For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion-Chapter 11B3 : Battering Ram

B3 Chapter 11: Battering Ram

Quintus frowned as the vanguard began to retreat, their rear harried by the duke’s cavalry. Though they’d managed to weaken the enemy significantly, he still didn’t feel satisfied with how the battle had gone.

A quick survey of the battlefield showed that they would have a moment’s reprieve before the next wave of the assault came. The men were already busy fortifying their position and regrouping in preparation. In that time, he needed to find Gaius.

He stepped back from the line, another man seamlessly slotting into his place, and cast his gaze across the Legion’s formations. It took only a moment for him to find the golden eagle standard, its wings spread wide atop its perch. If there was anywhere he’d find the lad, that would be it.

Setting off at a jog revealed just how much of a drain the battle had been on Quintus—on all the men, really. A deep tiredness had begun to seep into his muscles, not localizing in a single area but spread throughout. He felt as though he hadn’t slept for a day or two at least. It wasn’t a good sign, considering how much more battle was left.

It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar feeling. Battle tended to leave a man exhausted, after all. But given how their fights in this world had gone so far, it still felt strange and foreign.

On his way, Quintus passed a few of the communications specialists that had been studded at key positions along the line. They stood muttering with their eyes closed, messengers rushing toward and away from them as they carried messages the last bit of distance to their intended recipients. It was a hybrid system, one that made use of a small number of such specialists to great effect. Especially considering the abilities of the messengers themselves.

He could have sent a message through the relay, of course. But there were some things that were not fit for one’s subordinates to hear. Criticizing a commander in front of his men was one of those things. Besides, this would be a conversation, not a one-way message.

One of those messengers turned in Quintus’s direction with unnerving precision before making a beeline for him. The centurion barely had time to stop and wait for the man before he was standing before him and saluting.

“Primus Pilus.” The man spoke quickly as he was acknowledged. “Orders for you from Legatus Gaius. You are to take a small force and neutralize the group of unarmed and unarmored individuals retreating among the vanguard.”

Quintus’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t noticed any such individuals. Had he missed them?

“Civilians?” Quintus asked for clarification.

“No, sir. They’re called [Mana Batteries]. We’ve received word that they are empowering their mages. Taking them out will cripple their capabilities. Failing to do so will allow them to aid any mages that are part of the incoming forces similarly.” The messenger explained. “They have abilities that allow them to slip by unnoticed. A pair of scouts that are able to detect them will join you.”

Quintus looked at the retreating vanguard and frowned. That would explain how they’d managed to evade his detection. Given the distance between the vanguard and the approaching army, an assault right now would be cutting it close. Fortunately, the enemy had lost many more horses than men, slowing them down significantly.

Not that he was worried about catching up. He was confident in that area.

Quintus nodded. "Tell him it will be done."

He turned around and sprinted back to his men, calling out orders as he ran. In moments, he’d assembled his century. It would be relatively small, and they'd be outnumbered if it came to a full engagement. But they needed to be fast and light. Besides, he planned to be in and out well before that.

He left orders with other centurions to advance and be ready to assist if needed as the two scouts arrived. Turning to them, Quintus gestured to the retreating vanguard. “You can see our targets?”

“Yes, sir.” One of them replied. He focused intently before pointing at a specific spot. “There.”

Quintus peered in the direction the man was pointing and frowned. “I see nothing.”

“To the left. Next to the piebald. There’s a horse with two men draped over a saddle. They’re grouped near the near edge of the vanguard, trying to evade notice as they escape.”

Quintus focused harder. He saw something, but it was hazy and indistinct. His attention kept slipping away from it as though he were trying to grasp a patch of oil floating on water.

An idea struck him. The foes were practically invisible to Quintus's eyes. But what if he could see through the scout’s?

He placed his hand on the scout's shoulder and focused on his [Unity] skill. His vision flickered uncomfortably and he experienced a brief moment of vertigo as the world seemed to appear in double. When he was able to see normally again, he saw it. A small group of limp, white-robed figures with unseeing eyes, thrown across the backs of horses like sacks of grain. If Quintus didn’t know better he would have thought they were already dead.

