Two months after we had gathered the armor from the unnamed army, we were ready to make our journey to Akari. Akari would be several days from our location and thus we managed to prepare ourselves for the long trek. Water would be no issue, for all we would need to do was follow the Blood River’s banks for as long as we could. Akari was nestled at the base of the river and often used for travel using ships. We were able to tell upon closer inspection of the map when we noticed designs of ships near the base of the river where Akari was located. Currently, the River was too thin for any sizable boat to wade through, so we believed it must get thicker at some point down stream.

We had forged ourselves some brand new armor. Gone were the days of us wearing animal hide and bony armor platings. Now we were prepared for greater combat. Using the steel we took, I forged myself some proper armor. It wasn’t a perfect recreation of Roharim made segmentata, but it was a start, and offered better protection. I would hope that Akari would have better blacksmiths in the area to prepare something that was far more suitable for me. Under my main chest armor I wore a bright red tunic that was long enough to reach down to my upper thighs. Around my waist was pteruges, along with some Pteruges around my shoulders. I wore manica as bracers. For those of you who have no idea what I speak of, manica are made in the same way that the segmentata are, with different interlinking sheets of steel allowing me to move freely as well as ensuring that movement is not hindered.

My legs were protected by greaves, and I finally was able to fashion myself a pair of sandals. No more getting cut on sharp rocks while hunting down prey. To protect myself from the hot sun, I elected to wear a cloak that would shield me from the harmful rays as well as to conceal my identity. I had no idea if the Roharim Republic were here, and I had already been denounced as a traitor to my people or not. A small part of me hoped and prayed to Ile Sathak that Legatus Tempest was in Akari, so that I would be able to plunge my new blade into his chest.

Ah yes, I nearly forgot my new weapons. I fashioned myself a new sword. A Longsword that I could use to great effect. I had done away with the spears, yet kept the nails at my side. A memento, and something I could use later. I had made it my solemn vow that I would plunge these nails into Tempest’s heart. I swore this to Ile Sathak.

I fashioned some armor similar for Cao Tzu. She complained that the armor was too heavy, so I did what I could to lighten the load. Her armor was slimmer and she decided to forgo the manica and instead chose for simple hide bracers. At the time her weapon of choice would be a type of spear, though I would eventually discover that she could be capable of a far deadlier weapon.

We took one last look at our cave. It was a shelter for us in times of need, but now we must part, and —most likely— never see it again. We ventured to where the Blood River was the easiest to wade through and I stood at the river bank. History is often defined by small, seemingly inconsequential moments such as that. When the destiny of not only the individual, but countless people are determined by one action a man takes. I would have no idea what impact my crossing of the Blood River would have. There were many variables for this to be insignificant now that I look back on it all these years later.

Too many chances for everything to have gone wrong or turned out vastly different than what occurred: I could have died at any point between my arrival in the Blasted Lands and my crossing of the Blood River; I could have decided to go the other pathway and journey into the desert, taking my chances out there. However, Fate and the will of Ile Sathak guided me to this crucial moment in time. This fleeting second in time where the fate of the world hung in the balance, and my fate would forever be bound to the road I walk upon.

I took my first confident steps and strode through the river and found myself on the other side, now having fully entered the Blasted Lands and sealing my fate. With Cao Tzu at my side, we followed the river downstream towards the east.

We saw many strange creatures on our road to Akari. Large grazing herbivores mixed with the fast as lighting creatures that joined them. Each and every one of them had an ancient and forgotten look about them, as if they were somehow stuck outside of time. They were primordial and primitive. Yet nothing I saw in this trek had the exact same visage as whatever it was that destroyed the military camp. I must confess, it did put me on edge. After all, how could you feel comfortable knowing something that large and deadly could also seemingly disappear with the greatest of ease and was still lurking out there?

It would take us a few days for us to arrive at our destination, so we would set up camp before dark. I was in charge of starting the fire while Cao Tzu built the tents. Mercifully I was able to set the fire up quickly so I would go and help her when I was done. That night I sat at the campfire while Cao Tzu slept peacefully. I stared into the fire, drawn to it like a moth. There was a sense of uneasiness before me. I experienced the same type of feeling just before my first battle back within the legion.

My father was an auxiliary from one of the northern territories conquered by Rohiram. He taught me everything he knew about fighting. Before I was born, my father spent twenty years of his life to gain full citizenship in Roharam. With that done, He and my mother were awarded a plot of land and soon they had me. Being born to a full citizen of the republic awarded me a privilege to join the main legion. It was the highest honor any son could do for their father. My father prepared me early on, training me in the ways of combat that he learned from the auxiliary as well as his original tribe.

