Seeing that no one dared go against his decision, Alexios turned to Rainer.
"The only way I'll accept your bold claim as the son of Mars is if you are first on those walls tomorrow." He stated, resting a hand on his gladius and shifting his weight. "And by the end, when we have taken the garrison fort I shall free you from your slavery—if you still draw breath, that is."
With that, Alexios turned around to his tent but then stopped at the tent's flaps to glance back at Rainer.
"Tonight, I shall send someone to brief you on the situation. For now, given my men's unease at your presence, you will be sleeping outside the camp whilst under watch... That is all." He turned and went into his tent.
Meanwhile, Rainer had been listening with a gloomy expression.
When he glanced at Commius, he saw him watching Alexios' tent darkly, but then he felt his gaze and turned to him with a cautious frown.
Commius suddenly spat toward him and turned to the soldiers to dismiss them.
"Return to your tents! Milites on watch duty get to your positions—"
The words were barked out, but they soon faded into muffled words as Rainer's eyes gradually shut, losing consciousness.
–––
When he opened his eyes again it was not to a line-up of hardened killers but a vast starry sky.
Rainer laid at a spot on the cold, hard ground. Head propped up on a particularly nicely shaped rock. He felt the winds blow softly, gently caressing his skin and he observed his appearance.
On his body was a simple coarse tunic and worn, calf-length trousers; his feet were bare, and his brown hair was short and rough.
He thoughtlessly ran a hand through his hair before glancing sideways at the camp. The torch-lit gate and pallisade walls stood still and imposing as armored guards watched him silently from beneath the burning torches.
Although Rainer laid a distance away, he was acutely aware that he was within javelin range.
Furthermore, when he turned, he saw faint torches moving far within the dark: There were night patrols in the distance.
He let out a sigh and laid back down to look at his hands. Rough, lean light-brown hands, firm and resilient, adapted to the rigors of a hard life in a backward civilization.
He then raised them up to the sky with a small smile settling on his lips, eyes gleaming with ambition.
'With these hands...' He slowly clenched them. 'I will make Rome an empire like none other, or ever will.'
*Crunch!* *Crunch!*
He suddenly heard the sounds of footfalls approaching. However, he didn't drop his hands.
"I had my suspicions they would send you, Kotys." He smirked, and peered up at the looming figure garbed in his lorica hamata, gripping firmly onto his spear and reinforced oval shield.
Kotys stared at him with tired lidded eyes.
"I have been sent to make sure you don't run away." He stated dryly.
Rainer sat up with a smile.
"That's fine, come sit. I'm not going anywhere. I know there are patrols further outside, anyway."
Kotys' surprise rang in the slight shake of his armor from his jolt.
Rainer ignored his surprised expression and patted the space beside him with a light chuckle.
"Come now, sit. There's a lot I wish to know about this universe's version of Rome."
Kotys glanced at the two guards standing at the gate, and let out an unwilling sigh. But he went down regardless and sat as Rainer had requested.
Rainer watched him with a curious light in his eyes.
"Now then, shall we begin?"
Kotys kept his spear and shield aside and crossed his legs together. He looked around, silent for a moment before turning to him.
"What do you wish to know? Or rather what don't you know? The gods know everything, right?"
"Hmm."
Rainer hummed in thought for a moment.
"—No."
Kotys raised a brow, face pinched and doubtful.
"The gods are not all-knowing?"
Rainer cleared his throat and pinched his nose before glancing at him.
"Look, Kotys, you helped me back there. For that I'm grateful. So I'll tell you this... I am not a god."
Kotys' brows immediately furrowed, and his mouth twisted in disgust.
"Y-you are a daemon, then!?"
Rainer rolled his eyes.
"Ugh! What's with you guys and demons? I'm a Qegon!"
Kotys tilted his head with a perplexed look.
"Egon? What is that?"
"Qe-gons!" Rainer enunciated.
"Ergon?"
Rainer gave up.
"Haah~ Forget it! You only need to know that I am a cosmic entity not from this world. The gods you know and serve do not see me; they do not know me. But at the moment, I am no different from you. I live and die as every mortal does."
Kotys gazed at him with a tense stare, trying to process what Rainer had made known to him.
