcs as the Centurion proceeded to beat the third Orc's face in with his fist. Boromir and Faramir easily took down their opponents with a simultaneous cut to the gut then moved on to the next ones while Titus finished his off by slamming his helmeted forehead on the Orc before snapping it's neck.
The Centurion rose to his feet as he watched the battle happening all around him. He could feel it in his veins as the adrenaline kicked in and he has never felt more alive. Titus then turned to face the group of Orcs charging him and let out a bloodthirsty grin behind his mask. He slammed his gladius on his bracer twice before pointing his weapon at the Orcs.
"Etiam!"
One of the Ors roared and ran at the Centurion. Without so much as making an effort to dodge, Titus met the Orc head on. He blocked the Orc's attack with bracer and stabbed it in the gut before sending a strong punch across it's face. The strength of the blow was enough to throw the Orc off his blade and spin to it's front as it fell face first into the ground. Another Orc ran at him but he parried the blow before stabbing his blade into it's chest then punched the Orc off his gladius. He didn't waste time and leaped into the air and brought down his gladius into the Orc's heart as he landed before quickly pulling away. No sooner had he finished his kill, a third Orc jumped on his back and tried to stab him with a dagger but he managed to grab the Orc's forearm before it could plunge the blade into his neck and threw the ugly bastard over him and stomped it's head. He turned away from the Orc to see everything around him was in chaos.
Men and Orcs fighting one another in bloody battle. Soldiers fell from the sky when the Nazgûl's beast snatched them up and took to the skies before letting them go. A soldier let out a yell as he drove the spear deeper into the Orc's chest and twisted the weapon. Another screamed in pain as an Orc, in a show of strength despite its stocky appearance, lifted the man off the ground and slammed him against a pillar. A Ranger shot an arrow pointblank into an Orc's eye and turned around only for another Orc to shank him with a scimitar. The Orc then pulled back the Ranger's hair and slammed it's forehead against the man but soon found itself beheaded thanks to Boromir. Meanwhile Faramir jumped from the second floor of the remains of a building as the flying beast swooped down and tried to grab him with it's talons. The Ranger Captain landed with a roll before raising his blade to block an Orc's strike. He blocked another until he rose to his feet and parried the third blow and followed it up with a quick swing to the Orc's neck, beheading it. As the chaos around him continued, Titus let out a manic smile behind his mask. This is war and like all Centurions, he revelled in it.
~Line Break~
Rin coughed out blood before looking down on her abdomen to see the tip of a Valkyrie's spear jutting out. She looked up into the shocked eyes of Empress Ayu. Rin smiled before her knees gave out and she fell forward but the Empress caught the Aramusha before she reached the ground. A shadow loomed over them and Ayu looked up to see Okuma's back as he stood between the Valkyrie and his Empress. While the Shugoki guarded them, Momiji and the Orochi, Sousuke, fought off any of the Vikings and Knights that dare get close to their Empress. Ayu then noticed the rest of her soldiers form a circle around them and raised their shields to protect the Empress from arrows. Looking down, Ayu placed a hand on the Aramusha's chest.
"I... I lost my daimyō once and, gah, fell from grace. I will not... let that happen again." Rin then placed her hand on Ayu's own "P-Please. Take, urgh, care of her. She needs someone more... than me."
"I will, Rin. You say you have fallen from grace but you are still a Sword Saint. You gave your life for your Empress when you have no obligation to do so. You are an honorable woman, Rin. Never forget that."
"Heh. I don't see it but if... you say... so... my Empress."
Ayu lowered her head as the life finally left Rin's eyes. The Empress closed the Aramusha's remaining eye before looking up as Sousuke crouched before her. The Orochi bowed his head in respect before looking into the Empress' eyes.
"This battle is lost. We must retreat to fight another day."
"They will pay. They will pay blood."
"Empress, please. The Iron Legion is overrunning us. The Warborn have already fled and our warriors are too few. We must retreat and give her proper burial." Sousuke placed his hand on the Kensei's arm "Please, Ayu. You made a promise to her. Are you going to break it?"
The Kensei looked conflicted before nodding at the Orochi then looked up at thw towering Shugoki.
"Okuma, take her. Souske. Momiji. Tell our soldiers to retreat."
"It will be done, Lady Ayu."
~Line Break~
Aéd of Clan MacGillivray let out gasps of air as he held the bleeding wound on his gut, courtesy of a Lawbringer's Poleaxe. Gritting his teeth, he willed himself to stand but failed. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back on the tree behind him before letting out a sigh. Grudges. It wasn't obligation or the alliance of his people and the Warborn that brought him on this hell. It was a grudge against the man that killed his family. But when he finally killed the bastard, what was left for him? His home is haunted by their ghosts. They haunt his dreams. Hell, even when he was awake, he can see them. He always said that if he died, maybe he could finally join them but he was no coward and settle for taking his own life. No. If he were to die, it would be in battle. It seems he got what he wanted.
"So... this is it, huh?"
Aéd simply grunted and opened his eyes to see the Warborn's Jarl, Stigandr, approach him. Dried blood coated the Warlord's armor and weapons yet suffered no wounds from his enemies. The Jarl stopped in front of the Highlander.
"Won't be the same without you grumbling in the corner back home."
"You'll manage."
"Maybe." Stigandr looked at the claymore next to the Highlander "Want me to bury you with it?"
"No. Take it back to my home. Place it next to the graves of my family." Aéd stared calmly at the Warlord "Let me be with my family again."
Stigandr nodded and sheathed his sword and shield before grabbing the claymore with both hands and pulling it off the ground. The Warlord looked down at the Highlander only to see the man had seized breathing and was staring blankly at nothing. He heard footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder to see Runa making her way over to him. A silent conversation passed between the two before the Valkyrie walked over to the body of the Highlander. She whistled and two more Valkyries arrived. The three women gently grabbed hold of the body and lifted it up. Stigandr watched them go as they carried the body of the Highlander away before looking at the claymore in his hands.
"Well, friend. It has been an honor to fight by your side and we will honor you tonight, along with the others that died on this battle, in Svengård's Halls. And tomorrow, you will be with your family again. This I promise."
Without another word, Stigandr left to join his fellow Warborn.