The morning air was cool and refreshing. It didn't hurt to breath like it would in several hours.
I decided that it was no longer necessary to fight in the arena and Otho would most likely spit in my face if I asked.
I had a mission today. A very important one. I was to go to Nipton today.
My orders were "leave an example." Ideas swam around in my head for hours on the trip with several new recruits. This was a sort of basic training for them. Hopefully, they will learn well from this.
The trip was rather uneventful, save for a few geckos. The sun was lowering over the mountains as we reached the town entrance. The entirety of the "town" was nothing but filth. Whores and drug dealers was all the wretched place had.
Men and women alike were frozen in fear as we marched our way to the town entrance. I ordered the newer recruits to gather the men in the town hall. The women were rounded up in the center of the town by the older Praetorian.
I opened the door to the town hall and stood at the podium up front.
"I see we have all gathered here today to celebrate a remarkable event. Not a wedding, I'm afraid, but a lottery. You will each be given a slip with a number. We shall pull two cards. The first card will be let go to do as he wishes. The second card will be spared. But not with punishment."
The men were huddled together. A sea of angry, confused, and horrified faces. This is the best idea I've come with as of yet.
The recruits passed out cards and each man took it without hesitation. They must be imbeciles if they believe the odds are in their favor.
"Are we all ready?"
Silence.
"Alright. Let's begin." I made a point to be agonizingly slow with pulling the winning card.
"14. You are the winner."
An obnoxious cheering and whooping came from the front. A man with glasses, brown hair, and no discretion or manners. The men surrounding him looked at him with something more than pure envy and hatred.
"If you'll settle down, I would like to call the second winner." I chastised.
"The second winner is," I paused to pull the card from the bag, "3."
A man towards the back looked down at his card, immediately looking back up in shock.
"If you know would come up here to present your cards."
The man from the front hopped up. He was practically hysterical. The second man walked up slowly, ticket in hand. I took them to verify them as the winners.
"Alright. Recruits, you know what to do from here. You two can come with me."
I led the two out front with the rest.
"He may go. He is free to do as he pleases. This man will be let go, but he must be punished first. You may take care of that. I have to deal with the Mayor."
I turned back to see the said man appear in his window and quickly disappear. He was a coward. Hiding while his town is scourged.
I lumbered back into the town hall and trudged up the stairs. I kicked in the doors in as I went down the hall. It came to the last room and I walked slower to savor the moment. My footsteps were heavier, louder, slower.
I could hear him bumping around in the room. I stopped in front of the door and paused for a moment. I would not let a moment like this go to waste.
I kicked the door, the rotting wood shattering in a cloud of splinters and dust. The man coward in the corner. He was clutching a half empty bottle of whisky.
I grabbed him by the hair, twisting and getting a better hold on it. I pulled him out of the room and down the stairs as he screamed in pain. A sound almost as lovely as the sound of Sennia's laughter.
He pushed the door open and met with a sight of men on crosses and women bound and in line.I shoved the Mayor down the steps. A pile of tires lay near the steps.
A recruit was splashing gasoline on the bottom layer, lit a match, and set the tires on fire. I grabbed the man by the collar and pushed him into the fire. He screamed and squirmed on the tires. He tried to get up but I met him halfway with my boot to his chest.
I turned at the sound of a gasp. A woman in the center of town was gawking at the crosses. She was new. I hadn't seen her before.
She hesitantly walked up to me.
"Hello, I see you have seen what we've done. You've seen justice."
She covered her nose at the smell of burning flesh. She nodded.
"What have you done to these innocent people?"
I scoffed at the idea of these dissolute being innocent. "They are hardly that. They kill, rape, and destroy their bodies with chems and alcohol. No one hear has honor. As their loved ones were being dragged away, they didn't even put a fight for them. Does that sound like they were innocent?"
She looked around and at the men above us. "It seems like they deserved it then when you put it like that."
"I see you understand my line of work. I bring justice and hope to these whores. They will soon know a life free of influence of false realities supplied by drugs."
She nodded to show she was listening.
"If you want something to do this evening, why don't you go tell people what you've witnessed today."
"Yes, sir." She turned on her heels and ran off.
Two messengers for twice the story coverage.