《Legionary (dropped)》 Ch. 1 Maximus breathed in deeply, letting the cool night air soothe the rasp of his dry throat. He had been fighting for hours. And there were no time-outs in war. His eyes searched the vista that lay before him languidly, and just as the sun began to rise above the distant mountains he had a thought. Why is a scene of such despair always so pleasing to the eye. And true he was that this scene was of despair, as strewn around his feet were the bodies of the dead and dying, bleeding their last into the desert sand. Staining the ground red. He shook his head as he came upon a familiar face among the damned. The boy was young, barely out of adolescence, his head shaved as was the custom of the legions. His name was Marius, and he had joined a few years prior. A good lad. Maximus sighed. As of a few months ago, he had been with the legion for 12 years, the majority of his adult life. He had joined at the age of 23. A strange age to join, young enough that he couldn''t have done anything else meaningful in his life but still yet old enough to not have entered straight into the service. The reason for this was an unsuccessful venture into the smithing business that lasted five humiliating and expensive years. Turns out people prefer to buy weapons from Rome than from a young Egyptian man. And now here he stood in the kingdom of Nabataea, in a plot of land with no name having just participated in a battle that would not be remembered, all for Emperor Trajan''s pride and greed. He looked down at the lacerated body of his comrade. What a stupid and meaningless way to die. And yet those two words could be used to sum up Maximus''s entire life. A father who had fought his entire life for citizenship so that his son could be better off than him, even giving his son a roman name in the hopes it would help him fit in. His dreams crushed by the fact that they lived in a place raided near constantly by Maximus''s kin. Blood is thicker than water they always said. And although his father had bled time and time again for Rome, in its people eyes Maximus and he were still blood of the desert. Barbarian trash. He through back a tanned, strong-featured face and let out a bellowing laugh. His father had wasted his youth on foreign battlefields for what? So that his son could do the same but in a different uniform? Pure and complete madness. And at that moment, surrounded by the corpses of the damned Maximus wept at the futility of it all. Wept as men in red cloaks walked through the dead with spears, delivering quick deaths to wounded foes. Wept as allies begged for the same fate instead, being carried away to the dreaded medical tents where they would lose limbs and become burdens for life. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. His cries turned into laughs and he roared at the heavens, earning him several sideways looks from other men. It seemed another man had lost his mind in the storm of steel and flesh. Damn Trajan, he thought. Damn the emperors and damn Rome. This was the first time in his life that Maximus had ever truly thought about deserting. He shook his head, hoping the physical gesture would help banish the stupid idea. He would not desert for although he harboured much hate for Rome an even stronger emotion lurked beneath the surface of his being. Fear. And he knew from experience that deserters would be hunted down like dogs. Because for a long time he had been the hunter. A hand landed hard on his shoulder and Maximus, out of instinct, moved for the sword sheathed at his side. "Woah my friend, jumpy are we?" The voice belonged to a man, Marcus Brittanicus Primus. Or just Marcus to his friends. Another member of the eight men that Maximus was forced to share sleeping quarters with. "Jesus Marcus. Don''t do that." Spat Maximus testily. He was in no mood for jokes. "Lighten up my friend, we won the day. Why are you standing here brooding?" "It''s just..." He paused, at a loss for the right words. "Do you ever just get tired, of it all." "Not really." Marcus was younger than Maximus and the fires of youth still burned in his eyes. Maximus envied that. His eyes had held nothing but tired resignation for years. "Well, when you''re older you''ll understand." Sighed Maximus, done with the conversation. As of now he just wanted to slink into a cave and stay their forever. Never having to deal with the world and its madness again. He would get his wish. But not how he wanted it. "All right my friend. See you tonight ok?" He asked with what may have passed for genuine concern in Marcus''s own fucked up little way. "Yes." He said back quietly. "Ok," Marcus said lightly before leaving Maximus to his thoughts. He was glad for it. Then, unceremoniously and much to Maximus''s dismay, he vanished. There was no fanfare, no bright flash of light or the booming voice of an omnipotent being. He was just there one second and gone the next. In the perspective of the army, Maximus was written off as another deserter and, after a brief search that garnered nothing he was forgotten about. Just another casualty of war. But for Maximus and for many others. Their story was only just beginning, and it would grow to encompass the entire world. Ch. 2 Maximus dropped into a low stance as he drew his sword defensively. Years of combat had honed his instincts to this point, he could not see, he could not hear but yet he stood ready, ready to face whatever came with sword drawn. Like a Roman soldier should. He wheeled around in the void, slashing compactly at perceived sounds. His palms began to sweat with nervousness, he was at his wit''s end. The battle before had drained him of energy, now this? He just wanted the nightmare to end. And so it did. With a clap, the void cleared and he found himself in a truly foreign environment. For a second he thought he had died and gone to