<pfont-weight: 400″>When Tiberius’s vision returned, he was already checking over his surroundings for an ambush and other threats. Luckily, none appeared. The momentary blindness had been temporary enough that no enemies could take advantage of it. Of course, he couldn’t always count on that to be the case. But luck had a much more significant impact on war than almost anyone would like to admit.

Once he was certain that his immediate surroundings were safe, his attention turned to himself. He found that he could see more clearly than before. Farther, too, even accounting for [Keen Eye]. Best of all, he felt younger. The aches in his knees and elbows were gone, and the soles of his feet no longer hurt from the long march of the days before. Even his mind felt sharper, more adept. It was like he was finally taking a truly deep breath for the first time in decades.

But he didn’t have time to take a full inventory of the changes. As much as he would have liked to hop from foot to foot and run through a sword form or two, there was still a battle to be won.

A quick scan of his troops revealed a rapidly diminishing glow of gold around each of them and a slightly bewildered look on anyone not currently in combat. Those fighting usually had enough discipline to not let something so simple as a loss of vision distract them. They also were likely too busy to truly wonder at any physical changes they’d similarly gone through.

The changes offered an opportunity. Clearly, this could be a turning point in the battle. Tiberius could feel it in his bones—and perhaps in his skills.[Strategic Warfare] certainly indicated such. Now was the time to act, to swing the momentum back in their favor.

Tiberius turned toward the battle.He was on the ground now, but could still pick out ghouls leaping from rooftop to rooftop, attempting to attack and cut off the flow of Legionnaires out of the city. He wouldn’t let it happen. He wouldn’t let the creatures keep them in this disadvantageous environment. Even if his men were stronger now, he wouldn’t push their luck and halt the retreat. No. But they would hold the city gate until everyone was out. Tiberius would make sure of it

The Legatus pointed to the two closest centurions. “You—take command of the right side of the gate wall. You take the left. Take your centuries and hold it at all costs. Recruit some men to keep the surrounding rooftops clear with slings as well.”

The centurions saluted and ran off, shouting to their men. Tiberius pointed to several more centurions, barking orders for each to hold key intersections along the main retreat routes and only retreat once the last of the Legionnaires had evacuated past their point. It would be tricky, but also maximize the potential number of men who would get out.

Before, he might have hesitated. But not anymore. They were refreshed and more powerful than before. They felt it—Tiberius felt it. The Legionnaires would execute this retreat and leave the city to burn in their wake. And then, when there was nothing left but smoldering ruins, they would launch a counterattack and finish what they started. They would sweep away their foes amongst a heap of ashes rather than a maze of structures where these monsters had all the advantages.

The centurions he’d stationed atop the gate did their job well. Legionnaires studded the top of the wall, defending their small portion from ghouls sprinting across the ramparts and skittering up the stone itself. They moved as though the wall itself were one giant ladder, claws sinking unnaturally into its surface yet leaving behind no holes. Their only saving grace against such an assault was the ghouls’ complete lack of ranged capabilities. Otherwise, keeping them at bay would have been nigh on impossible.

All the while, Legionnaires streamed through the gates in a well-ordered retreat. Many even hurled stones at the ghouls to support their brethren from afar. Overall, things appeared to be going quite well.

That didn’t mean they’d remain that way forever, though. They’d bought themselves more time, but continuing to hold the gate after the retreat would be a fool’s errand, not to mention pointless.

As the minutes ticked by, more and more Legionnaires drained out of the town, leaving only a crackling inferno in their wake. Every time one of the centurions retreated from their position, Tiberius left orders reiterating the need to torch everything—a prospect they’d taken to with great enthusiasm.

“Sir!” Lucius called. “The final century is pulling back. They’ll be approaching the gate soon.”

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Tiberius nodded. “Good. Have the men on the wall prepare to pull back. The men on the ground will cover them. We’ll return to the command post.”

“Yes, sir!”

As he continued coordinating troop movements through Lucius, Tiberius and his guards began to pull back themselves. Now that there was no real risk of the retreat being cut off, there was no reason for him to chance being attacked yet again. Plus, with the battle moving outside of the town, he could use a better vantage point.

