"While I still have breath in my lungs, I will fight. While I still have strength in my arms, I will fight. While I still have men at my back, I will fight. And neither Gods nor men shall stop me "

  - Consul Publius Valerius Laevinus 474 AUC

  Aurelia winced at the cck of wood on knuckle. Gregorios and Junia were really going at it, and Junia didn't seem like she was willing to give in any time soon. The pair had been exchanging blows for what felt like a long time, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Aurelia was certainly no expert, but Junia seemed to be somewhat skilled with a sword. Not that it mattered overmuch compared to Gregorios.

  A duel with swords sounded poetic, a staccato of cshes and swirls showing martial skill and prowess. Reality was somewhat disappointing. There was as much fighting being done with shoulders and hands as with swords, and cshes sted only a few seconds before the victor would emerge. If it was a real fight, at least.

  Junia lunged forward yet again in the test installment of a rather dreary py. With a cry she swung her wooden sword in a downward sshing arc, it met Gregorios's raised block, and was deflected wide. Gregorios followed up by stepping forward inside Junia's guard, and thrusting the pommel of his practice sword into her middle. Causing her to double over winded and gasping for breath. It hadn't been a particurly hard strike, and it was obvious to Aurelia that he was holding back, but she was sure it would still leave a bruise the following morning.

  After a few moments to recover, Junia raised her sword again. But Gregorios waved her aside, seemingly satisfied with the bout.

  "That'll do, Junia. Go get yourself some water."

  She set her practice sword down at the edge of the circle, then promptly y down on the ground. Letting out a groan and covering her face with her arms. Gregorios looked down at her not unkindly, but gestured for Thessa to step forward next.

  Aurelia leaned over and passed Junia a waterskin, the woman accepted it with a grateful nod before starting to gulp down a few mouthfuls.

  "He's really not taking any prisoners is he." Aurelia commented to the prone Junia beside her. She sat down on an adjacent log, and settled in for Thessa's turn. After having seen Junia, she could confidently say that she was more skilled than either Aurelia or Thessa.

  "It" inhale "Didn't" gasp "Help much" Junia responded. With a herculean amount of effort, she rolled over and crawled to her feet. Joining Aurelia on the log bench and taking a long drag on the waterskin.

  "Even still, you've got some moves! I use a spear mostly, so I don't expect to do very well at all to be honest." Aurelia commiserated "But still, I think he's more than impressed with you. He's probably just being all tough for these tests."

  Junia gnced a tired eye up at Aurelia. "Maybe, but he was right though. I did have tutors." As she talked, she rubbed the knuckles of her left hand, where it had been struck during her trial.

  "So he's obviously a soldier right? I mean, with how he acts and talks, and the way he organizes this expedition he'd have to be." Junia began to rub her shoulders, where she must have been sore. "How high up do you think he was? He'd have to be at least a Decanus.

  SpoilerA Decanus was the leader of a 10 man squad in the Roman army

  [colpse]Aurelia leaned over a bit, and y her hands on Junia's shoulders. After a nod in response to her questioning look, Aurelia began to work Junia's shoulders and back with her much rger hands. She slowly began to lean into her touch, looking a bit like a content cat.

  "From what I've heard at work, wait! I don't think I've told you yet, I work as a barmaid see-" "Mhmm" Junia had her eyes closed now "- well, from what I've heard. He retired from the army something like eight years ago, and picked up odd-jobs afterward before eventually moving into adventuring."

  "Mhmm, yeah. He seemed to be the most put together when I wassh lookingng." The st of her words began to slur as she drifted off. There was nothing wrong with a little nap, especially not when the she's leaning her head on Aurelia's side boob.

  Cck!

  The sounds of Thessa's bout with Gregorios brought her from her reverie. The Tauren was holding the wooden practice sword out in front of her more like a club than anything else. It probably wasn't fair for her to be tested based on swordpy, when she used her crook, and wasn't even really a combatant anyway. But thankfully Gregorios seemed to have taken that into account. Instead of a full-on sparring session like he had done with Junia, for Thessa he was slowly working her through some basic footwork and blocking.

  They moved as if in slow-motion. Giving Thessa time to apply the little lessons she was being taught as Gregorios talked her through it. To Aurelia it was a stark difference between the hardass commander of a few minutes ago, to the patient mentor, but Thessa seemed to be enjoying it at least.

  She settled in to watch her companion, lover??, learn some of the basics. Junia was snoring at her side, and she draped a wing over her, drawing her closer to her body. She was curious what approach Gregorios would take with her. Would he let her grab her spear so they could spar like Junia, or would he take one look at her and decide that she needed the full Thessa treatment. She would know soon enough, but for now she watched one lover start to work up a sweat in front of her, and caressed the side of the woman sitting next to her.

  Maybe they really would need a rger tent.

  [Interlude]

  Livia sighed with contentment. She finally had a room to herself after all her years living in the dormitories of the Temple of Ceres. Granted, it was a very small room with only enough room for a cot and a small desk crammed too close together, but it was her own. What prayers must have been given to Fortuna recently for the goddess to grant her such a string of luck! She had not only found employment on her own, but it was in the service of a venerable patrician household no less! She always knew she was bound for greatness one day, and she was starting strong with this stepping stone at the feet of a patrician household.