heaven for there was near nothing but white. It was when he noticed the other aspects of this space that the illusion was ruined. Before him lay a cheap looking table made of weak looking wood, and at both ends stood chairs made of metal. He edged toward the table, nervous sweat beginning to sting his eyes. He took one slight shuffle at a time, he had forgone his shield after the battle had ended and now only held his sword. How foolish he was. When he was within distance to touch it Maximus stabbed the mundane furniture accusingly with his sword point. Nothing. He exhaled, sheathing his sword. It seemed the table wasn''t a monster in disguise trying to trick him. He could see no dangers approaching, he walked to the wall and slumped down in the corner his armour making a racket as he did so. Why rest in the corner? He asked himself because for although he had made his peace with the table, the chairs were another matter entirely. Who would waste metal on chairs unless they were armoured for battle? Maximus let out a depreciating laugh at his own expense. It seemed he got the change of scenery he was looking for. And as of yet, nothing had tried to devour his immortal soul so that was a plus. "Ah, I see you''ve already arrived." Maximus sprang to his feet and began to fumble with the handle of his sword. It was disgraceful he knew but he had been fighting for nearly 7 hours straight at this point. "No need to draw weapons, we are all friends here." Spoke the disembodied voice once more, it seemed to emanate from every corner of the room, as if the space room itself was the voice and vice versa. Whatever the case it had Maximus jumping at shadows. "Hmm, that didn''t work. Alright, I''m going to come into the room now, try not to stab me kay." At this point Maximus was just waiting for the next shoe to drop, a battle in the desert at night. Being summoned to a place he was tentatively classifying as purgatory and a disembodied voice of what may or may not be one of the Gods who spoke near flawless latin. What next, was his father going to come out and start an intervention? A door appeared amidst the featureless, white void and through it walked a small child. She was female, with a shaved head and pallid skin. Yet the queerest of her feature was her eyes, or rather her lack of them. For in place of eyes she just had more milk white skin stretched over her face that revealed the odd flash of brightly coloured light from underneath its surface. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The little girl, if Maximus could call her that clambered onto one of the chairs and began to swing her legs gleefully before gesturing for Maximus to take a seat. He declined. "Suit yourself, spoilsport." She pouted, pursing her lips as she spoke before turning back to him with a sudden flourish that caused him to once more raise his sword. She didn''t seem to notice and if she did she didn''t let it hinder her announcement. "Welcome contestant, to the game of a lifetime. As I''m sure you have a barrage of questions I would kindly ask you to leave them till the end kay." She said as is talking to a child, Maximus, too dumbstruck to take offence and just nodded mutely. "Your planet is the latest of a variety of new discoveries in the Balancore sector. As such we have gifted your people with the chance of a lifetime, a game, of sorts." "A game?" Maximus asked disbelievingly. "What did I say about questions young man?!" She snapped reproachfully. Maximus quieted down, still too stupefied by this display to do anything in response. "Your people have been given the chance to fight for their freedom. As the galactic law states any new race shall be given the right to the Kamar Taii. A trial by combat if I am to use a term from your world. A spectacle of arms broadcasted to the entire Sentient universe! In which 50 brave and noble savages of the new world attempt to survive for 50 days against 200 trained hunters from every inch of the universe. The catch, they can only use weapons and tech from the newly discovered world. If the valiant defenders survive, they are uplifted and added to the council of races that rule the known universe. If not their species is to join the slave caste that serves us" The small eyeless girl was becoming more and more animated as she went on, actually licking her lips in excitement as she said the last couple words. Maximus only looked more and more tired. It appeared the gods themselves were having a laugh. "A blood sport in which people can pick a favourite fighter and bet on them, sending them donations in the form of gifts. This is the magic of the Kamar Taii, this is the glory of the universe!" She said finally, flinging her arms into the air and panting for breath. It wasn''t until a minute later that Maximus realised she was looking at him expectantly. The whole no eyes thing was becoming a problem. He nodded grimly at her to continue, he was the type of man who wanted to hear bad news as quickly as possible. "Well then, I suppose you have questions?" She said as she sat back languidly in her chair, waiting for him to bare all at her feet like she was some all-powerful goddess, which, for all Maximus knew could, in fact, be true. "Questions! Of course, I have bloody questions! For starters were in the name of the god''s are-!" Maximus vanished once more, off to the waiting area of the Kamar Taii, leaving the small girl alone in the room as a giggling fit took hold of her. As it finally ceased she wiped a tear from her no eyes. "Never gets old." Ch. 3 "Eternal damnation upon you!" He yelled into the void once more. He had been fuming in a near-featureless, black cell for over an hour now. Still reeling with anger and dismay after the small eyeless girl had banished him from her realm. The only other feature of this void was a small rectangular plate that had slowly decreasing numbers spelled out upon it in a bright red light. All in all the light coupled with the black room gave the whole situation an ominous vibe. 55:34 Maximus slumped down in the corner and let his face fall into his hands. This is all a bad dream he thought. That''s right I''ll close my eyes and I''ll be back in my hot stuffy tent in Arabia. He closed his eyes and opened them again. Never had he wished to be back in the service of Rome more so than in this moment. 