He was in the northern tribes of what is now the northern part of Roharam. The tribes were not united under any circumstances. If the republic had not arrived, then my father, his tribe and all the other tribes would have most likely killed each other. When Rohiram came knocking, they were more advanced than my fathers people, yet they were not without strength. My fathers people were great warriors in their own right, and he trained me in some of their ways to ensure that while Rohiram ruled, the fathers of my father would never be forgotten.

Even though I trained in this way, I was still nervous at my first battle. It was a minor engagement, a petty king had decided to rebel and seek for independence. We were sent to crush the rebellion swiftly. The first battle I was ever a part of happened on a night like the one I had found myself in. There was an eerie calm that washed over me, like taking one foot off of the ground before diving to a pool of water several feet below. The type of drop that you knew if anything went wrong, you would be dead.

That night before my first battle I did the same thing I did when I was in the Blasted Lands at that campfire. I stared deeply into the flames, feeling its heat kiss my skin and warm me. The warmth did nothing for me before my first battle, but now I felt strangely calm. I reached my hand over the top of the flame, high enough to where I wouldn’t get seriously burned, and yet close enough to feel the intensity of the heat more prominently on my fingers. I pulled my hand away and reached inside my segmentata to warm my chest up.

I looked away for a fraction of a moment before I heard something. A loud hissing emanating in front of me. I tilted my head up and saw a shape dancing in the flame. I peered into the fire and saw something take form. It was that of a serpent made from that very same fire. It hissed at me and looked into my eyes with its own serpentine orbs —unblinking and determined despite not seeing them— and for the longest time simply stared at me. Far from the great serpent that I had seen so long ago in the desert, it was small, but no less dangerous should I decide to anger it. If this is how Ile Sathak decided to appear to me, then I could not question it.

After a short time, it rose up and hissed again. I heard no words in my head this time. There were no small nuggets of wisdom that the serpent wanted me to hear, yet I understood the intention. I could not doubt myself. I must not. I gave the figure a simple nod as a gesture for my conviction and it vanished soon after. I felt tired, calm now that my worries were put to rest. I had been in this scenario before, and I was afraid the first time. At that moment, I knew that whatever it was that faced me would be the one to know fear.

The next day we tore down our camp and continued on with our journey. Around midday, the river cut through a dense jungle. We made a point to stay away from the river as we walked. Knowing what other gifts the Blasted Lands brought us, there was most likely some animal hiding in the water that would have seen us as either a threat or a meal. The jungle was alive with the sound of birds making their songs. The most annoying part was the bugs. We could feel our skin being chewed upon and our blood drained throughout the entire walk. Cao Tzu spotted something before I did. There were people here.

It appeared to be some type of lumber mill that was harvesting the jungle wood, though it sounded as if none of the men working were doing their job. We figured that these people might be interested in trading with us. When we arrived we found that all of their work had been shirked, yet the encampment was not abandoned. We heard noises south of the logging area. We peeked through some logs and found that they had gathered around for a fighting pit. The men were cheering loudly as they watched a fight going on. We couldn’t see the action, so we decided to scale the building. We climbed higher up on a large wooden structure and laid down flat to avoid detection. Thankfully the cheers and the drunken ramblings of the spectators was enough to drown out any noises that we made and everyone’s attention was focused on the fight.

There were four fighters in the ring. Three of them were not human. The three were a type of animal that I could only suspect was yet another denizine of the Blasted lands. They appeared to be some type of lizard, yet they moved around with the cadence and the stride of pack animals like wolves or large cats. They were slim and were colored bright red and blue. Their heads had the same shape as vipers with the fangs to match, revealed as they hissed threateningly at their opponent. Their tails were extremely long and whip-like, which they used to great effect against their enemy. Their claws were sharp talons that would put a jungle cat’s to shame. They had spikes of alternating colors of blue and red along their back in a single row, much like an iguanas. Their eyes were a dark gold with circled pupils, almost like that of a wolf with forward facing eyes. Their vision was great, and it was very clear that these animals were the apex predators of the jungle.

Though the enemy they faced was a giant among men. A man I realized I knew well. He was a hulking man who wore the remnants of legionary armor. Much of his protection had been stripped away either by the loggers who wanted to give the lizards a better chance to take the man down or after sustaining a great deal of damage. The colossal man was over eight feet tall and was composed of both brawn and muscle. One of the lizards lunged at him and tried to sink its fangs deep into him, but the brute dodged and picked up the lizard, raising him up in the air and body slamming it on the ground, thrusting his leg into the creatures neck and breaking under his tremendous weight. The other two lizards hissed and paced around like wolves waiting for their prey to tire.