  She may have been sitting at a tiny desk in a tiny room, but her smile was big. She was pouring over her days work, making sure everything was in order before she would deliver it to one of the Domina's ministratrix (female servant) the following day. Her letters were turning out to be very useful after all. And she begrudgingly had to acknowledge that if there was one thing she had to thank that broodmother bitch Domitia for, it was learning to read and write.

  She was now one of the many servants which serve the family with an abacus and wax-tablets. Documenting and keeping track of the goods which flowed in and out of Rome. It was nothing like the pirate queen she had envisioned herself being, but there was still time. After all, she was fortunate to have been entrusted in such a position anyway.

  It made her head spin, trying to keep track of everything which flowed through the warehouses owned by the Cudii. But thankfully she only had to keep track of small parts at a time, and she was one of hordes of paper-pushers who's jobs it was to make sure all the valuable goods made it safely to their destinations.

  Satisfied that everything was in order, she set down her stylus for the evening and took all of two steps before she was at edge of her cot. She stripped down into her bedwear and settled in to sleep. Before she began to doze off, she reached out and grabbed a rge coin from where she had left it that morning. She turned it over in her hands as she drifted off, fidgeting with her badge of allegiance to the patrician house.

  On one side the image of twins suckling from a she-wolf was prominently dispyed. And as she turned it over, the other side revealed a coiling serpent.

  [End of Interlude]

  The practice sword looked small in her hand, but she nevertheless hefted it into a guard position.

  "So there's no chance I can use my spear instead, right?"

  It was Aurelia's turn now. After Thessa had been led through some of the basics, she and Gregorios had done a couple slow, easy spars. It was night and day compared to Junia's spars beforehand. So Aurelia wasn't quite sure what to expect.

  Gregorios shook his head in response

  "Next time"

  "Next time?!"

  Gregorios lunged forward, sword swinging. Aurelia was just able to raise her own in time to block. And thus, with a cck her trial began.

  He was definitely going slower than he had with Junia, but he was still pressing her hard. Given her ck of experience with the sword, she felt she was going quite well actually.

  And then he twisted her sword aside and spped her side with the ft of his bde.

  "Umph" Was the only thing she could say

  "Those big wings of yours, are they there just for decoration?" He said, still circling. "Because they're awfully big targets"

  Aurelia struck out, her rger frame giving her longer reach. "That's why I was using a spear, and not this toothpick here!"

  Gregorios simply leaned one way, and her strike swished the air over his shoulder. It had only missed by a hair's breadth, but that was enough.

  Aurelia's next three strikes ended up much the same. He didn't even try to block them, he just twisted and ducked and all Aurelia could catch was air. She let out a groan of frustration, then actually answered his question. Seeing the point he was trying to make.

  "I can stop myself from falling, which is a retively new development. I can't actually fly yet, but I'm hopeful"

  He resumed attacking her back, though she could tell he was being slow enough to allow her to respond.

  "Hmm, an adventurer who can fly... That'd really be something kid"

  The rest of her trial was retively silent. There were no more words exchanged, though Aurelia did let out the odd grunt of pain or frustration whenever Gregorios felt like pointing out one of the many fws in her technique. When she had built up quite the sweat, and even Gregorios was starting to get a little sheen, he called "Enough!" and that was that. Aurelia pced the toothp-sword down where the other y, then returned to where Thessa and Junia were waiting. The tter had woken up after Aurelia had gotten in the ring. She had taken care to y the women down gently when she'd had to rise, she hadn't wanted to disturb her rest.

  With all three of them sitting down, Gregorios approached once more to address them.

  "Junia. You've certainly received training, and you have the drive to succeed. But contact with the real world outside of the ring is needed."

  "Thessa. To be honest, I'd recommend you stay away from the fore of any engagement, but you've proven an apt student. And we will work on this."

  "Aurelia. You fight like an ork, all raw strength and speed. You're going to have to learn how swing a sword like a sword, and not a club. But, all the base materials are there. I'll just have to whip you into fighting shape."

  They accepted his words without compint. It was obvious there were gring fws they had to address, but the fact that he hadn't said anything about their positions in the expedition, to Aurelia's mind, likely meant that they had all passed whatever tests he had given them.

  "Who's ready for dinner?" Came a cheerful voice from behind them.

  Gaius approached the cleared circle carrying bowls of delicious smelling stew. Aurelia could swear she could hear her stomach growling audibly, and Thessa's too for that matter.

  They ate like wolves, gulping down the hot soup almost too fast to taste all of Gaius's hard work. But they had all worked up a sweat, and Aurelia for one, was looking forward to washing it off with Thessa, and maybe Junia if she could be so persuaded.

  The image of Thessa and Junia dripping water sans clothes caused the startings of pressure in her lower abdomen.

  "Down girl" she chided herself. Now that she had Thessa, she had no intention of releasing into random bushes ever again. Not when she had such a sexy cow to stuff.