[Mkguild] Roman Story part 38

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

 More of Bitt and his adventures
Chris


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    “What is the name of this town we’revisiting?” Bitt asked.    He like the rest of his Contubernium was standing open area in frontof their barracks.    “Why do you ask that every time we go out?”Vinius asked.    “For the same reason,” the fox answered. “Istill want to know where we are going.”    “If you want to know,” the decanus explainedand pointed to one side. “Ask him.”    Septimus Matilus Vitellius was standingnearby. The oryx legate was dressed in full armor which he was adjusting.    Several of the legionnaires cursed andmuttered softly.    “What’s wrong?” Bitt asked. “Means we’vebeen picked for a special task.”    “Special usually means dangerous, laborious,annoying or all three together,” the hyena responded.    “Why us?” Decebalus asked. The wolf wasadjusting his belt as he talked.    “Because we did so well with that elemental andthose mages,” Vinius explained.    “Oh joy,” Sabinus said sarcastically.    “We are going to a local village,” theDecanus explained. “Someone is disputing how much tax is paid to us.”    “Who? The villagers?” Bitt asked.    “The Parthians,” the canine responded. “Theyseem to think the village is theirs.”  ******************     The legionnaires stood in the middle of thestreet keeping in formation. They knew that if something went wrong their bestdefense was a tight formation.    A full morning of marching had taken them toa good-sized village the name of which he still didn’t know. They discoveredsomething in the place they weren’t expecting. Parthians.    The tiger was standing in the middle of thevillage square.    Behind him, in a tight formation was a dozensoldiers all in full array. Swords drawn and shields at the ready.    The Legate and the Parthian were standingclose and talking. About what the legionnaires couldn’t hear. But it wasn’thard to guess; who owned this village.    Bitt found himself standing face out to theside and looking straight at the market stall of vendor of fruit. Thefrightened cat was standing at the back of her stall. All her attention wasfocuses on the two leaders who were talking loudly.    Bitt stepped out of formation and up to thestall. He rapped on the counter with his hand and the feline jumped insurprise. In his right hand he held a copper As coin. With his left he pointedto an orange.    The feline seemed confused a moment but thenquickly nodded her head. The coin was quickly exchanged for the fruit.    The legionnaire examined the orange for amoment and seemed happy with his purchase. The fruit was dropped into aconvenient pouch on his belt. Another coin was produced. This time a bronzeQuadran. Worth a lot more. Bitt leaned forward and pointed to a table behindthe feline and at the back of the stall. Which had a good supply ofpomegranates and plums. He held up three fingers.    Quickly the feline turned and went to thetable.    Bitt learned forward a little more and hisbody stiffened. Slowly he turned his head to the left. With a fierce gaze thatVinius had only seen before in a feral lion hunting gazelle, Bitt stared atsomething. The hound followed the fox’s gaze and realized the vulpine waslooking into the doorway of a small building that stood behind the next stallover to the left.    The vender turned back to Bitt and suddenlythe relaxed Bitt was back, just calmly looking at the proffered plums andpomegranates. He took two of each in exchange for the coin.    Bitt pointed again behind the merchant to atable piled with dates. He held up all ten fingers.    The feline turned and started to collect therequired dates.    The fox leaned forward and again looked offto one side. This time his right. Again the stern gaze for a moment which vanishedwhen the feline turned back around. Several moments of finger waving and aprice was agreed upon. The dates joined the rest of the fruit in a now bulgingpouch.    He put his right hand to his chest and bowedslightly offering the correct parting gesture. Calmly Bitt stepped back intoformation.    “Find anything interesting when you leftformation?” His decanus asked coldly.    “Yes,” Bitt whispered quietly. “There are ahalf dozen warriors in the building to the left and at least four on the right.”    “That’s all?” the lion commented. “Hardlyworth worrying about.”    “It’s not the ones at ground level thatworry me,” the fox commented and looked upward. “It’s the ones on the roof thatare trouble.”    Vinius nodded and glanced up at the roof.“How do you know they are there?”    “Thank Grandma Fethnaid,” Bitt commented.    “What?” Vimius asked. Confused.    “She hates the empire with a passion and issure the legions would attack the clan again,” Bitt explained. “Never face themin a fair fight. She would say.”    “The only fair fight is the one you win,”Vinius commented.    Bitt nodded. “She says the very same thing.She made sure we were ready to defend clan and home.”    “Smart idea,” the hyena added.    “You don’t understand,” the fox explained.“She made sure we practiced defending against the legion. At age ten I foundmyself along with four cousins standing on the roof of the clan hall. Wepracticed throwing rocks, bad eggs and rotting food at other clan memberspretending to be attacking legionnaires.”    “Truly?” the hyena asked.    “Truly,” Bitt responded.    “How did she respond to you joining thelegion?” The one asked.    The fox shook his head. “Badly. Reallybadly.” He pointed to a scar on his right arm. “Gave me that.”    “She doesn’t like the empire?” The lionasked. “That’s not a surprise. A lot of people here hate us.”    “Many of my clan still hate the empire butshe is the extreme,” the fox explained. “She wanted to be sure we could defendthe clan no matter who attacked.”    “She sounds crazy and paranoid,” the lionmuttered.    “She IS paranoid but she is a good teacher,”Bitt explained. “She did teach me how to fight with the seax.”    “Those little knives of yours?” The lionasked.    “She was the finest warrior in all tenclans,” Bitt commented. “No one could beat her. At age 70 she could still beatwarriors one third her age. Easily.”    “And I bet she liked doing just that,” thehyena added.    Bitt nodded his head slowly. “Oh yes. Myclan takes fighting very seriously. I got my first two seax for my eighthbirthday,” Bitt explained.    “I got a new pair of shoes,” Philippuscommented dryly. “Nice ones with inlaid designs.”    “I would have preferred the shoes,” Bittmuttered. “But my clan demands that everyone be ready to fight and defend theclan.”    “Hush,” the decanus ordered. “Cut thechatter and stay on guard.”    Things quieted down as the Legionnaireswaited and watched as the two leaders argued. The words seemed to grow louderand the two leaders more animated in the gestures.    “That fool long ear has marched us into atrap,” Bitt muttered nervously as he looked around. There were too many placessomeone could hide in ambush.    “Quiet Bitt,” the Decanus ordered.    The fox turned and looked at the legate. TheOryx and the Parthian were still arguing. The Roman had his hands on his hipsand was shaking his head.    “No, no, no,” Bitt said. “Get your hands offyour hips.”    “Can’t you keep quiet,” the lion whispered.    “He’s doing it wrong,” Bitt growled. “Thefool is going to start a fight.”    “Vitellius is a legate and you are just alegionnaire,” the decanus snapped.    “I’m also the nephew of a clan chief,” Bittcountered. “I spent a lot of time in boring clan meetings.”    “They both seem pretty worked up,” Tossiussaid calmly. “Waving their arms and yelling.”    “One of them is going to start a fight,”Bitt muttered. “A fight that we will have to finish.”    The Parthian had her arms folded and herears laid back. Her tail had stopped moving.    “Oh that’s not good,” Vinius growled.“Everyone on guard.”    “Where’s your fruit seller?” The fennacasked.    Bittturned back to the stall but it was empty. The merchant was gone along with allher fruit. He cursed loudly and drew his gladius. “LEGIONNAIRE HO!”    Figures rushed out of hiding and ran at thelegionnaires.     All of Bitt’s training; both clan and legiontook hold. The fox assumed the proper stance as a large feline charged straightat him.     He threw one of his pilum at the tiger chargingat him. That attacker tumbled backward only to be replaced by another. Hefended off the sword with his shield and struck back with a quick jab of hisown blade.    The fight was a nightmare. Narrow streetscluttered with the debris and items of village life made it difficult to movein formation. For a long time movement was out of the question. It was afrantic chaos of screaming, shouting, stabbing, blocking. The smell of bloodand dirt filled his nose and a cacophony of noises assaulted his ears.    A large canine stumbled backward into atable sending the items on it tumbling to the ground. One of the items was alarge pot holding burning embers that someone had been cooking with. Theburning coals scattered across the ground and anything laying there. Soon otherthings were alight adding fire to the other dangers the Legionnaires faced.    Then just as suddenly as it had started, itwas over. The Parthians withdrew, dragging away their dead and wounded.    No one moved for a long moment awaiting arenewal of the fight but things remained quiet. Nothing moved and acrid smokedrifted through the air. Making them cough and stinging their eyes.    “Where is that fool long ear?” Bitt shouted.    “I lost sight of him when it started,” thelion answered.    “He’s on the ground about ten paces in front,”the decanus responded. “Let’s go get him.”    “We certainly can’t leave him to thelocals,” Bitt commented.    “Testudo!” The decanus shouted. The groupresponded with the speed of skill born of long training and practice.    In one solid mass the formation steppedforward till they came to the legate sprawled on the street. The legionnairessimply stepped over him. After a moment the unit started stepping backward andthe body was gone. It was if it had been swallowed up.    Inside the solid formation Eteiwi had thelegate under one arm and Bitt had the other. Sabinus was holding Bitt’s shieldas well as his own over their heads. The oryx was completely limp. His headdropping down into his chest.    Bitt was trying to examine the legate whilestaying in step as they marched backwards.    “Is he dead?”    Bitt examined the oryx and found a massivedent in the legate’s armor. “He’s still breathing. He’s got a good-sized dentin his breastplate so he’s probably got a few broken ribs.”    They reached the edge of the village andstarted moving down the road. Still no one stopped them. Finally when they werea good distance down the road and out of the reach of an archer, Vinius calleda halt. The testudo formation opened up but the legionnaires stayed close.    “This fight is over,” Vinius commented. “Butstay on guard.”    “How do you know that?” Bitt asked.    “The Parthians haven’t attacked us inseveral minutes,” the hound explained.    “The Parthians didn’t want us all dead,” thedecanus commented.    “No?” Bitt asked, confused. “I’m sure theyweren’t just playing.”    “They wanted us out of the village,” thedecanus responded.    “Why?” The fox asked.    “They think it belongs to them,” was theanswer.    Bitt turned and looked at the village. Apall of smoke hung over the place and many of the buildings were burning. “Itdoesn’t belong to anyone now.”  *************** 
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