Two weeks after the miracle of Ile’Sethak, my legion had made its way deeper into the Broken wall’s territory. They were a crafty bunch. They had entire hidden fortresses buried deep under the earth. Miles of tunnels under the ground right below our feet. I explored one such place. They could plan everything down there without needing to come up at all. That and several chambers allowed them to love in some of the most basic forms; a place to eat, sleep, defecate and of course spy. They were formidable hide outs that I could learn from. Thankfully, even with their ingenuity and planning, they were unable to stop the plague of snakes.

This allowed us to establish a foothold in the territory. We secured one of the more intact ruins of the area and reinforced it with lumber. Those ruins acted as our base of operations in the province. The abundance of serpents made the Broken Wall tribe’s greatest strength moot. The serpent’s wouldn’t harm me no matter how close I got, but once they were in the holes, only my personal guard was able to follow me inside as no one else would get through without a venomous kiss from the serpents. Sylithra continued to write down all that she saw. She had never seen the works of Ile’Sethak such as this before. She must have felt like she had truly been blessed to be born around the time of my coming.

While the rest of my people scouted the ruins out, ensuring that there were no spies or stowaways watching our every move and plotting our doom, I took the time to check on Cao Tzu. She had been blessed with a tongue granted by Ile’Sethak. It was difficult for her to find her voice again, though it was far more alien in sound than what her true voice must have been like. Her voice at times was raspy with a pronounced lisp like a serpent’s hissing. She was able to speak the Ophidian language as if she had done so before she could formulate the common tongue while in the womb. All at once, the removal of her tongue had been corrected and her ability to use sorcery elevated drastically.

Having been so used to speaking to her through signing, I motioned my hands to ask if she was willing to speak.

“You don’t need to do that, my Kai’sar. I’m fully capable of speaking.”

“I know.” I said, trailing off lightly, forgetting myself and spoke to her not as a lord but as a friend. “I do still like to use it. I believe it adds a bit of security. A language that only you and I know of.”

She nodded and then went over to a table. She had been cleaning it off, intending on using it to prepare spells. She now had access to more powerful forms of sorcery than ever before. She would make use of them.

“I see.” She said plainly and softly. I could tell that there was something on her mind that was biting at her heels. I stepped closer to her, full of concern.

“Something troubles you?”

She hesitated for a moment, but knew that I wouldn’t relent until I knew exactly what the problem was. She took a deep breath and sighed.

“It's just…I never really expected anything like this. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

“Yes, I suppose we have. We’re long beyond hunting for our own food in a desert where everything wants to kill us. Now we’re hunting in a jungle where everything wants to kill us.”

She chuckled lightly. She leaned heavily on the table and relaxed.

“It's not just that, Hadrian. Look at where we are now. We both were nailed to a cross, our would-be executioners believing in all likelihood that we would die, and yet here we are. I can speak again and have access to sorcery and you? What do I need to say about you?”

“It has been a long road, yes. One that's not complete yet. This tribe here is the last one that stands in the way of total conquest. Then once we establish ourselves here properly, and only then will I seek my vengeance against the bull.”

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At about that time, one of our men ran into the ruined building. He knelt down and bowed his head to me. He kept his head lowered in submission.

“My Kai’Sar. A Band of tribesmen is approaching the ruins. They look like Broken wall. They don’t appear to be attacking us.”

I thought for a moment. I turned my head to Cao Tzu and nodded to her before I turned my attention to the soldier.

“And now they wish to talk. Soldier, assemble the archers and have them trained on the tribals. If one of them so much as scratches his nose the wrong way, send them to their gods.”

The soldier nodded and went around the ruins to issue my orders. I turned to smile at Cao Tzu and got ready to step outside.

“Let's see what they want.”

