Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Additional Note (Please Read): This tale is a companion with, Xena & Gabrielle: A Turn of Fate. If you haven't read both story's chapters preceding this one, you should do so now. I would like to thank my readers and followers, also my favorite Beta in the world, Jinxie 2013, who had this to say: Jinxie's stories are the best though, so you should definitely read them before this story.: I won't refute it... This time. Enjoy!
The Conqueror & Ri,
A Twist of Destiny,
By, Ahkiken
Chapter 28: Provocation
The Conqueror, Glaphyra, and the Grecian soldiers of the Sixth Army, dispersed to find cover from the barrage of arrowheads. Separating from her General, who hid behind the railings on the left side of the deck, the crimson armored-clad Conqueror found safety below the rails on the right side. The seemingly endless arrows continuously assailed the Greek vessel, and most of the Conqueror's warriors took shelter by lowering themselves to the wooden railings too, while others used the mast to hopefully shield them; though some weren't lucky as the deadly projectiles pierced their bodies.
The Conqueror watched the unfortunate few men that moved sluggishly for cover, receive the tips of arrows, ending their lives and making her ireful. The blue-eyed ruler's analytical mind noted when a volley ceased, another began almost immediately after a brief pause. She discerned the attack was, foolishly, premeditated for her arrival.
'I guess Brutus is an idiot.' The Conqueror mused, looking for Glaphyra.
Locating the pony-tailed woman directly on the opposite side of her, the Conqueror let out a shrill whistle, garnering Glaphyra's attention. Next, she used hand signals to convey what needed to be done. Understanding her Lord, Glaphyra crawled towards six troops.
"You all, come with me." She commanded.
"Yes, General." They assented instantly, cautiously following her to the bottom deck.
Below the main platform, Glaphyra expressed the Conqueror's objectives. "We must get to Dia's port with haste and execute a strategy for our offensive!"
"What is happening, General?" One of the soldiers that manned the oar inquired.
"We are being attacked by Romans, Olivia." The purple armored blonde answered her, turning to the men she recruited. "Three of you will handle the oars to aid in increasing our speed. Tanis, you will get the hoplites ready."
"Yes, General." He replied, carrying out his duty while the three warriors commenced theirs.
"You two are with me." Glaphyra decreed, picking up bows and quivers of arrows. "We are to carry as many of these as we can to arm our compatriots and defend our Lord."
Meanwhile, knowing Glaphyra's tasks would be duly completed, the Lord of the Realm was beginning to proceed with the meditation taught to her by Lao 'Ma, courtesy of the Sacred Book of Life. Then she lost her focus on the deleterious situation that threatened the entire occupants on the ship, all because of the man adjacent to her. Turel stared at the Conqueror, ruminating if a declaration of love would be unbecoming during an act of conflict. He was uncertain if she still felt the same way she'd described to the General of the Sixth Army; explaining how amorous she was for him. Nonetheless, after that day, Turel noticed the Conqueror started to avoid him, returning his fond gazes with discontented looks.
'Could I have been mistaken?' Turel thought.
Deciding to play it safe, he held his tongue and gave her a comforting smile, frustrating the Conqueror. She prepared to castigate him strongly when an arrow breached the wooden rail, entering his neck, surprising her. Shaking her amazement, the Conqueror laid Turel on the floorboards and hastily assessed that the angle of the protruding arrow didn't hit his vital arteries. Easing the shaft out slowly, she tore the sleeves off her black tunic, tying them together, and wrapping it tightly around Turel's neck. Applying pressure to halt the profuse bleeding that would have killed him, the Conqueror closed her eyes to meditate, feeling all her senses and instincts heighten.
Seeing Turel lying next to the Conqueror, Gagius crawled over to her and the injured man. Once he got to them, the Conqueror's orbs opened suddenly to catch a projectile that was a split moment from finding its target. Horrified, Gagius gawked at the arrow's tip inches from his head till the Conqueror dragged him lower to the floorboards of the deck.
"Guard him and press down on the wound." She ordered, pointing to Turel.
Over the course of their travels at sea, Gagius heard her speak and it sounded nothing like it did now. Instead of the light contralto tone, her voice reminded him of something close to a growl. While Gagius pressed on the tattered tunic that was wrapped around his fellow comrade, the Conqueror lifted her bow, plus a few arrows, and moved along the railings of the ship, waiting for the storming arrows to take their momentary breaks before taking quick pop shots with her arrowheads. Every arrow she pulled on her bowstring landed on its mark with critical accuracy.
Finally, Glaphyra and two of her troops came back, carrying a bundle of bows and quivers, handing them out fast. Noticing that the ship was rapidly approaching the dock and the concentration of fire upon their vessel had dwindled, the Conqueror stood up, preventing another stray arrow that sailed the air from hitting her by catching it.