34:57 After a brief pity party, Maximus stood up, a grim determination written on his face. He drew his stout gladius and checked for nicks and chips from the previous battle. Miraculously there were none, he then checked his armour for any cracks or dents. There was some damage, the most glaring of this being his caved in pauldron having been hit by a glancing blow by a Mamluk cavalry soldier. Maximus took of his pauldron and attempted to hammer out the dent with the pommel of his sword. That done he reattached the steel plate and took his best defiant pose. He held this for several seconds before laughing depreciatingly and slumping to the floor again. "I''m going to die." He muttered to no one in particular. 25:17 Maximus was using this time to reflect on his life, knowing full well that he had just gone through a tiring metamorphosis of emotional states he chooses instead a much less draining activity, to look back on his past before his, what seemed inevitable demise. He closes his eyes and began to ponder. His mind wandered back to his childhood. As a boy whose father was at war and his mother was sick Maximus had been left much of the day to roam the streets of Alexandria. Jumping from building to building along with a pack of other unsupervised children. He smiled in the dark. Good times. His mind then went to a later memory, one of boot and flesh. He is on the ground and people surround him, boots and sandals come crashing in from each side. A job gone wrong, several of his friends had stolen from a wealthy Roman lady. As it so happened her husband was a Centurian. Maximus and his friends had received quite a beating that day. Once more his mind wanders this time he is a young man, wiping sweat from his brow as he labours in front of hot coals. A man comes into the shop, well dressed and flanked on both sides by legionaries. He asks Maximus to work for half of what a Roman smith would be paid, Maximus refuses. He returns to his shop the next day to find it vandalised and his tools stolen. This was the last straw and what caused him to give up his dream. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Maximus grimaces as he reopens his eyes. Pretty shit all things considered. He thought, no wonder I''m so bloody jaded. He chuckles once more, his musings lit only by the dim, red glow. 17:22 Maximus sighed, what he wouldn''t give for some wine right now. Or a good woman. He laughed, wonder which other poor sods got chosen for this madness. Who was he kidding, Maximus didn''t care. He had already given up hope. You didn''t win against 4:1 odds, you just didn''t. Maybe if they had the terrain and banded together... No! He staunched that flow of ideas angrily. No, he said more calmly in his head. This is the end, the enemy has trained for this. I''ll just enjoy my final hours in peace before going down peacefully. He was just so tired, and fighting seemed like such a foreign concept. 5:06 Maximus had closed his eyes and begun to sing a tune in his head. He didn''t know where he knew it from, just that he always had. Whatever the case its slow, melancholic tune filled the small chamber. Maximus began to pray, silently in the dark. God, if you can hear me then answer my prayer. I pray not for myself but for the rest of humanity. I pray that you can still hear me in this hellscape and if you can then I pray you give one of this fifty the strength to win. The strength to save the human race. They do not deserve servitude, no one deserves the boots of others. To be looked down upon. I pray you choose a proper hero to save us. Because it sure as shit isn''t going to be me. Amen. Maximus finished and smiled in a satisfied manner. His duty to his species was done and the pit of guilt that had settled in the bottom of his stomach began to recede, he could pass on without guilt now. Some would say his attitude was naught more than selfish cowardice, choosing to save oneself hardship at the cost of the human race. Maximus would agree with these men before kindly asking them to fuck off. Bravery and heroics were for men younger, more handsome and far more idealistic than himself. 00:03 00:02 00:01 Alright, world. Maximus thought, standing up in the final moments of peace he would be allowed. Whats the worse you''ve got? Because I doubt it can make my day any worse than it is already. Ch. 4 Maximus wasn''t sure how much time had passed from when he had blacked out to when he awoke, only that he was finally free from otherworldly environments. Surrounding him was a woodland glade, much like places in Gaul his father had described. All around him stood large, indomitable pine trees, littering the floor with a thick coat of pungent pine needles. Elsewhere he could here a brook running slowly. It reminded him of just how parched he was, causing him to walk to it, hunger and desire written upon his face. Maximus collapsed next to the rocky stream and without any concessions for etiquette he plunged his head into the cool, clear water. It was truly amazing. Maximus, after drinking his fill splashed water on his face and down the back of his neck. Relishing the feeling of the cold flow relieving him of the caked on blood and mud from the earlier battle. It seemed so long ago, he thought. At least this confirmed his suspicions he thought as he looked cautiously around his surrounding, chastising himself for rushing