Someplace In the middle of a snowy mountain, a distortion in space could be seen in the darkness of the night. A moment later a round shaped spark emerged out of thin air, opening a dark space from which two figures came.
"Whoa! Emery, this magic is really impressive."
"Very useful, right?" Emery said and smiled proudly.
The bulky man looked around him with a smile before staring at Emery. Even in the dark, his eyes were practically brimming with hope.
"How many people could get through? Can it fit 40.000 men?" The man asked.
Emery was stunned silent, but he did a quick calculation with his mind. Passing 4 people through the gate should be easy, 40 was achievable although it would probably mean he needs to spend an hour's worth of spirit force.
"… How many zeroes are there in 40.000? That would take at least 1000 hour…" Emery groaned inwardly.
But, he didn't say anything. He simply gave Thrax a wry smile and the rebel leader quickly realized it was not possible.
After he received a message from Klea, Thrax was elated and his frown was yet again replaced with a sincere smile. An hour later, a very familiar figure came to pick him up.
They were led towards a little camp set up simply but neatly, with the crackling of warm fire that filled the cold night. By the fire, two people were already waiting, one was a beautiful girl and the other was a young man decked head to toe in uniform.
Thrax smiled sincerely at the girl, giving her a nod of acknowledgment, next, he stared at the young man and said.
"I reckon you would be here… I guess It's alright, let us enjoy our little reunion without discussing the battle, how about it?"
The question made Julian stare at him in silence feeling unsure on how to respond.
Before the situation could turn awkward, Klea looked away from the fire and interrupted them. "Agreed! While we're here, no talk of battle!" Klea quickly reached onto her sack and pulled out a small bag made of goatskin. She opened the bag, poured it into her mouth and gave it to Thrax.
"Good company should always need a good drink."
Thrax did the same, wiped the liquid on his chin and exclaimed.
"This is some good wine!"
"Of course, that's Egyptian wine." Klea explained.
Thrax took another gulp, stared at Julian and passed the drink to him.
Julian received it and poured a bit into his mouth.
"Good wine, indeed."
Then, he passed the goatskin bag to Emery.
Emery had never liked wine, nor had he ever gotten used to its taste. He stared at the bag for a few seconds with a doubtful stare. Realizing what he was thinking, Klea piped up.
"Hey Emery, I have another drink for you. How does donkey milk sound? It's pretty good."
Although his face didn't show it, he had to resist the urge to empty his stomach's contents onto the ground upon hearing that. He rolled his eyes, grabbed the wine bag and took a small sip.
The contrast between Emery and the other three made them laugh at his expense, quickly breaking the ice among them.
Ever since they became friends, Klea had always been the light of their group. She talked about her experience in Egypt, the ancient artifacts she managed to discover and her meeting with Emery. Everyone enjoyed the story, until Klea mentioned how Emery was being crowded by women.
The mention of women made the subject bounce to Thrax, who lost his wife due to the slavery.
"I think we should talk about something else." Emery said.
Klea was about to agree with him, but the Thracian quickly shushed them. "No, no… Telling stories about her life will honor her."
Thrax took over by telling stories about the months he and his wife spent together in the mountains, living by hunting animals and gathering herbs, while hiding in caverns. Although their life was a simple one without much in the way of luxury, they were happy.
Until one day, the Roman finally found them and they were both separated and forced to be slaves.
Thrax's voice shook a little. He was tough and he had seen his own share of tragedies, especially recently, but no matter what happened the memories were still vivid in his mind.
Listening to Thrax's story reminded Emery of Gwen. If he were in Thrax's position, he had no idea how emotional he would be.
He grabbed Thrax's shoulders and said reassuringly.
"I am sorry for your loss, Thrax."
"Thank you, Emery." Thrax sighed in relief. "I hope this would be enough to make you see why I hate Rome so much."
Julian looked at Thrax and complained. "Hey, I thought we weren't going to talk about this."
"Really?! Then, maybe we should!" Thrax replied emotionally
"Sure then, While they are here, let's ask our friends what they think!"
"Best fucking idea I've ever heard from you, Roman!"
Emery's brow twitched, as he stared at the rapidly descending situation. He shook his head, looking at Klea, and asked. "What do you think?"
"Honestly, Emery, I don't know," Klea shrugged. "I understand your concern, but probably it would do them some good if they could unleash their anger out here…"
"Alright then!" Klea spoke up, attracting the attention of the two bickering friends. "I will hear you two out! But, one rule… No fighting!"
They decided to sit back down and Thrax started talking about the Romans' cruelty he had experienced back as a slave and before, when he was part of the Roman auxiliaries. Thrax has seen the slaves pressured to work day and night by the republic; there appear more than 3 million of them. Thrax explained the inhumane of their action, which led to the people's suffering and anger. Now he and the rebels gathered to fight for such a cause.
On the other hand, Julian talked about progress. How everything Romans did was to give progress for humanity. Every kingdom they conquered would lead to a more prosperous place and people. Unfortunately, to achieve progress, slaves were needed.
"Without any slaves, roads would not be built! Us Romans was shaping up the future of Earth's civilization itself!"
"Hah!" Thrax snorted. "The future that the Romans bring only leads to death and destruction?!"
"That's because the world is filled with uneducated barbarians like you!"
"At least unlike Romans, we don't kill people then think of ourselves as a saint!"
Julian chuckled at that response and said.
"It is still better than being a fool, who did not realize they were killing people." Julian stood and continued.
"Thrax, did you know during the last battle, I purposely led you, so you could escape from the north?! I knew there were two paths available to you before you reached this place, but you chose the path of destruction! Now, your people are dying in the cold and that was not on me… That all was on you!"
"Hah!" Thrax snorted. "If you really know who we are... who I am… Then, you should know that none of us would ever choose the path of cowardice."
"Thrax, that is why I said, you were a fool."
Thrax smiled confidently and said. "No, Julian, that is what we call courage."
"Where did that courage lead you, then? You were trapped, dozens of rebels will die every second, all thanks to your decision."
"That is where you are wrong, Julian… We have set our plans in motion."
Startled, Julian quickly checked his troops with his spirit reading. His eyes widened in shock.
He stared at Thrax and asked. "What did you do?"
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v..e.l,