Staring at her army, she addressed them, "These insufferable Romans are unwelcome guests on our lands! Though their actions had arisen anger within me, I wanted to be reasonable about their encroachment and ask them to leave nicely! That sentiment has ended! Let's teach these bastard ingrates a fearful lesson in slaughter!"
The whole army raised their hands in cheers as the vessel was ten feet from the waterfront. The Conqueror turned on her feet and did a spectacular frontward flip onto the dock and her soldiers begun firing with their projectiles. Using the enemy's arrow still clutched in her hand, she shot it at the first Roman who charged her. Dropping the bow, she withdrew both her blades, allowing the rush of battle to fill her body when she decapitated the second one, slashed the chest of the third, engaged the fourth, who offered no competition as his appendages became severed from him.
'How does she do that?' Glaphyra was astonished by her Lord's agility and fierceness.
"General, we are ready." Tanis, including one hundred hoplites were equipped with their shields and spears.
"Good. Let's take back Dia!" Glaphyra shouted and jumped on the dock when the ship got closer, running past the men her crimson armored ruler had killed.
Glaphyra joined the Conqueror, throwing two daggers into both eyes of an enemy. She tried to use a dagger to fall another man, but the Centurion dodged it, so she unsheathed the short sword from her back, connecting it with his. He was bigger than her and stronger, using brute strength with every swing. Bringing a downward stroke with his gladius, he brought Glaphyra to her knees when she blocked it. The smug grin on his features melted away into a look of pain when a dagger was lodged into his gut, then sliced across the midsection, causing the Roman's entrails to escape the confines of his torso.
He fell to the ground and Glaphyra arose, retorting with a grin of her own, "Didn't dodge that one."
The Sixth Army disembarked the ship and began to fight through the wave of challenging soldiers to get to their two leaders that were defeating Century after Century.
"I thought Rome's soldiers were more disciplined than this! They're all over the place and not in proper form! Is this is the best Brutus and Cassius has to offer?" Glaphyra queried, kicking her opponent in the ankle and slashing his throat with her sword. "Octavian and Antonius will have a field day!"
The Conqueror listened to her General, giving no response while she were in her zone of blood-lust; eviscerating the arm of a combatant and thrusting her Lion blade into him. More bombardments of arrows showered her, and her troops again, after the Romans that tried to keep them from advancing beyond the pier were defeated. Quickening their pace, the hoplites formed an aegis; shielding themselves as well as the two women.
Domitus, Servius, and their remaining Legion, surveyed the havoc the Conqueror's army unleashed. Particularly, the dual-sword wielding female, adorned in red armor; she was the most dangerous, laying waste to the majority of Centurions and Legionaries alike.
'It's her...' Domitus was afraid. 'She's the Conqueror!'
"Stop shooting!" Servius yelled at the archers. "Their protection is impenetrable! Get into formation and, by Mars' fucking cock, hold the line better than your fallen brothers whom just paid the price for it with their lives! The coward who breaks line, will be crucified here, on cursed Greek soil, by me!"
The Romans got into arrangement for the purpose of subduing their barbaric adversaries.
"You two," Domitus pulled a couple of men from the rank, "Go to our Commanders. Report what has happened."
They saluted their Lieutenant and began the trek to the encampment of Brutus and Cassius.
"Are you mad?" Servius questioned, angrily. "We need every man, Domitus!"
"Someone has to inform our Commanders of what's going on." He avowed. "Two thousand against a small fraction of purple armored Greeks is overkill. I think we can afford the loss of two. If we can't, we shouldn't have the right to call ourselves Romans."
"Perhaps your judgment is correct." Servius concurred. "If things do go south, they'll be here with reinforcements."
"Yeah, reinforcements." Domitus was dubious, looking at the mixed Centuries and Legionnaires. "Formation, march!"
The Conqueror realized the assault of arrows ended and the second unit of Roman warriors came from the woods, branding gladius, spears, also shields of their own. Forming a line of defense, the shield and spear bearers were in the front while the other soldiers stayed behind them to seize their opportunity to get strikes in if the Conqueror, along with her army, was pushed back.
The Roman phalanx moved forward, and the Lord of the Grecian Empire mocked, "Look at the only thing Roman curs are good for; stealing other's ideas and techniques! They don't like Greeks and call us barbarians, but they'll adopt our fighting style!"
Her General and troops laughed in merriment at the irony. Next, she sheathed her two bloody swords and gripped the chakram. Breathing in deeply, she threw it with such force that the razor, circular disc had torn asunder every shield the Romans held, killing some of them, too. The chakram didn't ricochet back in her hand, but the Conqueror counted on that; she'd never mastered how to catch it, even after practicing with the disc relentlessly in Chin.