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I knew exactly who this man was the moment I laid eyes on him. Brutus Trikon. Brutus was my oldest friend in the legion. The mountain of a man was the largest I had ever seen with the heart to match and double the strength. I once saw him take an enemy warrior's shield and smash it over his head with such force that the head was actually crushed down into the man’s torso.

I turned to face Cau Tzu and whispered to her.

“I know that man. Brutus Trikon. He was my friend in the legion. We have to save him.”

I looked around for something, anything that could be used to free him. It occurred to me that if these men have three lizards in the cage, then they may have more. They couldn’t have built all this for Brutus. Most likely, this is how the loggers passed the time, using animals to fight for their entertainment.

I spied several cages a fair distance away from the arena. Security was light, and Cao Tzy and I had no issue in taking out the guard. Our concern was to stay hidden from our enemy. Thankfully, Brutus was one of the best fighters I had ever seen. He also had the flare for the dramatics in his own way. It was difficult not to focus on the fight itself now that I think about it.

Brutus managed to grab one of the lizards in a headlock and rip out one of its fangs with his sheer strength, then used that fang as a dagger and pierced the beast right through its head, killing it instantly. He then used the dead lizard as a weapon, swinging it into the remaining animal and beating it mercilessly. At this, the spectators cheered loudly. Had it not been so obvious that these men had captured him as a slave, I would say that he had enjoyed himself at that moment. He showboated and taunted the crowd, daring them to give him a better fight. That fight eventually came in the form of a greater beast. The “venom lashtails” as they were called stood no chance against Brutus, yet the next beast that had been placed in a cage that connected to the entrance to the arena circle would prove to be a far more challenging creature.

The creature that charged in was large and a force to be reckoned with. The creature was massive with a thick armored hide, as if someone had improved the body of a rhino. It had four large tusks that were as long as a fully grown man, and sharp enough to impale one with little effort. It walked around on four legs that had three blunt claws on barely existent toes. It had a tail that the loggers equipped with a sharp axe head on the tip. The animal had clearly been abused with several gashes and cuts in its hide, and several spears lodged into its back. I would find that later these were gentle herbivores, but this one had been abused to the point of savagery. Unfortunately for Brutus, its eyes were now squarely locked on him, and filled with thoughts of revenge.

It flicked its tail from side to side as a show of anger and quickly charged at Brutus. Personally, if I were in his potion, I would jump out of the way of an oncoming group of horns. Yet Brutus was not as subtle. He grabbed the horns of the beast and pushed its head upwards. The beast’s momentum was great enough to cause Brutus to be pushed, his feet making large trails as he slid in the dirt. Yet Brutus was a man of conviction and wrestled the beast with his bare hands. The crowd clearly had never seen anything like Brutus, and cheered loudly. It was a loud enough distraction that allowed me to dispatch the lone guard for the animal cages and take his keys.

The beast continued to charge at Brutus and in return he would use his mighty strength to move the creature off to the side and avoid being run through with the saber-like horns. Yet Brutus was not invincible. He was slowly growing tired with each passing moment, and the beast was full of rage and would not stop. This was a fight to the death. It was then that I had flung the cages of the animals open and set them free. Each beast leapt out of its cage and began its attack. The spectators had no idea what was happening until it was too late. Several including the venom lashtails were released into the crowd. Cao Tzu climbed down from the roof and silently killed several of the fleeing enemies. I charged in and began to use my sword and shield to engage. Brutus must have seen that something was wrong as he was locked in the battle between himself and the beast. In a bid to try to end this fight, He would use all of his strength to break a tusk off of the massive creature. He tried to do the same move he did in the previous fight, yet the top of the beast’s head was much thicker than the previous animal.

Angered and now missing a tusk, the creature roared loudly and tried to trample Brutus. I charged in and cut down many of the spectators as they were ready to face me. They were no match for a fully trained warrior. They captured these beasts thanks to superior numbers, but when surprise was on our side, we fell upon them like scythes on wheat. The newly freed animals had their taste in blood. The lash tails used their namesake with extreme efficiency, with strikes powerful enough to whip the eye right out of the socket of one man. The bite from these creatures was also deadly, and any man bitten by the creature would be a dead man walking, and experience a burning pain in the bite. The venom was meant for much larger prey, so a human would die almost instantly from the powerful toxin.

Cao Tzu showed off her great skill with her spear, running people through left and right with the greatest of ease. At that time, Brutus would decide to try to stab the beast in another way. He gambled that the animal had a softer jugular and tried to stab it there. He ended up winning the gamble, as blood shot out like a geyser out of the creature's neck. It stumbled and fell down, bleeding out. Despite the brutal death, this creature would at long last find peace in its sweet release.