Rainer shook his head at this and laid back down with a resigned sigh.
After a moment, Kotys away and said.
"You will die tomorrow...whatever you are."
Rainer huffed imperceptibly through his nose, letting out a darkly amused smirk.
"Possibly." He conceded. "But that's not for you to worry about. Instead, tell me everything you can about your world."
Kotys looked away, silently organizing his thoughts.
"I believe you seek to know information regarding Rome specifically. Regardless of your claims to be apart from the gods, you seemed to know about the Roman god of war, Mars, even before you were told. So Rome is where I will begin..."
Looking up into the night, he began.
"It has been 861 years since the founding of Rome. Over time, Rome has proven ravenous in its thirst for expansion. Despite numerous setbacks, their resilience shone forth, and their territory spread far and wide, punctuated by numerous victories..."
He went silent for a while and looked down with a forlorn expression.
"Last year Dacia was taken—and I aided them."
Rainer eyed him suspiciously.
"This is your homeland, isn't it?"
Kotys took a deep breath and nodded.
"I am a Thracian—and so is my father who serves as clerk to the cohort... My mother died in the war."
He then shook his head and reined in his emotions.
"But this story is not about me." He said, with a tense crease to his forehead.
"Sure..." Rainer drawled with a slightly awkward expression. "I wanted to know about Rome."
Kotys relaxed at this and continued.
"The vast dominion of the Roman Empire, under the wise and vigorous leadership of Emperor Trajan, stretches from the misty isles of Britannia to the sun-dappled lands of Africa and the fabled realms of the East. Each province, with its own local customs, observes the edicts of the Roman Empire under its unyielding embrace of law, order, and enforced prosperity.
"This applied especially to the imperial provinces, whether the bustling urban centers of Hispania or the frontier outposts of Germania and Britannia, they were all brought under the Roman Empire's rigorous art of administration. Roads and aqueducts, masterful works of engineering, carry the lifeblood of commerce and communication across hundreds of leagues. In the Forum of Rome and the provincial agoras, merchants trade goods from the remotest corners of the empire: grains from Egypt, olives and fine wine from Gaul, exotic spices from the Orient, and myriad treasures from lands yet uncharted by many men..."
Rainer smirked when he was done.
"You speak well."
Kotys' lips curved slightly in a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"My father taught me. A benefit of the Roman educational system." He remarked with a sharpness barely discernible at the edges of his tone.
"Hmm."
Rainer glanced at him with an openly, thoughtful stare before looking away.
"Right!" He smacked his lips.
"How about the reason why we find ourselves in this wilderness?" He artfully changed the subject.
Kotys' face softened as he collected his thoughts.
"We are an elite auxiliary cohort attached to the legio—"
Kotys stopped and looked toward Rainer with a questioning gaze.
"Do you know what a legion is?"
Rainer nodded.
"Yes, go on! If there's something I don't understand, I'll ask!"
He informed, urging him on with a hand wave.
Seeing this, Kotys sucked in a breath and went on.
"Our cohort is the Cohors I Milliaria Equitata Gemina Martia Victrix Tigris Fidelis attached to the Legion, Legio XIV Gemina Martia Victrix. We were originally assigned to secure the legion's flank on the journey toward the Mount of the Carpates.
"On the way here, we beat back various raids and engaged in skirmishes with many fierce rebel tribes. But we prevailed, in the process protecting the main road network, a crucial logistic route transporting gold from the Mount of Carpertes.
"However, on the way, Lord Praefect received an urgent message regarding a small Roman garrison fort captured by Dacian and Thracian rebels. Given that we were closest, we were assigned to quickly move in and take back the garrison.
"Oddly enough, Lord Praefect was instructed to allow no escape and leave no prisoners. But as you already know, this mission has seen certain setbacks." Kotys ended with a dissatisfied twitch of his lips.
Rainer nodded in understanding.
"So you need to take this garrison fort tomorrow; otherwise, this mysterious political figure won't be pleased when he arrives."
Kotys remained silent and Rainer scoffed.
"That old man's so desperate his willing to bet on a miracle." He stated, looking away toward the sky.
But then he smirked to himself. "He might as well have struck a goldmine."