so blindly into a hostile place. It was quite apparent that he was no longer in Arabia. It appeared the strange girl may have been telling the truth. Maximus grimaced. "Greetings contestants." Spoke a loud, booming, masculine voice from the sky, the sudden interruption causing a Maximus, nerves frayed, to draw his sword and begin fighting the air. "You have now entered the Arena of the Kamar Taii, feel honoured humans as today you are being allowed to fight for your freedom." The voice said with an audible sneer. "The hunters shall not be released for 3 days, so enjoy the last vestiges of freedom." And with that, the voice spoke no more, leaving him and approximately 50 other people to their own devices. Speaking of which where were the other contestants. Maximus walked around his immediate vicinity making sure there was no one else there. There wasn''t. The bastards separated us! He thought angrily, wondering how they expected 50 teams of 1 to stand against 1 team of 200. It was madness, the game was rigged to make them loose. Maximus took off his helmet and ran a hand across his shaved scalp in exasperation wondering what to do next. A shelter he supposed. And so it was that he began to scrounge the forest floor for any meaningfully sized branches to make a fire or shelter from. He was about to give up on the fruitless endeavour and just sleep by the river when he saw it. A cottage, in the middle of what was otherwise a barren, wooded, uninhabited alien death dome. It was quite suss and Maximus began to conceal himself in the trees surrounding the cottage''s clearing just in case. But the hunters weren''t meant to be here for another 3 days he thought, so it couldn''t be a trap laid by them. And unless he had been asleep for far longer than he thought it wasn''t built by man either. He rubbed his chin in thought. Two sides were warring within his being. On one hand, there were his instincts telling him to stay away from the creepy woodland cottage and any dangers that may lurk inside. On the other, he was incredibly fucking tired and a roof over his head sounded pretty good right now. Chance of a horrible death, or a chance at a bed for the night. He weighed the options. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Maximus began to crab walk cautiously toward the house, using every ounce of stealth that he had cultivated as a cutpurse on the streets of Alexandria. He had resolved himself to peak into the window and see what horrors lay within before leaving, lest he give up a perfectly good piece of shelter. And so he shuffled toward the rough-hewn wood exterior one step at a time, it was then that an announcement played. And everything was going so well too. "48 contestants remaining. And there we have it, folks, the first deaths of the Kamar Taii. If you missed it these poor souls fell victim to one of the traps we''ve left lying around the map! It''s shaping up to be an exciting if short contest everyone." Maximus looked at the house and his face fell as realisation washed over him. "Oh, fu-!" He was cut off by an explosive spray of splinters as the house seemingly ruptured at the seams. The blast knocked him off his feet and sent him flying back into the trees. He flew for a second, maybe two before smashing hard into a tree trunk, his head flying back and smacking against the hard, wood. He blacked out briefly. His eyes fluttered open once more, hazy. He couldn''t make out detail but saw a bipedal blur lumbering toward him. His every instinct screamed at him to move and yet there he sat. In a distant part of his mind he registered a warm liquid flowing down his brow, but still, he did not move. He was just so tired. The beast began to move closer and Maximus could hear the rhythmic groan of wood as it rested its gargantuan weight on each of its legs, lumbering forward slowly but surely. The beast threw back an arm comprised of brick and wood before pistoning the appendage toward the tree at which Maximus sat. And without consent, he moved. He dived out of the way avoiding yet another explosion of splinters and shrapnel. Why am I moving? He thought to himself. He had resolved himself to die and yet he still fought onward. Maximus barely dove out of the way of another destructive haymaker, lunging to the side and feeling the blast of wind as the gargantuan limb blew past his face. Was he surviving based on pure instinct and training? Maybe, it was an entirely reasonable theory, in fact, it was what the legion had drilled into him, dodge stab dodge, don''t think, just do, but yet it didn''t feel right. It wasn''t a cool calm that came over him in these moments but instead, he was gripped by an icy fear. He was afraid to die plain and simple. And, as ashamed as it made him and although his proud side wanted to give into the beast, to prove himself a man his body still refused to comply, doggedly dodging the attacks by a hair''s breadth. Yes, he was afraid, but this also meant he was alive. And to the new Maximus, that was how he wanted to stay. So he did the first thing he could think of to keep it that way. He threw his sword at the face of the beast and ran for his life. Notice Hey, I''m going to be posting a new story on this site in a couple of days and wanted to let you all know that as the updated title suggests this story has been dropped. The cause for this was a lack of inspiration and the fact that I believed this one was poorly written. The new story will be called ''Balance'' and to ensure that I don''t just drop the fucking thing after about 5 chapter I am planning to write a shit load before posting and then when I do release it I am planning to release one chapter every hour for an entire day. So be ready for that when it comes. Thank you for reading this and I hope to see you in the next story.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.