We stepped outside of the ruins and saw the small band of tribals walking towards us. My legionnaires stationed on the roof readied their bows while my Ophidian guards stood beside me and Cao Tzu. The warriors that arrived had armor that was pilfered from the tombs of the ancients. It was a segmented bronze armor that reached down just above the knees. They wore sandals and bronze greaves that reached up to their knees. Bizarrely it had a large collar around the neck that was wide enough for them to turn their heads around yet tall enough to hide their mouths. Their helmets were almost cone shaped with their leader having a plume to signify his status. His head crest was made out of what looked like lizard scales and feathers that were stripped White and Blue. The leader of this group raised his head high and spoke with a voice that was old, gruff and as deep as the tunnels his people made.

“Bid orch ba hars mogoi-iin zereg.”

Not understanding what his barbarian tongue was uttering, I looked to Cao Tzu for a moment. She closed her eyes, using her sorcery and praying to Ile’Sethak before her forked tongue slithered out from her lips and she hissed.

“He asks to speak with the ‘master of serpents.’ He wishes to speak to you, Kai’Sar.”

I smiled, now having a translator. This minor trick would do well. A blessing from Ile’Sethak, albeit it was a temporary one.

“Tell them that I am Hadrian, and I shall hear them talk.”

Without missing a step, she spoke their language as if she had known it from the moment of her birth.

“Zereng-maa end bol mogoi-inn zereg. Ter chi-tai yar-na.”

The leader raised his head up and spoke defiantly as he looked at me.

“Chi orch ba ene gazar-d avch ir ukhel bol süirel. Chi haij baina avch avah chi-nii bish. Bid shaardaj baina chi bolon chi-nii mogoi-d endees darui gar, esvel chi tulgar-na tenger-iin uur khilen. Bid-nii ariun gazar chi-aar gishgekhgüi.”

Cao Tzu quickly spoke and gave the translation.

"You have come to these lands bringing death and destruction. You seek to claim what is not yours. We demand that you and your serpents leave here at once, or you will face the wrath of the gods. Ours is a sacred land that will not be trodden upon by you."

I glared at the Chieftain and walked towards him. My guards followed me very closely and I leaned forward to the leader’s face.

“Cao Tzu, Translate everything I say.”

I glared at him and let Cao Tzu translate everything.

“You demand…I am to uproot my armies and return from whence I came because you demand it? You are an utter fool. You slaughtered my people as you hid within tunnels like rats, and now that your tunnels are no longer your own, only do you wish to treat with me. It's not so easy when it's your men who are dying and we’re on equal footing. Don’t insult me. You’ve come practically begging for your lives because now there are kinks in your armor and they are visible to all. If you wish to make deals then I offer you this; have the chieftain of your tribe surrender to me. Do that, or leave. We will face you in battle soon enough.”

The warrior stared at me in disbelief before he muttered something.

“Solihun…”

He turned around and walked back the way he came. I looked at Cao Tzu. She sighed and translated.

“Madman. He called you a Madman.”

I raised my brow and nodded quietly.

“Did he, now?” I paused for a moment and then looked at the guards. “Kill them. Bring their leader to me.”

My Ophidian guards went after them to seize them. They were hard to take down, given their armor, but we had more men. Once the bloodshed was done, the Ophidians brought the messenger to me and forced him to kneel. I smiled and watched him put on a brave face as I reveled in the sight. Cao Tzu bowed her head.

“What do you wish to do with him, Kai’Sar?”

I smiled and knelt down to the leader. I gently placed my hand on his chin and then stood up. This nobody, this no named messenger would be the first of something truly special. Something I save for an occasion where I need to send a message.

“...Crucify him.”

He was stripped of his armor and carried away screaming. As they were taking him away, I yelled out to the Ophidians. “And make sure to remove his armor and put him where he can easily be seen by scouts.”

If I was mad, then that is what I would use to instill fear into the hearts of my enemies. They saw me as a monster that would stop at nothing to crush them and subjugate them. I would use that moniker. Once the lumber was gathered and the nails brought forth, the Ophidian guard began to hammer away into his wrist and feet. His screams echoed loud in the jungle. Once that was done, he was placed just off to the side where a future road would be.

I stood under the cross’s shadow and looked up at the man. I felt my own scars burning with white hot intensity. When I started my journey I was crucified… but from that point on, I would be the crucifier.