Chapter 409: The Mercenary Aaarggghhh! With a loud whizzing sound, a spear pierced through the air and skewered through the bodies of roman legionaries. The simple attack was enough to disrupt one of the formations. A Thracian warrior dashed through the Roman encirclement. One hand was gripping a blood-stained spear tight and another held a whimpering girl's arm. The girl looked dirty, stains of blood and dirt littered all over her body and tattered clothes, but the warrior squeezed the girl's arm tight, as if trying to derive strength from her. "Hold my hand! We are charging in!!" In this particular battle, Thrax fought like a ferocious lion. Each swing of his spear killed all who dared to stand before him, leaving a long trail of corpses onto the bloodied land. "Thrax, just leave me, save yourself!" The girl shouted in desperation. "No, never!" Thrax gritted his teeth and thrust his spear, impaling the Roman soldier who tried to sneak up on them from behind. Six months ago, when Thrax returned from the academy, he saw the horrific sight of his village being reduced to nothing but blackened ashes. He found that it was attacked by the Northern Getae barbarians. The Romans and the Thracians were bound with a deal: they would assist each other whenever there was a war. However, a situation made the Roman to sacrifice Thracian villages to win a battle. These turned many Thracians who were at that time part of the Roman Auxiliaries units to desert the battlefield, return home to protect their families from their sworn enemies the Getae. Their decision resulted in the loss of many Romans' lives, while their home was still burned and ransacked by their enemies. Not only did they lose their home, the Thracians were also hunted down by the Romans to be punished. Fortunately, Thrax returned just at the right time and he managed to find the dozens of survivors being chased around like rats. Included among them was Sara, his wife and childhood crush. With the help of Thrax's abilities and the outstanding strength displayed by the remaining Thracian warriors, they managed to run and hide up on the mountains. Hence for the last six months, Thrax lived together with his wife and several others. They started to create a group called the Dhii. Within just those short few months, the Dhii, led by Thrax, became known for their ferocity in killing Romans and Getae alike, and their numbers started to grow. The Thracians were well known for their love of battle and blood. Each time they returned, their body and clothes would be stained by the enemies' blood and remains. They started using their ability to do mercenary jobs, and now, they killed and joined fights for coins. Thrax was not proud of what he did, but this was the only thing they could do to survive and protect their families. Each day, Thrax's skills grew more ferocious, the blood of his enemies feeding his desire for battle and revenge. For each soldier who fell by his hand, his power grew. Unfortunately for them, the Romans did not forget nor give up on them. Finally after six months had passed, they came. Full legions of Roman soldiers came marching up to the mountains where they stayed. As a result, they had to fight for their lives. "Don't let any of the Thracian dog escape!" Splat! Splat! The moment Thrax heard the distinctive marching sounds of the Romans, he quickly grabbed his trusted spear and his wife and proceeded to run through the encirclement as fast as he could. His strength was overwhelming and, despite having to protect his wife, his battle capabilities did not diminish in the slightest. None of those Romans could stop him. [Vicious Barrage] 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 The spear moved so quickly to stab the enemies in front of him. Within the span of a few seconds, a dozen Roman soldiers fell and died. Gaping wounds could be seen right on their chest, the armor protecting them rendered useless by the sheer power of the thrusts. Unfortunately. There were hundreds of soldiers who surrounded him and despite Thrax's relentless attacks, everything took a turn for the worst when his spear broke. He tried to pick up the Romans' fallen spears, but none of those weapons could match his sheer strength. As a result, every few minutes it kept on breaking. During such a critical moment, the Romans managed to grab Sura and separated her from him. "No!!! Don't you fucking dare!" In desperation, Thrax resorted to breaking the formation using fists and stones, but finally, he stopped when he saw a familiar Roman officer he recognized holding his wife. Cladous Grabba, the man who promised safety for his village in exchange for their cooperation in the war. It was this Romans word that made him and all the Thracian warriors in his village join the Roman auxiliaries Thrax braced himself to use his skill, only to see the Roman put a gladius sword on her neck. The tip of the sword was close enough to draw a trickle of blood down her body. Thrax gritted his teeth and decided to surrender. "Do anything to me!! But leave my wife out of it!!" The Roman soldiers surrounded him, each holding a spear in hand. "Both of you and all the Thracian villagers, shall be condemned to slavery." "No! No!! You will regret this, Romans!" Before he could unleash his anger, multiple spears pierced his body and Thrax dropped to the ground, defeated. "That's enough! Take him. I want him alive!' The roman officer saw what he likes when he saw the way Thrax fights, he has big plans for him. -- The next thing he knew when he was awake were the loud sounds of thunder and crashing waves. Every so often, he felt salty water splashing onto his face. He woke up on the hull of a ship. His arms were chained together and he was locked in a place together with a dozen others just like him. The man who stood in front of him was a Thracian warrior he knew personally. "Thrax! I thought you were dead. You have been out for days." Thrax did not answer him. His eyes darted towards the people inside the ship, looking for someone. "Sura! Sura!!" He was devastated and in rage screaming to the top of his lung. The Thracian in front of him shook his head and said. "She's not here and… It'd be better if you forget about her" ---------------------------------- Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,