On his way out, he spotted more than a few men with extra accessories and flashes of gold or silver on their persons. He turned a blind eye to it for the moment. He couldn’t begrudge a soldier his right to loot. If he heard that such activities had interfered with the retreat, however… that was a different matter.

As the stream of retreating Legionnaires thinned, so too did the enemy forces chasing them. Fewer and fewer monsters managed to reinforce the attacking swarm, and by the time the last Legionnaire was out, reports indicated that they now numbered in the hundreds instead of the thousands as before. It seemed that the fire had been just as effective as Tiberius had hoped in deterring the things—and based on what he saw, it had managed to kill quite a few as well.

They quickly made their way to the command post and evaluated the new situation. Black plumes of smoke filled the sky above Stonewake, their density threatening to blot out the sun. The Legionnaires had already formed up, bringing the full force of their cohorts to bear as they ringed the city. The formation seamlessly integrated the new arrivals as they left the city, preparing to meet the ghouls that would soon follow.

As flames danced above the walls of the burning city, their enemy made their appearance. Waves of ghouls skittered over and down the walls, their gray skin making it appear as though the stones themselves were moving. The heat forced them out and onto the plains below, right into the waiting Legionnaires.

The creatures had already more or less gathered together near the gate, meaning that their latest assault resembled one large mob rather than a something distributed over the entirety of the wall. Still, the group of hundreds couldn’t compare to the thousands of men under Tiberius’s command.

They rushed towards the Legion’s forces, their unbroken shield wall three men deep. It smashed into the red and gold shields like a battering ram, barely dispersing to either side. And yet despite the force of the assault, the wall held firm.

The men in the back ranks thwarted any attempts to climb over the formation with vicious spear thrusts. Shields guarded against threats from above while a hail of slingshots and the remaining pila shot forward from further down the formation. After the initial engagement, their line began to curl in and surround the aggressors, hitting the beasts on their flanks and in the rear.

It was a simple, ferocious slaughter. There was no compromise, no potential for surrender. Just death. And not of the Legionnaires—Tiberius hadn’t felt a casualty since before they’d even left the city. After all, this was the sort of butchery the Legion was made for—fighting against numerically superior foes with their own superior tactics. The enemy’s obvious lack of self-preservation certainly helped matters, though.

Here, without the advantage of buildings or high ground, the ghouls had no choice but to charge or retreat—and they chose the former. The Legion’s drilled maneuvers had swords smoothly sprouting like grass in a lush pasture as centurions rotated men in and out, supporting them as they held the line. Each sword thrust slid between the shields, repeatedly ramming in and out until Tiberius was sure that most soldiers’ shoulders would give out from exhaustion.

Though plenty of ghouls remained, their numbers ceased to increase. No more crested the town’s walls as the encirclement began to tighten around the last of them. Finally, the creatures seemed to register the threat.They seemed to panic, looking for a way to retreat rather than continue their blind aggression. For the first time, they seemed to be afraid.

But it did nothing. The encirclement continued to tighten until it choked the lie out of the last ghoul. Finally, after hours of fighting, the battle was over.

Tiberius felt his shoulders relax as the last screech faded from the battlefield. Left in its wake was the sound of crackling flames and the thunderous booms of buildings and stonework collapsing. But after a long moment of calm, one of the centurions let out a shout of triumph. The call was echoed by thousands of throats, blossoming into a dull roar that echoed across the corpse-studded plains.

Tiberius nodded and turned to Lucius. “Order the men to see to the wounded and take stock of our losses. See to the conquered townsfolk as well. We will need to make camp outside the town for now.”

The Aquilifer saluted before passing on the commands. Tiberius turned back toward the walls. It would take at least another day for that conflagration to burn itself out. By the time it was done, there would be nothing left but piles of rubble and ash. The town would be one mound of debris—a clean slate.

The loss of all that infrastructure was a bit of a shame. However, it had been necessary. And besides, it did mean that Tiberius now had a clean slate on which to build. One that they could shape to their own purposes..

Tiberius spun on his heel, already drawing up plans and prioritizing tasks in his mind. He was just about to call together his officers when another string of golden text materialized before his eyes.

[You have successfully razed the town of Stonewake! You have gained experience.]

[You have successfully razed the town of Stonewake! You may rename the settlement to stake your claim.]

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