Bullets pounded against the large Boulder that the legionaries hid behind.
"Weren't we the ones who were supposed to be ambushing them, not the other way around?", Julius asked as he gripped his fire axe.
Sherman stuck his helmet onto the barrel of his marksman carbine and stuck it out over the boulder. Immediately it was hit with a single accurate rifle shot.
"Well shit!", Sherman said as he looked through the knew hole in his helmet, "My money's on them being rangers."
"It was supposed to be a bunch of troopers!", Titas shouted in frustration, "but noooo, it had to be rangers!"
"All of you shut up!", Chief ordered. All of them became silent. "Starved dog and Burning ant, I want both of you to charge them from the left. Julius, Titas and myself will take the right. Sherman you stay her and give us covering fire. Understood?"
Each of them gave a quick 'yes sir'.
"I SAID, 'DO YOU UNDERSTAND?'"
"Yes, Sir!", They all shouted in unison.
Each got into position.
"Ready", Chief said, "GO!"
They ran toward the rangers who were lying prone atop a small hill. The rangers seemed caught off guard by the seemingly suicidal charge. In their distraction, Sherman was able to start returning fire. Soon though the rangers fired back, but their aim was poor from both the shock of watching blade wielding fanatics charge their position and due to the legionaries' returning fire.
Starved dog fired his hunting rifle before cycling another round. He walked straight towards them with a determination in his step, unflinching as rounds began to hit the dirt around him. He fired bullet after bullet while continuing to advance on their position. A bullet glanced of the shoulder pads of his armor. Another bullet grazed he leg. He could feel where it had flew through the muscle of his calf. He continued to limp towards the rangers.
When his rifle range out of ammo he three it aside and drew his machete. He limped as fast he could up the hill.
The rangers had many problems of their own. While they'd been returning fire with the gun wielding legionaries, none of them bothered to take out the one wielding a fire axe simply due to how idiotic the man seemed. They paid for that mistake now as he chopped through the rangers with ease.
One ranger was able to keep a cool enough head to turn and aim at the beast of a man, but before he could pull the trigger Starved dog slashed the man's throat.
"Are you alright?", Titas asked both of them as he ran up to meet them.
"Nothing but a few scratches", Julius said confidently with a smirk.
Starved dog ignored each of them as he poured healing powder on his leg.
"Not all of us were so lucky", Burning ant said with a heavy voice as he approached them. He was no worse for wear then the three of them.
That could only mean one thing...
Starved dog turned back to where they came from to see a dead decanus lying in the the desert sand and a dead prime legionary on top of the boulder they had his behind.
"No"
...
"So how have you been managing?", Arcade asked Siri as they ground up Brock flower and Xander root to make more healing powder.
Siri had been the legionary's slave for nearly a week now. She still worked at the medical tents with him but he wasn't sure what to think of that.
"Titas doesn't seem to care what I do during the day", she said, "he doesn't tell me to cook or wash his clothes and bed roll in the river."
"Is that really that strange?", Arcade asked.
"That's the bare minimum most tell their slaves to do", Siri said, "but all he wants is for me to lay by him at night and let him fuck me."
"Has Titas..."
"No", she said quickly, "he only ever managers to pull his dick out and line it up before he just gives up"
"Do you cry every time he tries?"
"Of course I do!", Siri snapped, "He tries to rape me!"
"Perhaps he wants your consent?", Arcade suggested.
Siri let out a bitter laugh, "You're more naive than Melody if you think any of them care about bloody consent!"
"I'm sorry"
"Yeah... well that won't do much to help us", Siri grumbled.
"What if I told you I have a plan to escape?", Arcade asked.
"What?", Siri looked at him with desperate eyes.
"I have one", Arcade said, "you won't like it though."
...
Later that day, just as the sun was setting, when Titas returned returned from his mission, she was there patiently waiting for him.
She noticed he walked with his head held low. She could have sworn she heard him sobbing from beneath his mask.
Than she saw the others. Starved dog and Julius both carried a body. Starved dog didn't make a sound as he held the decani's body. Julius breathed heavily as he held the body of that little shit, Sherman. Burning ant followed behind reciting prayer after prayer to Mars.
Titas didn't even look at her as he and the others laid the two bodies in an open area. They covered the bodies with wood and ancient pre war paper.
Burning ant said one final prayer before setting the funeral pyre alight with a torch.
Titas, Burning ant, and Julius finally left the pyre after nearly two hours, Starved dog stayed. She followed Titas into the small tent he had bought just after buying her. She laid down next to him.
He grabbed onto her like a drowning man to a piece of drift wood. He cried into her shoulder now that no one could see him. She rubbed his back and did her best to comfort him.
(Please give critiques and reviews)