For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion

B3 Chapter 82: Salt in the Wound

B3 Chapter 82: Salt in the Wound

Tiberius only had seconds to coordinate his forces as the divine abomination hurtled toward them. He barked out a rapid series of orders that left no room for debate. The Legionnaires wasted no time clustering together in turtle formations as quickly as they could. Some of the men who’d been fending off priests were too far away to join with the largest, forcing them to form their own smaller islands and pray. Shields and glowing bubbles of force energy sprang up around some groups of adventurers, while others ran. Precious few affixed themselves to the Legion’s formation like barnacles and added their shields to the wall or cast additional barriers over the group. Whatever they could do in the few moments they had.

The raven’s corpse crashed into the courtyard with enough force to shake the buildings around it. Shields squealed and cracked or altogether shattered under the sheer weight of the thing. The Legion’s largest formation buckled, then held as he saw a few of the more scattered men and adventurers disappear beneath the feathered meteor.

With a mighty shove, the largest group of Legionnaires angled their formation and thrust outward. The movement levered the dead beast's enormous bulk off of themselves and onto the ground, where it lay sprawling.

Silence fell over the courtyard. It lay in shambles around them, broken masonry and clumps of uprooted grass scattered about the now enlarged clearing like toys from some ruinous child. The Legionnaires and adventurers remained still, their guards remaining high against any tricks. But the bird didn’t move. It simply bled black ichor onto the courtyard, the sizzling substance corroding what little stone remained.

Tiberius was just about to step forward when the thing’s eyes flashed. Its head and legs began thrashing wildly, its body filling once more with even more intense light as its body grew and swelled.

The adventurers and Legionnaires rushed forward to end the beast before it could rise or do anything more. But Tiberius’s attention was elsewhere. He focused on the place where the priests and isolated Legionnaires had been crushed beneath the body. There, he saw a limb poking out from beneath the bulk. It was bloodied and mangled, yet its hand trembled with a sickly glow.

“Fall back!” Tiberius shouted, a wave of dread washing over him. He no longer shared the same unspoken connection with his men, but they had spent years under his command. No one would question orders from their Legatus.

The adventurers, however, were another matter.

That precious instant between hearing his orders and choosing how to interpret them was an instant too long. Some lingered, getting in one last attack in hopes of ending the beast and securing glory. But that hesitation was all it took for the trap to be sprung.

The swelling accelerated until the abomination grew round and fat like an overinflated balloon. Then, it burst in a blinding nova, coating the entire courtyard with the same corrosive black goop that it had been leaking throughout the fight. Combatants reflexively ducked for cover and hid behind shields, only to find them eaten away in an instant. Screams rang out as the stuff tore through armor and skin alike in one final act of retribution. The adventurers nearest the raven had it worst, unprepared to defend against such a thing.

Tiberius also ducked down to shelter behind his guards. The black goop coated the shimmering barrier an inch away from their shields and quickly ate through the magical effect. The men were forced to drop their shields before the sizzling stuff began to take their arms as well.

All around, people rushed to mitigate the damage. Legionnaires maneuvered to clear as much space as possible for people to safely move. Healers and medics rushed about to assist those who’d been damaged. One soldier poured a seemingly endless stream of liquor from his flask in an attempt to wash the stuff off his comrade.

This time, the raven really did lie still. The scattered remains of its carcass and mangled limbs lay strewn across the ground, immune to its own acidic blood. Tiberius did not expect the bits of bone and flesh to rise and fight on. Then again, stranger things had happened.

Fortunately, the attack had been an indiscriminate one. The few priests that had remained now writhed on the ground in agony or slowly dissolved into the ichor below. It was a fortunate development amidst everything. Tiberius did not want to continue with a protracted battle amidst such treacherous terrain.

He spotted a few priests that had managed to survive the attack as they darted away in fright. A few Legionnaires rushed forward and ran them through without hesitation, leaping across dissolving bodies to end their quarry. Tiberius noted the stabs they left in any priestly bodies they passed as well.

His own anger flared as well. Seeing that the immediate threat was dealt with, he calmly nodded toward a few of the fleeing men and women. “Capture them.”

A small group of his guards rushed forward with unprecedented speed—speed that made Tiberius’s jaw clench. How many men’s lives had been spent to gain it?

The priests weren’t difficult to subdue, burned and charred husks that they were. Whatever power that had animated them during the battle had long since fled. Now, they were simply the remnants of an enemy force. One that would see no mercy from him.

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Tiberius mulled over his options for a moment. Then, he turned to Lucius. “What of the rest of the city?”

The man closed his eyes for a moment. “Reports are scarce. Most of our forces were directed here to assist with the battle. It appears that the conflict was concentrated here, though. There’s no word of rebellion, just panic from the populace regarding the appearance of such a creature.”