Brutus then ran to the arena gate and would try to lift it. It was there I stood before him as I had reached the same objective.

He looked at me with smiling eyes and chuckled loudly.

“Hadrian?!” He cried out with joy as he saw me standing there before him, separated only by a massive wooden gate.

I smiled at him.

“Brutus! How do I get you out of here?!”

He pointed at a lever that would activate a counterweight. If I pulled the lever, the gate would open and Brutus would be free. I went up to the lever but was halted by one of the loggers. He tried to strike at me, but I jabbed my shield into his throat and crushed his windpipe. He fell backwards and tumbled down the arena seats. A few more men came at me. I was in my element with my two weapons in each of my hands. My training kicked in, and I blocked their movements. I defended myself with the shield and struck with the sword. All they would be able to do was defend themselves. With great force, I struck the arm of one of my attackers with my shield and broke his arm. He dropped his weapon and allowed me to fully focus on the one remaining man. I beat him back with my shield and then thrusted my blade down the nape of his neck, and then used my strength to cut through the man's chest.

I went up to the lever and pulled it, and thus freed Brutus Trikon from his prison, and set him loose upon the remaining combatants. He threw men around as if they were children, and crushed them with his bare hands. At that moment, he would make every Roharim warrior proud. When the battle was over, most of the lumber workers were dead save for a small handful. Cao Tzu decided to kill the remaining ones by thrusting her spear into them as they laid down, and ensured that none of them would try anything that would put us in danger.

While she did that, Brutus and I would catch up.

“Hadrian! My friend!”

He said loudly as he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tightly. A bear hug would pale in comparison to what Brutus gave me.

“Brutus Trikon! What the hell are you doing here?” I spoke with a pained expression on my face as he was crushing my ribs and choking the very life out of me.

“Looking for you! I heard what the legate did to you, and I had to find you and try to save you. I couldn’t find you on the cross, so I looked all over for you. While I slept, these maggots drugged me and knocked me out. When I awoke, I found myself here getting ready to play their games.”

“You came all this way to save me? Well, it would seem that fate had the reverse in mind, where I save you.”

Brutus chuckled and let go of me, setting me back on my feet and patted my shoulder.

“Well, now that I found you Hadrian, it's time to return to Roharim.”

My smile faded and I shook my head. I sighed deeply knowing all too well that returning home was out of the question.

“I can’t. The legate would have surely told the others that I betrayed them somehow. They would kill me the moment I set foot in the city, and they would kill you for not doing the deed yourself.”

Brutus frowned, realizing that my words spoke true. He sat down on the ground and took a rest.

“I see… Well, Roharim is overrated anyway. I’ve never had this much fun crushing the skulls of my enemies. And so many new things to kill, it's glorious!”

He raised his head up at the sight of Cao Tzu. He smiled and eyed her as she went from corpse to corpse, checking to make sure that they were indeed dead. He had a twinkle in his eye as he looked at her. Brutus not only had carnal knowledge in the most effective ways to kill a man, but he had a knowledge and desire for carnal pleasures as well, and instantly found an attraction to Cao Tzu.

“Who’s the woman, Hadrian? She's yours?”

“She’s my companion if that is what you mean.”

I gave him a stern look to ensure he knew not to touch her, though knowing Brutus, I would have to spell it out for him.

He smiled, not even noticing my glare as he scanned Cao Tzu’s body as if she were a race horse.

“Well, if you’re not using her…”

“No one is using her, Brutus.”

He turned to face me in shock. Although I was removed from the legion, I still held the same command over Brutus as if I were still a Centurion. He finally got the message and grumbled.

I sighed and would sit down next to Brutus and try to comfort him.

“We are going to the city of Akari down the river. I’m sure there are plenty of women for you to lust after, and who you can show your amazing manhood to. I am sure it will be the talk of Akari for many generations to come.”

I spoke in a mocking yet playful tone with him, and his mood lit up.

“Very well, I can live with that. So what are your plans when you reach this “Akari?” What will you do when you get there?”

“Oh, I’m sure I will find something to do. Mainly, I want to figure out who is in control here. Perhaps make some allies along the way and see to establishing myself here. Maybe I can find myself as the head of some tribe.”

Brutus scoffed at the idea.

“Well look at you. Always so ambitious, aren't you? Well, I guess there's no beating around the bush is there? I’ll join you.”

Brutus and I both stood up and we shook each other's forearms in friendship.

“Aye, Brutus. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Brutus and I would look over to Cao Tzu and gesture for her to come with us. As we made our exit from that place, it dawned on me that I would need to go hunting very soon. Being a man of such an immense size, it would take a lot to fill Brutus’s belly. Such was the price for two brothers in arms joining together once more.