The war chief, like her cousin Prince Klaes, had always been a mentor and brotherly figure to her. Amke then understood the paradox within Tabbo. He understood the Romans and held their war fighting abilities with the highest respect, but there was something darker, something that he had almost told her yet elected not to. Amke knew about the brutal nature of tribal warfare, where villages would be destroyed and all within killed or enslaved. Yet from what she could see of the few dozen legionaries training in the open valley below, she sensed that once unleashed, the Roman war machine was able to inflict death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. She was both horrified and fascinated at the same time by the concept of such fearsome power.
Artorius was elated when he heard the news regarding the promotion of his Centurion, Platorius Macro, to the First Cohort. He had served as Macro’s second-in-command for two years; the Centurion having been a father figure and mentor to him ever since he first joined the legions ten years ago. At twenty-seven years of age, Optio Titus Artorius Justus was still the youngest of his rank within the Third Cohort. He also knew that he was three years shy of the minimum age requirement for promotion to the rank of Centurion, so he understood that he would not be considered as Macro’s replacement. The Centurion noted this as he spoke to his Optio while directing servants to pack up his personal belongings out of the Centurion’s quarters.
“I’m just glad that regardless of who replaces me, the men of the Second Century still have a strong leader they can look to,” he said as he pointed to a chest with a number of his personal affects. A pair of slaves hefted the chest with a pair of grunts and hobbled out of the room.
“You flatter me, sir,” Artorius replied with a shrug. “There are a number of solid leaders within this century. I daresay any of the Principal Officers and probably half the Decanii could step into my position.”
“Well, it’s a shame none of them will,” Macro said as he led the Optio out of his quarters and into the open street. It was an early spring morning, and the fortress of the Twentieth and First Legions in Cologne was always a bustle of activity at this time of day. Squads and centuries of legionaries marched towards the drill and parade fields for training, others ran in small formations as part of their daily physical fitness, administrators and logisticians went about the business of supporting and supplying the legions with the mountains of food and equipment they needed.
“I am still too young to replace you,” Artorius observed.
“Young in years, but not experience,” Macro countered. “On every action this legion has fought since you enlisted you have been singled out for your valor and leadership. That’s far more than can be said for my replacement.” He walked along the road towards the east gate, hands clasped behind his back as he did so.
“You know who it is then,” Artorius said.
Macro nodded. “Yes, and you’re not going to like it. His name is Fulvius; he was a direct appointment, meaning he has never spent a day in the ranks as a legionary. The sad thing about our society is that Rome is full of men in positions of power who got there not because of their own accomplishments, but rather because of whom their father’s were, or their father’s friends for that matter.”
“So he got to where he’s at because of who his father sucked up to,” Artorius replied with a shrug while trying to maintain a positive outlook. In truth, he hated the idea of losing Centurion Macro for some upstart who had never served in the ranks and was suddenly placed in power. “It is part of the world we live in and can’t be helped.”
“Thing is, I know Fulvius, at least enough to know that he is everything that is wrong with the system,” the Centurion responded. “He has never served in a major battle and probably has never even drawn his sword against the enemy. His father has powerful friends in the Senate who owe him a number of favors; perhaps he’s blackmailing them after they got caught fucking each other’s wives or something. So unless Fulvius does something blatantly criminal, and believe me he walks the line on this, nothing ever happens to him. He simply gets moved to another assignment.”
“And becomes someone else’s problem,” Artorius observed with a sigh.
“The good news is that he rarely stays in one assignment for more than a year, so hopefully we will be rid of him soon enough and can get a Centurion of quality into the Second.”
“Well, at least we know Proculus won’t put up with any stupid bullshit,” Artorius said with satisfaction. His demeanor soured when he saw the look of consternation on Macro’s face.
“I guess you haven’t heard,” he replied as they exited the gate. A pair of legionaries on duty saluted the Centurion as they passed. “Proculus is moving on to the First Cohort, too.”
“Well, you can’t tell me we are getting a lackluster Pilus Prior as well to replace him,” the Optio reasoned. When Macro did not reply Artorius stopped walking and stared at his Centurion. “Oh, come on! Don’t tell me we get some weak-willed limp-dick as our Cohort Commander!”
“That is exactly what you are getting,” Macro said, his face full of sympathy. “Lincinius means well enough, but to be quite honest, he has no balls. He got his position because his father has even better friends than Fulvius. Artorius, I tell you these things not to try to discourage you. I’ve spent too many years making this Century what it is, and I don’t plan on sitting back from a comfortable billet in the First Cohort and watching it all fall apart. You need to know what to expect. You know I’m always here for you, but once I leave and take the promotion to Primus Ordo, I cannot directly interfere.”
Artorius decided to vent his frustrations the best way he knew how. Under normal circumstances, those in his position would head to the tavern to get slobbering drunk and waste their coin on wine and prostitutes. While the idea of a few hours of uninhibited sex with a delicate young maiden sounded good, he was not going to do so under the conditions brought on by too much drink. He preferred to be in control of his senses when he violated a willing, supple woman. Instead he walked over to a small walled-in courtyard that his good friend, Centurion Vitruvius, had built. It was a microcosm of the gymnasium they had used during their three years in Lugdunum. Artorius had a passion for the gymnasium; it allowed him to exert all his frustrations in the purity of brutal power.
Vitruvius had taken boulders of various weights and had them sculpted into perfect spheres for lifting. He had the metal smiths cast heavy balls with handles that could be used for other strength building exercises. An iron bar was held up by wooden supports at a height of a normal man’s arm stretched above his head. He wanted to set up some climbing ropes as well, but was waiting on the materials to build the scaffolding necessary.
Artorius removed his tunic, revealing a mountainous, powerful body beneath. Though he was of average height, his muscular frame was out of proportion and made him look inhuman. His forearms were larger than a normal man’s biceps, and his biceps looked like they belonged on someone’s legs. His neck was thick with the muscles that came out of his shoulders, inflating it to even bigger size. His chest was large and his back ripped with muscle, all tapering into a normal-sized waist. Jutting out from his waist was a pair of thick and well-defined legs. What he lacked in height he more than made up for in size and power. Only Centurion Vitruvius and the Norseman, Sergeant Magnus, came close to matching him. All three had trained together at the Lugdunum gymnasium and each was his own icon of strength. All three required their tunics to be custom made, along with their armor.
He decided to work his chest and shoulders this day. He made sure he properly stretched and limbered up his muscles, lest in his frustration he injure himself. He took a medium-sized boulder and while lying on a bench he went through a series of presses. He then took a pair of the handled metal balls and used them to stretch and strengthen his chest. Boulders of increasing weight were pressed overhead to add size to his shoulders, while he took a pair of the heaviest weights and let them hang from each hand while shrugging his shoulders. It felt good as his muscles burned.