He swore. There wasn’t just one group. There were four, all trying to flee the Legion as fast as their overburdened horses would take them.

“Split into four groups!” He shouted to the Legionnaires around him. “Focus on seeing through the scouts’ eyes to spot them. Move!”

The men hurried to comply. The figures were still blurry and threatened to disappear if he didn’t actively focus on them. But he could see them. Even when he removed his hand from the scout and everything else suddenly became far more distracting, Quintus locked onto them like an eagle eyeing its prey.

As soon as the men were ready, they bolted for the [Mana Batteries]. Organizing everyone had taken longer than he would have liked, shrinking their margin for error even further. But the Legion had speed on their side.

Quintus led his men toward the farthest group. He felt [Warpath] activate and hasten his march. The urgency of the battle seemed to spur him along even faster, and the terrain itself seemed to blur in his peripherals as the enemy grew to fill his vision.

Cries of surprise and alarm went up from the vanguard at the Legionnaires’ sudden appearance. The enemy splintered, indecisive about how to respond. Some continued to flee, while others slowed as they looked back to evaluate the threat or prepared to fight. One such group interposed itself between Quintus’s men and the [Mana Batteries] with grim-faced determination.

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Quintus formed his men into a wedge with him at the point. They crashed through the vanguard’s hastily-constructed line like a stone through fine pottery.

His men engaged the fighters as Quintus kept his attention on their real target. The horses loaded down with these strange individuals were spurred on even faster by their riders, trying to escape. If he so much as turned aside, perhaps they would. But Quintus didn’t intend to let that happen.

He immediately drew his pilum, hurling it forward. It somehow went wide and missed the glassy-eyed individual he’d been aiming at. With a quietly spoken word, Quintus detonated the pilum while it was still in midair. The blast sent one of the horses down screaming, its passengers tumbling limply through the air.

They wouldn’t be moving anytime soon, if their vacant gazes were anything to go by. He just had to stop them from getting any further. Then they could mop up afterwards.

Quintus didn’t stop his advance. He drew his sword and felt a calmness roll over him as the leather grip felt perfectly in his hand. Leaping forward, he flashed his blade through the neck of the rearmost horse and its rider. He felt [Swordsmastery] aid his wrist placement and brought the full weight of his stats to bear as he planted his foot on the collapsing horse’s back. [Sure Footing] made the unstable surface feel as though it were solid ground. Then he twisted, propelling himself toward the next target. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Another horse appeared out of seemingly nowhere beneath him. Its rider’s eyes widened as Quintus landed feet-first on his shoulders and plunged his sword into his mouth. With a kick and a twist, Quintus tossed the dead man off the horse and dropped into the saddle himself to view the battlefield from a higher vantage point.

The small gap he had made in the largely disorganized group of wounded and retreating foes was enough to break them. Behind him, his men sent them running once more, despite the Legionnaires being outnumbered. They were organized, prepared, and uninjured, whereas most of the men they were fighting were hurt or otherwise spent.

It didn't help that the marquis's man had already been in the process of fleeing. But whatever semblance of order they’d gained after the duke’s charge had fallen completely apart. Now, their retreat turned into a rout.

Quintus couldn’t spare any more of his attention, however. Even that brief instant had almost been enough for the remaining [Mana Batteries] to slip out of his view. He forced himself to focus on the patch of terrain he’d last seen them in until a vague hint of movement caught his eye. Without hesitation, he launched himself forward, lashing out with [Rend] and [Tear] simultaneously in a wide arc.

His blade cut a supernaturally wide swath in front of him. The air itself seemed to rip as violent swirls of wind churned in the wake of his strike, sending sprays of red mist skyward. He felt the flecks of blood and viscera pepper his face as whatever skills had obscured the [Mana Batteries] failed and revealed their eviscerated forms. They crumpled to the ground, their eyes even more glassy and lifeless than they had been moments before.

He expected his men to catch up by this point. But it quickly became clear that his men were doing more than simply clearing up behind him. Whatever skills made it difficult to focus on these individuals seemed to be insidiously distracting his men, convincing them that they had other targets.

“To me!” Quintus shouted over his shoulder, infusing his orders with [Voice of Command]. His eyes didn’t let his opponents out of sight. “Focus!”

