The Strix That Offered Protection

Concilius Mortuus.

In Rome Concilius put on some games, he still threw people to the lions and other wild animals. The Romans believed everything on earth belonged to them, from humans to animals. The truth is, the Roman rulers were the animals. Rumours began circulating that Concilius had found a more talented and powerful military commander and he without the consent or the financial means from the senate, he told the commander that if is men don't take the areas he wants, he will kill them all.

Most of the fighting aged men went further south to Pompeii and Herculaneum, he was truly struggling to pull together six legions. The men were fearful, but their new commander Herculumus told them he was a direct descendant of Hercules. This of course wasn't true, some believed him, some not so much. The games would be the first games Calcius ever missed, he had learned about the mass exodus from Rome.

Calcius too had learned that Herculumus was now the commander, he had insight into how he fights battles for it was he who trained him to be the best warrior in Rome. Calcius told Akashia that Herculumus wouldn't just send in men to test the waters, he would descend onto the foreign land en masse. Akashia telling him not to worry, if any of them get close, they won't get close for long.

The Strix was ready, there were six legions heading south and east. Many men straggled behind the march before them, they feared what they would face beyond the borders. Many men were sent visions of what's ahead and they fell out of the troop along the way, running as fast as they could away. They knew they would be deemed as deserters, but after what they witnessed, they would rather be safe than face death. As the legions got closer, the commander noticed his legion diminished somewhat.

Akashia, Fabia, Calcius and Mikeli watched the men gather and build their contuberniums below the hillside and almost right up to the border. The Strix hadn't fed on human blood in almost a season, they were famished. The contuberniums near the border had between eight and ten men them. The Strix snuck in at night, going from contubernium to contubernium consuming all in their makeshift beds.

At sunrise Calcius and Mikeli go to the tower, they watch as the commander is taken to each contubernium, coming out and spewing forth. This was a man that was claiming to be a descendant of the mighty Hercules. The commander was heard telling the remaining men that they were to attack tonight. The hubris on this man was amazing, he thought he could use his remaining men to kill thousands of tribespeople. It would be the last thing he does.

As the sun was setting, Herculumus had his remaining men charge on horseback towards the border, the Strix charged at them, pulling between five to eight men off horses and devouring them. Three hundred thousand men were sent, some deserted along the way, the rest including Herculumus was devoured by the Strix.

The Strix decided to send a message, they impaled every blood drained corpse on a spike. The emperor soon learned that Herculumus and his legions were dead, their bodies drained of blood and impaled on the battlefield. The news reached the emperor and the senators, the senators were now concerned that hundreds of thousands of men were lost on one fell swoop. The senators asked the emperor to call men home from the borders and they will finance a campaign in a few seasons from now?

The emperor was angry at this thought, as it would be taking men away from territories gained when they conquered them. The emperor said he wouldn't call all the men back, he would call enough back to workout why hundreds of thousands of men were killed. The emperor sent messages to territories to call one million men back to Rome. The men marched back, leaving their wives and children unprotected. The Strix descended on the territories feasting their way through thousands of women and children, none survived.

The men finally reached Rome, their commander was angry that his men had to leave their families vulnerable to attacks. The emperor didn't care how upset the men were, the emperor ordered all the men to head to the southern and eastern borders. They built their contuberniums all along the border walls. Many of the men received messages of their families deaths back in their territories. The men who received the messages from messengers deserted their posts in the dead of night. The men finally reached their previous homes and discovered the bodies of their wives and children, they decided to stay and bury their dead and refused to return to their posts.

The commander was left with merely two hundred thousand men, he urged them to attack the borders come sunset. The Strix and Akashia, Calcius, Mikeli and Fabia watched as they edged towards them, the Strix attacked en masse, eating their way through hundreds of thousands of men, the commander watched from his horse, he was about to escape but his horse became scared, he threw him off and the commander was the last to be killed.

The Strix again displayed their bodies in a grotesque manner, news soon reached Rome that many men left their posts and the rest killed. The emperor and the senate had no idea what to do next. The senate advised the emperor to stop for a while, until they discover what they're dealing with. The emperor agreed with the senate. The people began to ask for the emperor to explain what had happened to their men? The emperor had no answers for them, he began by asking the senate to pay small reparations to grieving families, the senate told him that it was a wise decision.

The Strix stalked the borders, they watched Roman soldiers discard their Roman dress, their emblems anything that remotely tied them to Rome. It seems these men were done with Rome and the emperor. The tribespeople that surrounded their borders had witnessed the change, they were perplexed as they didn't understand what was going on, they weren't aware of what was happening to them or what was happening at the border. The tribespeople assured them that they'll be safe with them. It soon became apparent that, some of the Roman men hated the hospitality of their enemies, they wished to leave and return to Rome, the tribespeople let them go, but they were still unaware of what was killing the Romans.

The deserters at least some of them returned to Rome, they wanted to be punished for deserting them. The rest stayed and soon became immersed in the origins the Romans made them forsake. The emperor decided not to kill them but to jail them instead, they were forced into the gladiator arena. They soon became fodder for the emperor, most dying in the arena. The emperor decided to not send more men to the south and east borders, he wanted to discover for himself what was on those borders. The emperor and a group of soldiers, some servants and women for the soldiers travelled to the border. The emperor built his contubernium, they sat and watched the land, they didn't see a single soul. The Strix couldn't let this opportunity pass them by, as soon as the sunset came, the Strix pounced on the contubernium and ravished the emperor, the soldiers protecting him, servants and the concubines of the soldiers.

The news of Concilus' death reached Rome. This was the first time in Roman history that the emperor didn't leave an heir and murdered outside its borders. It was then decided that Concilius's brother Ricardus got the throne. Ricardus was much younger, he didn't care for war. Ricardus pulled many Romans back from the territories, leaving them open for the tribespeople to take.