He grunted, having just finished refilling the last flask of alcohol from the last batch of injured. He should have known. It had been way too good to be true. But, in hindsight, it was obvious that this would have been how it ended. Not in the way he expected, but at the end of it, they were back to square one. The solstice came and went, a brittle peace having been secured, if only by the skin of their teeth. Weapons were drawn, punches were thrown (poor Holden. The bruise that Stigandr left him took an entire week to heal), but eventually, the three factions reached a compromise. An armed treaty, but open conflicts had finally ended, after so much time.
No attacks, ro raids and no more war. Valkenheim especially benefitted from the agreements, since they now received provisions from their new allies through bartering.
But… the unexpected happened. The one thing that could break everything that they had worked so hard to build in the last ten years. Yeah… ten years. That's how long it took for his wife and him to mend everything that Apollyon and her minions had broken. And they were not even close to getting everything back to normal.
He blinked a bit, unable to hide his small grin. Skye was his wife… he was the husband of the Queen. Which made him… the smile died an ugly death.
… better not to think about it.
What exactly happened that destroyed all their hopes and dreams? A fourth faction, hellbent on conquering the entirety of Heatmoor, to make up for the fall of their own land. The bloodthirsty Chinese of the Wu Lin empire. They came out of nowhere, leaving behind only ruin wherever they went. The Dawn Empire fell onto its knees, followed by the Warborn and by a good half of their Legions. The Myre and Valkenheim were conquered, leaving only Ashfeld still standing, where an event of monumental importance happened.
High Queen Skye welcomed with open arms the Empress Ayu and the Jarl Dagur, and everyone had zero to no hesitation on what had to be done. Old rivalries were put aside, enemies became allies, bitterness replaced by strength of communion. Tension was still present, obviously, but everyone knew who the real threat was.
The Knights, Vikings and Samurai joined their forces into a single army, with their leaders ruling together as a triumvirate of sorts. It was an event that nobody ever dreamed could ever happen. But their situation was desperate. Even with everyone working together the best that they could, thanks to the decade of relative calm, there was simply a lack of armed forces. The Wu Lin outnumbered them by the hundreds, if not thousands. And so… desperation sinked in and the factions had to call upon reinforcements.
The Vikings claimed some ancient vows to the remaining populations close to Valkenheim, managing to bring into the fold the stoic, but strong Highlanders and the insane but visionary Shamans.
The Samurai offered recognition and a place into society to the shadowy organization of the Shinobi, warriors adept at striking when the enemies least expected, and to the disgraced Aramushas, ronin who had failed in protecting their masters and longed for redemption.
While the Knights drew strength from their roots, restoring the legendary Centurions, who once led the Roman soldiers to victory in every war, and offering the exuberant Gladiators in the arena the chance to finally prove themselves against worthy opponents.
And so, war was sparked anew… but in a way that no one could ever imagine.
Corvo had no idea if victory was a possibility… but if it was, he was confident that those who lead them will find a way. They always do, at the end of the day, somehow. His wife always did. There is a reason why she was chosen to rule, he guessed.
Someone knocked on his post. Well, speaking of new recruits…
"Come in Octavius. I was waiting for you".
The Centurion entered with a swagger in his step, like he owned the place. Centurions were strong and reliable leaders, for sure…
But not unlike the Gladiators, they were incredibly cocky. Something that would have bothered him once upon a time, like when he first met Stone, but that now only made him smirk. He'll be humbled soon enough, Corvo reckoned.
"I really don't understand why I'm here. My wound is completely healed, I should be out there caving in the faces of our enemies!"
Ah yeah, the greatest strategy to adopt while in a battlefield full of enemies… punching. It's honestly a miracle that the Centurions as a whole are still alive…
(Un)fortunately for him, Octavius got injured two weeks prior during a sparring match against Mercy. He tried to warn him about not underestimating his older sister…
He still caught her dagger in his side, swung with… just a tiny bit more force than necessary. Nobody told her anything for it, as the Centurion deserved it, not a single question asked.
"This is just a final examination, to make sure that you're healthy and ready to go. Are you sure that you don't want to bring a shield with you? The gladius is not really a weapon fit for…"
"For the last time, healer! I do not need a shield! Quit bothering me with this subject already!"
Ah well… he tried. Again. Skye will just have to deal with him as he was. He mentally apologized to his wife while he checked the wound. Stab right on the man's side, deep enough to keep him on time out for a bit, but not enough to be debilitating and at a good distance from anything vital.
His sister was still the best, not a single doubt.
Octavius coughed, to try and fill in the silence.
"So uhmm… how does your society work, exactly? I know that it's similar in some aspects to the Romans, but it's not exactly… clear".
It was a good question. Their society was simple once you understand, but getting there required a bit of an explanation.
"The Knights society… it does work similar to your own from back in the day. The "empire" is divided into several Legions, all of which are more or less independent from one another, for one exception. Each Legion has a Senate, which elects the Praetor of that particular Legion. Once every ten years, the Praetors all come together, with a member of the their Senate in tow, where they pool together their resources. The one that contributes the most is elected as Prima Legionis, or 'First Legion'. That Legion's Praetor, then, automatically becomes the King or Queen of the entire faction".
Octavius hummed, thinking it over.
"I… believe I got it. This Prima Legionis is kind of like Rome, isn't it? The one that reigns over, while the other ones are like the Provinces. The King or Queen is the Emperor and the Senate… well, I don't think I have to comment on that. The structure is similar, but it works in a different way… intriguing…"
That… that's actually kind of true, huh? He never thought about it in that light… well, it's no wonder. As already said before, the Knight faction's roots are the Romans, after all.
"You may be onto something here. But anyway, you're good to go now. Your very first fight will be in a couple of days, how are you feeling?"
Octavius likely smirked behind his mask.
"Ready to smack them into oblivion! They won't know what hit them!"
He exited the tent, laughing loudly. Corvo stared at the exit blankly, before laughing behind his hand. He'll give it a week, give or take.
Three days later, Octavius was back in his domain, groaning in pain from the thousand of bruises caused by an enemy Shaolin's staff. He had been way too optimistic, it would seem…
The healer, kept his smirk while he worked.
"So, . About that shield…"
The Centurion screamed in the night.
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of AHO, the show where historically inaccurate Centurions really need their damn shields already.
Yup, I decided to switch things up a little bit. I always thought that it was kind of weird how the story mode finished with the factions going "lol yeah, let's stop", only for the multiplayer to go "and ten years later, they started killing each other again, because yes". So, as a way to make things spicier, the Wu Lin are already here! Their overwhelming force pushed the boundaries of Heatmoor causing the three factions to ally, in order to push them back. This will also serve as a way to justify the presence of the other year 1 DLC characters, as to make things easier on myself.
Next time on a Healer's Oath: Ayame, The Shinobi
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!