Headed By A Snake

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Justus wished they moved faster . . . The thought of it reaching nighttime and camping in the cave unnerved him a great deal .

Puddles or other strange, slippery algae or animal droppings were dispersed around the cavern floor, as well as the occasional pitfall . . . dug by a creature nearly as large as a human . One of the other Decani nearly fell in . After that, Optio Sixtus slowed their marching speed immensely .

Fortuna"s floating orbs and the glowing enchantment on Sixtus" s.h.i.+eld were barely better than torches, but Justus was thankful the constant glow didn"t create dancing shadows amongst the cave"s stalagmites like flickering flames would . . . though it still felt like they were being watched by . . . something .

"That guy-- he"s probably a total loser, anyroad . " Fortuna muttered . "He looks like a girl!"

The only sound chasing away the creatures lurking in Justus" heart was . . . Fortuna"s voice . Justus prodded her whenever it grew too silent to bear, and she"d babble away like a brook . Thus far, he"d only had to prod twice . It reminded him of a machine he saw in capital city Rixus that dispensed holy water in exchange for a silver coin . . . except the stream of whatever Fortuna was saying lasted longer .

The idle conversations stopped as they ventured deeper into the Manticore"s lair . Maybe everyone else was as nervous as he was . . . Justus hoped Duplicarius Zehr would come back soon . There were marks of his presence in the form of chalk-mark arrows on the floors and walls, but it felt safer when he was around .

"Does he have any friends? I bet he doesn"t . I bet he doesn"t even talk to any girls!"

Fortuna"s eyes didn"t match what she was saying . She didn"t seem upset-- but more . . . curious?

"Does he like anyone?" She asked .

Justus frowned . Zehr seemed pretty hurt by Rena"s loss, even though he didn"t seem interested initially . The Duplicarius" increased annoyance as of late was probably the only way he knew how to express his feelings .

After all, Zehr was human, too .

Justus nodded hesitantly, "Yeah . . . I think he did . "

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"Oh? Who?" Fortuna badgered him, "I mean, not that I particularly care-- I just wanna know . Because she"s probably too good for him! . . . But who is it, though?"

A dull pain filled Justus" chest at the thought .

"I apologize for Fortuna, young Deca.n.u.s," Optio Sixtus" voice called back . "She thinks she"s terribly clever . "

"Shut up, crucifixion pervert," Fortuna shot back .

Justus gave a weak smile, "She . . . she died in the Manticore attack . "

Silence again reigned amongst the tent group . Justus regretted spoiling the admittedly neutral mood, but he wanted to answer Fortuna truthfully .

After journeying for several quiet minutes, Optio Sixtus spoke his thoughts aloud, "It"s a shame the Holy Bolter was killed . "

Justus clenched his fists and unintentionally gnashed his teeth, "Her name . . . was Rena . "

He felt his mana circulating rapidly-- his heart started to pound and sweat began to form underneath his helmet .

"Young Deca.n.u.s . . . " Cyrac placed his hand on Justus" shoulder, "Your aura . . . "

Justus realized his foolishness . . . He took a deep breath, trying to slow his heart rate . He willed his mana to slow . . . "I"m sorry, Centurion . "

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"It"s fine, Young Deca.n.u.s," The old, one-eyed veteran nodded sagely, "You feel anger out of love . It"s because of that love for our brothers and sisters that we can fight so hard to protect them . "

Fortuna crossed her arms, "Like you love anything, you old goat . "

Cyrac chuckled, "Of course, I do . Though to me, Fortuna, you"re not so much a sister--"

"s.e.xist pig!" Fortuna glared .

"--you"re the wonderful daughter I never had," Cyrac smiled .

"O-oh . . . " The Healer pouted, her anger derailed . "Wh-who asked for a thief of a dad like you?"

"After all this--" Cyrac declared, "We"ll gather for a meal . We"ll honor the fallen . We"ll all mourn together . "

The old Centurion clapped Justus" shoulder-- a masculine but somehow gentle rea.s.surance, "The youngest pours the drinks for everyone . And I"ll pour for you . How"s that sound?"

"The custom goes that the oldest pours for the youngest," One of the Decani offered .

Cyrac coughed and averted his gaze, "Aha, right . "

"Yes, Centurion . . . I"d like that . " That sounded good . . . Everything being over, that is .

"I must apologize to you, young Deca.n.u.s," Sixtus" unexpected voice threw Justus off-guard .

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"Sixtus, taking the initiative to apologize . . . " Fortuna raised an eyebrow, "By the Flame, who is this imposter?"

"It is indeed a bit of a rare occurrence," Cyrac stroked his white beard amusedly .

Optio Sixtus turned back to reveal a frown of disapproval, "Deca.n.u.s Justus, I meant no offense concerning Holy Bolter Rena . I wished to express my lamentation of her pa.s.sing, as she was one of our most promising officer candidates . She was skillful and well-liked within the cohort . "

Justus nodded . He hadn"t asked-- but it made a lot of sense that Rena was so promotable . . . not that it meant anything now .

"She was a person too, Sixtus! Not just one of your tools!" Fortuna scowled .

Sixtus twisted his face and came to a stop, "Fortuna . . . please understand that I think the way I do because I want the Rhodoks to succeed . The Rhodoks are experiencing great tribulations now and it is my solemn wish to see us through . "

His gaze pa.s.sed over everyone in the forward group, "You are my brothers and sisters . Though I do not often say it, I am eternally grateful for you all for fighting by my side . "

The Optio"s admission stunned the whole group . Fortuna gawked with her mouth open .

Cyrac gave a hearty laugh, "Well spoken, old friend!"

Justus nodded, his chest warmed with pride, "Yeah . . . "

Suddenly, Fortuna"s head whipped to the side, her eyes narrowed .

Their group didn"t have a second scout . . . and the half-elf had better hearing than everyone else . Justus placed his hand on his sword, "What do your elven ears hear?"

The woman glared back with a reddening face, "Something"s . . . chewing . "

Sixtus directed his s.h.i.+eld, enchanted with Fortuna"s light, in the direction she faced .

A visored Duplicarius sat cross-legged on a raised rock formation . Zehr waved in acknowledgment, "It seemed you were having a pleasant conversation . I did not wish to interrupt . "

Justus breathed a sigh of relief . Fortuna mentioning chewing made his stomach recoil . He remembered all too well, the Manticore"s work-- half-eaten bodies on the funeral pyres, disemboweled to inflict agony and slow, painful deaths .

"Would anyone like some dried apples?" Zehr offered, "The texture is similar to jerky . "

Sixtus took a deep breath through his nostrils and nodded, "Let"s take a break-- we"ll eat in two s.h.i.+fts . "

"I"d like some," Justus walked up . "You"re a really good cook, Zehr . "

"Drying fruit over a few suns is nothing special . . . " Zehr curled his lips up in a polite smile, "--but thank you for the compliment, Justus . "

Justus mulled over the thought of Zehr"s appearance in his mind . He was the only one amongst their number not on edge . . . which could be a testament of his demeanor, but . . .

"Zehr . . . have you . . . maybe . . . "

The Duplicarius pursed tilted his head, "Speak freely, Justus, but do gather your thoughts . It is frustrating if you speak with them incomplete . "

"R-right," Justus smiled with chagrin . He"d just come out and say it, "Have you been to these caves before?"

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