He nodded. That was good news. The priests had been attempting to remove Tiberius and his Legionnaires, then, a precision strike to cut off the head of the empire and leave its body intact. It also suggested that the priests didn’t have the sway to make the former Novarans join in their cause. Which fit with what he had seen thus far. In fact, given the inaction of the locals…

Tiberius turned toward the castle, his guards following behind. He ascended to the highest balcony available, its structure riddled with holes and fresh structural flaws, but good enough to hold for the moment. Below, just beyond the courtyard, he could see the milling about of a confused populace seeking answers.

[Royal Proclamation] activated as he raised his voice and cast it as far as he could. These words were not for his men alone, but all of his people.

“The followers of the old gods have proven themselves to be traitors.” He swept to indicate the carnage below. “They have conspired together to launch a blatant assault on our city—to assassinate the emperor and strike down the brave soldiers responsible for the empire’s protection. This is despite my tolerance of their beliefs, their presence, and their disagreement with my rule. No more.

“They have repeatedly demonstrated themselves to be disruptions to law and order. These actions are merely the latest and most blatant in a series of unacceptable undertakings. One that threatens all Romans, that would see our empire drowned beneath a deluge of invaders simply to satisfy their petty grievances. As such… I declare them enemies of the peace.”

He raised a hand to gesture outward. “All priests of the old gods shall be henceforth brought before me. Any attempting to flee judgment shall be killed on sight. So it is decreed.”

He imbued the command with all of the authority he could muster. The mob below muttered amongst themselves with a mixture of concern and indignation—most of it directed toward the priests, from what he could tell. Perhaps the populace would take it upon themselves to enact Tiberius's will. But he didn’t count on it. That would be left to the Legionnaires who remained well enough to move.

“All of the priests?” Lucius asked as Tiberius swept back inside.

He nodded. Leaving the door open for another attack like this was out of the question. Allowing them to remain in the city had already been an act of magnanimity, one intended to ease the transition of the Novarans into Rome. The empire had never been one to stamp out local customs without a good reason, after all. But this certainly qualified as a “good reason” if he’d ever seen one.

Tiberius gestured to the captured priests. “If any priests of the four gods involved here are found, have them captured as well. However, if there is even the slightest suspicion of subterfuge or ill intent, take no chances. As much as I desire to make an example of them, I will not have such examples come at the cost of more men.”

Lucius nodded again as he passed on the orders. In the meantime, Tiberius cast his gaze across the scene below.

Things had stabilized somewhat, as far as he could tell. Several large spaces free of the corrosive blood had been cleared, though remnants of the stuff still sent up tendrils of acrid vapor where it greedily nibbled at buildings and equipment. Several bodies had been dragged into neat rows off to one side, where they lay unmoving in various states. Some remained relatively whole, while others were little more than piles of dissolving flesh or red paste stuffed inside of armor.

The numbers made him grimace. The adventurers had fared far worse than the Legionnaires, despite their comparatively smaller numbers, yet plenty still remained upright. He was surprised to see a few of the burlier warriors walking around with half-melted faces or with bits of bone shining through as they worked. The skin healed with visible speed, the only acknowledgment of their injuries an occasional grunt or hiss as something popped painfully back into place.

It seemed that some of these people were more resilient than he gave them credit for. Tiberius noted down those who handled themselves particularly well. Given the events of today, standing up another Legion had quickly rocketed up to the top of his priorities. And he would need able-bodied men to pull from for such an effort.

He began making his way among the men, ensuring that his centurions had the resources they needed and coordinating the efforts to hunt down the remaining priests. Yet he couldn’t help but glance at the scattered remains of the divine abomination. The beast had been durable, true, and difficult to fell. They may not have managed it at all without Jupiter’s assistance and that of the city’s ballistae. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder. It felt as though this hadn’t been the most well-coordinated assault. It felt rushed. Premature.

The fact that the high priests hadn’t made an appearance didn’t escape his notice, either. Unless they were all cowards who preferred to let their minions do their bidding, he would have expected them to turn the tide or at least attempt to assist in the battle. And yet they were nowhere to be found. Why?

He sighed internally. The answer to that would likely make itself clear once they interrogated these captured priests. If not, then he would root them out of the city brick by brick. But until that happened, he could not let down his guard. Those four were not to be taken lightly. Until they were found, Tiberius had to treat the situation with the utmost caution. Which meant that he could no longer spare the troops intended for Corwyn Pass.

He needed loyal, capable men here. Reinforcements from the nobles and their entourages could assist the pass. But there was enough traitorous activity afoot here that inviting such political wildcards in would only end in disaster. He refused to let the capital fall. Any returning Legionnaires would have to retake it from enemy forces—this time, battling against the fortifications they themselves had prepared. The troops he’d already sent would have to suffice. Perhaps he could spare a few more of the half-mages, but beyond that…

“Emperor Tiberius. The centurions have requested that the wounded be moved into the palace.”

With a nod, he turned his attention back toward his men. “See that it’s done. And ensure that our medics see to the adventurers, as well.” His gaze drifted toward them. “I will not have Rome’s allies forgotten.”

They would need rewards after all of this. But that would come later. After they took their vengeance.