"Let's show them how it's done!" She ordained.
Hearing the command, the hoplites picked up where the Romans were cut off, creating their own phalanx.
Choosing to use one sword, the Conqueror unsheathed her Lion blade, directing it at the opposition, exclaiming one word, "Charge!"
The hoplites proceeded forward, causing the Centurions and Legionnaires to take steps backwards, some falling over top of each other in fear.
"Stay firm!" Domitus blared. "Hold the damn line!"
Observing their shields getting destroyed by a mere weapon, set a lot of the Romans on a nervous edge, making them foil the retreat by their own cowardice. The hoplites capitalized on it as their spears and swords skewered many bodies. The Conqueror's eyes glanced at Glaphyra's honey irises momentarily and the blonde understood the challenge.
'No you won't, my Lord!' She ruminated. 'I'm gonna kill more than you!'
The Conqueror flipped over the hoplites, coaxing Glaphyra to suck her teeth. Knowing the feat was impossible for her, she sprinted around them. The Conqueror's, usual, glimmering blade slashed through flesh and bone as she killed one soldier after the other, splashing blood that camouflaged with her armor. Domitus saw her target him and fought down his fright. Raising his gladius in defense, he was shocked that the Conqueror's sword shattered the steel of his. Then, Domitus felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
Collapsing on the grass, he had no choice but to espy the dark and silver-haired woman use her blade on his men in a fantastical fashion. Slicing, cutting, beheading and dismembering everyone she went into combat with. Nothing stood in her way; those that did wound up dead without so much as nicking her. The blood that covered the Conqueror belonged to his and Servius' Legions, showering her to broadcast what she really was.
'She's death.' Domitus closed his eyes in final cogitation and submission to what he feared since Brutus sent him to Dia's port. 'Looks like the Fates deemed me to die on this gods forsaken island after all.'
When the purple armored Glaphyra got into the action, there were just four men still standing. Sheathing her sword, she pulled out two daggers, throwing one in the chest of her enemy, and the second found its way in the leg of an unfortunate other. Traipsing up to him, she took the embedded dagger out, slitting his throat with it. The Conqueror held her hand out, giving the sign for her forces to stop as she glared at the two remaining Romans. Dispelling his nerves, the first man practically leaped onto the sharpness of her sword. At the sight of the life blood leaving his last soldier's body, Servius dropped his gladius.
"Pick up your weapon." The Conqueror sneered. "Don't die cowardly."
Servius shook his head in the negative and she rushed over, putting the pinch on him. Falling on the bloody soaked grass, the Conqueror kicked him in his chest, forcing the man to land on his back and positioned her blade over his heart.
"No need to do that, Conqueror!" A voice grasped her attention.
Walking out from the cover of darkness the many trees provided for him and his contingent of Roman troops, moonlight shined on him. It was Brutus, and alongside him was Cassius, now sporting short-cropped brownish hair.
Brutus held out his palm, explaining, "This is all a misunderstanding."
Locking eyes with him, the Conqueror made no reply, but smiled savagely, plunging her Lion blade into Servius' dying body beneath her, startling Brutus.
"That was uncalled for." He proclaimed. "You killed a Lieutenant of the Roman Republic."
"He was a Lieutenant?" The Conqueror sarcastically asked, removing her sword from within him. "You Romans all look the same with those helmets on."
"Servius was unarmed." Cassius spoke. "You didn't-"
"I'd cut the flow of blood off from his brain. He had lesser than a candle-drip to live." She interjected, pointing her blade at them. "He's dead now and that is that. You two, on the other hand, are very alive and have lots of elucidating to do!"
Glaphyra gave the signal, coercing the Sixth Army back in formation. Their opposition was preparing a similar reaction, until Brutus halted them. Then, he and Cassius moved toward the Conqueror, keeping a safe distance from her sword.
"Surely we can be diplomatic about this." Brutus professed.
"Sure we can't." The Conqueror countered. "Tell me, what did I do to compel you to orchestrate this failed machination? Killing a spoiled slave couldn't have been provocation enough for-"
"Pindarus isn't a slave." Cassius fussed.
"I know, because he's dead." The Conqueror's smirk vanished like it never appeared. "Don't interrupt me, Cassius. Your death would be slower than your slave's."
Accepting her threat, Cassius kept silent.
"We can talk without the use of harmful threats." Brutus stated.