The men seemed to come to themselves for a moment, but still continued to veer off target when he or the scout who could see their foes wasn’t actively yelling at them. He could feel as they were constantly distracted and pulled away from their true goal by something else. Scowling, Quintus shouted again.

“[Coordinated Offense]!” He bellowed to his contubernium. “Activate it! Now!”

The group nodded, and Quintus felt a connection between them snap into place. He focused on the group of fleeing enemies before him, willing for his singleminded determination to be conveyed to his men. It was.

The Legionnaires behind him suddenly rushed forward, finally free of the malign influence. His contubernium shepherded the others of his group along with shouts and physical pushes where needed. In the meantime, Quintus didn’t plan to wait. He just needed them to be nearby so he’d have a place to retreat to.

He grabbed a spear from one of his fallen opponents and flung it towards the group of men ahead. It landed amongst them, yet somehow managed to miss every single one.

Quintus swore. Avoiding detection was one thing, but deflecting projectiles as well? These people were becoming more annoying by the minute.

Once again, he rushed forward, propelling himself into the center of the group. His sword flashed in a spinning arc, cleaving ragged gouges in two of the white-robed figures even as the others stumbled back from the impact. None of them seemed to react or even express surprise. He found himself briefly sickened by the complete lack of understanding in their eyes. Who would choose a fate like this?

[Battlefield Intuition] screamed. Quintus twisted and just managed to interpose his sword between him and the coming threat. But rather than a blade or arrow, a bolt of lightning slammed into his gladius.

He gritted his teeth, feeling the electricity crackle and arc across his armor. Even with its protective enchantments, he still felt a tingling static sensation course through his body. But it didn’t kill him outright. He dimly made a note to thank Gareth for that.

His eyes immediately picked out the mage responsible for the attack. Quintus plucked a dagger from his belt and flung it toward him. The blade whistled through the air as he dove towards the last [Mana Battery], cutting his throat and rolling out of the way of a follow-up bolt.

The mage screamed. Evidently, he’d managed to catch the knife—by its blade. It pierced through his palm, its tip halted only half an inch from his eye. His other hand stretched out, and Quintus saw the glow of another spell being formed as he quickly slung his shield off his back.

For the first time since his offense began, he ducked behind it. Once again, he felt the tingle of electricity course through him and smelled burnt hair. As a solo fighter, he didn’t gain the benefits of [Coordinated Bulwark], meaning he couldn’t afford to take many more hits like that—blocked or not.

Quintus lunged forward, the chaos of battle raging around him. As the mage stumbled back, his sword lanced forward, halting in midair as a shimmering barrier blocked it. Quintus felt his arm shaking with the effort of piercing through. The mage gasped with exertion and screamed, flinging another spell at Quintus. He ducked behind his shield, blocking it again and rearing back for another strike—only to find the mage fleeing for his life.

He did not pursue. As nice as it would have been to kill that bastard, the mage wasn’t his target. Instead, he turned and ran, sprinting back towards his men.

“Any more around here?” He panted at the scout that had accompanied them.

“No, sir.” The man confirmed. “They’ve all been neutralized. We finished off the fallen back there.”

“Good.” He turned to the others. “We reinforce the others. Move!”

Together, they hurried toward the next group. They charged alongside the retreating vanguard, striking only as a way to hurry their advance, before meeting up with another one of their strike forces. Funnily enough, it was the same direction that the cowardly mage had been headed. He screamed for help, desperately pulling on the power of those around him to hurl spell after spell at the wall of advancing Legionnaires.

His pleas fell on deaf ears. Mostly. Those that did listen didn’t last long.

By the time they were done, the battlefield was littered with white robes spattered red with blood. A quick check in with the other groups revealed that they’d succeeded in their task. But not without loss. He winced as he noticed that several of his own men also lay among the slain. He’d felt their passing in the midst of battle, but still…

“This better have been worth it…” He muttered to himself out of earshot of the others. Then, louder, he issued his orders. “We’re done here. Fall back!”

They pulled back before the advancing army could come within archery distance, picking up several of the reinforcement groups he had set up as they went back to the line. He’d done what he needed to. After this, though… he really needed to talk with Gaius.