Unleashing the beast
Many thoughts were crossing Laro's mind that day. The first battle
against the Romans was before him. They had marched all the way
from Emporium to the walls of Massalia. They quickly set up siege
works around the city and began construction of towers. Within a
few weeks, everything was ready. No relief force came to challenge
the seige. Everything was working out well. Barca, although a little
under the weather, felt good about today.
Laro had one mission today. His duty was to scale the walls, fight
off the first wave of defenders and then wave a flag to to signal
the rest of the army to move in. Laro laughed at the orders. Still,
he agreed.
The tower moved like a slug towards the walls and it was several
minutes before it reached the walls. He yelled his orders and his
men scurried into the towers. Laro was first on the ladders.
They moved quickly, like animals, fearless to the orders being yelled
by the Romans on the walls. They had one master, and his name was
Laro. They all looked to him for bravery and obeyed without a questions.
In return, he lead them without fearing, making them rich with loot.
So many raids they performed, always successful. No one could bring
these beasts down. Who were these Romans, were they more
fearsome than their Iberian warlord?
"Boys, here we are. I hear these Romans are rich and cowardly. They
rely on armour and numbers. Give them hell, and they will run. BOZ
BOZ BOZ!" Laro yelled to his men.
The cheer they produced from Laro's speech was immense. One could
go deaf from the yelling and clanging of axe against shield.
The ramp was unleashed and the beasts jumped to the wall, only to
their surprise there were no Romans near them.
Suddenly, Laro pointed at a tower entry were the Romans came charging
in. Just militia.
"SLAUGHTER THEM!" Laro yelled and swung his axe. His men lunged forward.
There was no order after that. The unarmored, and unskilled militia
fell to Laro's beasts as if they were swine in a slaughter house. Swinging
and hacking with his axe Laro chopped a mans head clean off.
His face was covered in blood as the headless man sprayed his blood
from his neck. He fell with a jerk. The next man looked in horror at Laro.
Laro took his axe and swung again, cracking the mans chest with his axe.
It wasn't long until the real Romans came running to help the militia.
Well armored, they reminded him of Greek hoplites he had seen in
many Greek settlements. These Romans relied on order and discipline.
They wished to fight as one unit. But that is where laro's beasts thrived.
They broke all order. They had no fear. They simply climbed the edge the
wall and jumped right into the Trarii. The Trarii could not stand such
ferociousness and they soon fell.
There was an incident during the fight though. Laro, attempting to
flank a trarii lost his footing in a pile of dead bodies. He starting falling
back off the wall when he swung his axe into a skirmisher.
Using the momentum, he pulled himself back onto the wall and left
the Roman fall to his death off the wall. His men cheered as they
watched the man fall instead of their leader.
Laro was impressed with these Romans.
The skirmishers were cowering behind a single Roman Trarii. He held
his shield close to himself protecting his chest from the deadly axe
of the beasts. He yelled something in Latin and then lunged himself
at them, but it was in vain as they fell upon him without fear.
They charged the rest of the skirmishers and slayed them in droves.
Laro looked back at the dead Romans.
He then remembered what his mission was and realized it was too late.
There were no more Romans on the walls. He took the banner that he
was supposed to show to Barca and threw it into city. No, he would
take the city with just his own men today. He lead his men up to
another tower where Barca's soldiers where waiting in the tower.
"Go back and tell Barca that we alone shall take the city today. I
need no help." Laro yelled.
The rest of the day Laro slaughtered the inhabitants of the city along
with the remnant Roman soldiers. There was a Greek captain along
with some local levy Greek hoplites. They lined up and created a barrier
between the center of the city and Laro. Laro's men did not accept
such a welcome.
They pounced and killed the hoplites. It was a ghastly scene. Whenever
one of laro's men was stabbed or hurt, he did not quit. He had no
right to quit. He would get back up, no matter what the wound and
fight back. Even when strength escaped him, and his life blood slipped
away he would use his teeth to bite the feet of the hoplites.
Then the Greek captain was isolate and hacked to bits and pieces.
Men ran to the center of the city where some citizens armed themselves
with whatever was available. Laro smiled at the day. For they had all
died by his men. When the last man who resisted died, Laro's men
cheered for Laro who looked around at the carnage.

***********
All the while Barca was amassing his men outside the walls. When he
had heard that Laro refused to allow anyone into the city until they
were done, he was infuriated. He waited at the gates with Likino's at
his side. When the gates were finally open, Barca stared wildly at
Laro who was covered in blood from head to toe. Fresh scalps were
hanging off his body. Behind him, Laro's beasts were also covered in
fresh scalps. In his hand Laro carried the head of the Roman commander.
He threw it at Barca's feet.
There was silence for a moment until a wild cheer escaped the mouths
of the Barca's infantry. They did not understand Barca's anger. But
Barca could not rebuke Laro when Barca's men loved him so. Likinos
spat in Laro's direction and rode off on his horse into the city.
And so, the beast was unleashed, the General became enraged, and
the lover continued in his thoughts of his love.
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