"Shall I threaten you, Brutus?" The Conqueror's wrath flared. "I'd journeyed here, bringing one hundred forty-nine warriors with me. Because of your stupidity, though enjoyable, I have suffered losses. I have to return to Corinth with dead members of my crew that had life when I left. So tell me, and I will not ask again, why did you conspire to kill me?"
"It was a precaution." He admitted, amazed he continued breathing. "I didn't know why you were coming here. I wasn't certain if it was to do harm to our entire Legions and I couldn't jeopardize that. We are in contention with Antonius and Octavian to free the republic of Rome."
"Spare me your sardonic illusions. It leaves a terrible taste in my mouth. Rome is crumbling like any empire that doesn't have a sturdy foundation of structure." The Conqueror pronounced, sheathing her Lion blade and closing the gap to Brutus. "You and I are going to have a discussion. In one candle-mark, come to my ship, and come alone."
Brutus' nod permitted he acceded to her terms.
"Collect your dead or what have you. However, try not considering doing something moronic." She warned before fabricating, "If I don't start on my travel back to Corinth's castle soon, I won't be able to intercept the fleet of ships my Chancellor appointed to find me. I'm like a daughter to him; when I don't check in, he worries over me. So if I'm deceased, I can imagine his outrage being compared to Ceres' during the moons she doesn't have Persephone."
Creating an image of death, she spun around, walking back to her army, leaving Brutus and his brother-in-law to converse on what to do next.
"I told you attacking her was a bad idea." Cassius chided. "Now Corinthian vessels are tracking her. There's no telling what the Conqueror will do once they arrive. She could order them to obliterate us."
Brutus became thoughtful. "I don't think so. We have a meeting-"
"That's her plan." Cassius snapped. "Lure you in while she awaits her bigger army."
"What do you propose we do?"
Cassius puffed his chest out. "We finish what you began. We mobilize our Legions, kill her and the remnants of the small army she has, then flee from Crete."
"Where would we go that the Conqueror's Chancellor wouldn't discover us?" Brutus inquired.
"Anywhere. We are on the righteous side of the Roman Republic. Millions of people will safeguard us."
"Where are these millions now?" Brutus grew disgruntled. "Where were these numerous people when we saved Rome by assassinating the tyrannical Dictator? Where were they as the tyrant was deified and we got exiled from the land of our birth that was founded by Remus, along with his brother, Romulus?"
Cassius couldn't find words to confute Brutus.
"We are alone. We have to make realistic choices. The Conqueror isn't here to cause injury to our men, so I will hear what she has to announce and we'll go from there."
No longer caring for any rebuttal to his decision, Brutus stalked off as Cassius remained with the lifeless bodies littering the area and their squad of men.
"Gather our dead." Cassius uttered to them, gazing at the Conqueror's withdrawing army. "Get them ready for the pyre."
"Sixth Army, guard our rear!" Glaphyra bellowed, moving through the men and woman to walk beside the Conqueror, asking, "What's next?"
"Set up a perimeter. Also, get a search going for my chakram. Then begin collecting our dead and wounded."
"Yes, my Lord." Glaphyra was puzzled when the Conqueror's footing deviated from the ship to leave the safety of the hoplites. "Where are you-"
"Don't concern yourself with that." She answered. "Just do what I said."
Glaphyra agreed, figuring the older woman wanted to do her sacred ritual. Spotting the man she needed, the General raced over to him.
"Glad you are among the living, Tanis."
"General." He greeted. "I deduce we should be thanking the Conqueror for that. When the second legion of Romans advanced on us, she'd destroyed all their shields with that circular weapon, making it easier to defeat them."
"It's called a chakram." Glaphyra rectified. "And speaking of which, I require you to round up a couple of scouts to find it while I arrange a perimeter to surround the port."
"As you decree, General." Placing his right hand atop his chest, Tanis queried, "Should I have it brought to the Conqueror when it's found?"
"No, bring it to me." Glaphyra's light brown eyes looked in the direction their Lord strolled in. "I'll deliver it to her."
Finding a secluded spot in the woods, the Conqueror unsheathed both swords from her hips, stabbing them into the ground to traverse each other.
Kneeling in front of the crisscrossed blades, she pledged, "Minerva, hear me. Hear me, Minerva. The lives I've taken tonight, I commit them unto you. Please, accept this tribute of sacrifice to honor you, my goddess of wisdom, truth, and war."
The ceremony finished, the Conqueror could feel the blood-lust receding inside her, replacing it with weariness and fatigue.
'Gods, I'm feeling my age. I can't wait to get home.' The forty-three-year-old mused, till her cognition switched to the lovely person who was spending her last night in Corinth. 'Oh, Ri, have a blessed journey to Athens tomorrow. I'll see you before long.'
To Be Continued...