INVICTA: Hell's Last Gate

The winds brushed across Rainer's face, ruffling the white crest of his stolen helmet as he ran.

The approving warmth of the morning sun came like a warm nudge against his back, and Rainer's heart pounded. His muscles tightened, and his breath came hot and heavy.

He ran without care for his safety, rapidly sprinting past steadily advancing formations. He dashed around defensive palisades, where Roman archers exchanged fire with rebel archers.

Suddenly an arrow whizzed past his head, grazing past his helmet in a burst of sparks, and a pleasant shiver went through his spine.

He raised his head, and plastered on his face was a wide grin.

Rainer laughed. He laughed with such abandon that one would think he was crazy, and maybe he was.

'This thrill! How long?! Oh, how long has it been? To run! To feel the adrenaline pumping! To live!'

He delighted in himself. But then an arrow whizzed past, grazing his neck and drawing blood.

The pain had his sense of self-preservation rolling back, and his eyes dilated.

He scanned the rapidly approaching wall. A few Roman soldiers had advanced to raise the heavy ladders lying before the walls.

Rainer's eyes swerved to the right; two ladders lay on the ground left of the thick, but damaged wooden gate. However, it was the lone ladder on his left that caught his attention. He found that there were fewer rebels on that side of the wall. He smirked, seeing that the ladder was closer to him, being raised.

He quickly arched left, away from the battering ram and straight toward the ladder. He unslung his small shield and tightened his grip on the spear.

Licking his lips, apprehension momentarily flashed across his eyes at what he was about to do, but he steeled himself.

'Come on! You've done this before, Rainer! Focus!'

Rainer let out a huff and increased his pace, quickly sprinting past the Roman formation closest to the wall.

As soon as the ladder hit the wall, Rainer leaped onto it before the soldiers could react.

Slowing down on the ladder, he let out a hard huff, taking a split second to center his weight and adjust his balance before pushing up again without using his hands. This placed a solid strain on his untrained legs.

*Nok! Khat!*

Above, arrows connected to his raised shield even as wardrums and horns escalated the din of battle. However, his focus wasn't on anything other than his feet. The strain of his rapid upward push was taxing, and he needed to focus.

But then he caught a whiff of something, something familiar but dangerous in this setting: oil.

He slowed down and paused, trying to detect where the scent came from, and then he peeked up, across his shield.

'Above?' He wondered, squinting with suspicion, and then he frowned.

'I should head up fast!'

He moved again but slipped.

"Ah!"

The inevitable happened—

His legs weakened due to the overexertion and gave way.

Rainer gasped, flailing desperately in his attempt to grasp the ladder.

'Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!'

He had tilted too sharply too fast.

Just as he felt falling was inevitable, a strong palm supported his back from below. Rainer instantly exhaled in relief, and he looked back with a grateful smile.

"Thank you— Oh?"

Rainer was shocked and confused to see that it was Optio Commius who helped him

Commius looked at him and smirked maliciously.

"Never had it been heard that a slave received the Corona muralis." He stated in a low hard tone, slowly bundling his armor in a fist. "It would be wasted on you."

His grip on the armor tightened and Rainer felt a chill in his heart.

"Your hubris led to this."

Rainer's face morphed into something between a grimace and a frown.

He felt Commius swinging him gently to the side and he completely lost his balance. From there, it was left to gravity.

"Farewell, Son of Mars." Commius grinned darkly, watching him fall.

Rainer let out a light, frustrated huff and smiled wryly in defeat.

'Well played.' He inwardly mused. 'But I can't let him have the final word.'

"I will remember this!" He yelled out, but vertigo was his only reply.

The wind on his skin—

The rising ground—

He closed his eyes.

*Bang!*

–––

*Beep!*

White light, bright and all-encompassing, shone above. But suddenly, a robotic head, streamlined with a glossy metallic finish, partially blocked the light, forming an ominous silhouette with a pair of neon blue eyes staring down at him.

"The 12,238,971,327th human of planet Flourish has been born. Glory to our creators, the founders of chatGPT."

It droned in its sweet feminine voice with a robotic edge.

He felt himself being gently carried up.

"This one doesn't cry. He is strong, and yet, a spank is needed. Don't you think, doctor?"

The robot droned, turning to the side.

Rainer turned as well, and there, within the pristine white room with decorative floral works of silver and gold. He saw a man seated on a comfy-looking, levitating, high-tech, lounge chair.

He was round, with pudgy limbs, short and diminished from lack of usage.

"Oh, look." He smiled, deep blue eyes glinting in delight. "He's also a curious one—a smart child. He will definitely be like me when he grows up."

"All humans 'are' like you, doctor."

The robot joked, and they both laughed.

Immediately, Rainer gasped, realizing where this was.

Disregarding the faint smell and taste of antiseptic in his mouth, he cried and fought.

Everything to get out of this hell.

'I refuse to relive this nightmare!' He cried.

—

–

-

His eyes popped open, and he roused with a woeful groan, feeling the burning ache in his back and waist. For a moment, he felt dizzy. The top of the wall, a myriad of hazy activity, a shadow, and then his eyes cleared.

A rebel archer was aiming down at him!

Without thinking, he pulled his shield arm over him.

*Twack!* *Crat!*

The arrow punched slightly through the shield, sending splinters into his eyes.

"Effing! F@cks! Ducks!"

Rainer cursed, shaking his head. His eyes reddened and watery from the dirt.

He peaked over the shield just in time to see an arrow hit the rebel archer.

He tilted over and fell down the wall, hitting the ground beside him with a crunch.

Rainer let out a sigh and glanced up.

Commius was still halfway up his ladder, and he realized that he was merely unconscious for a brief moment.

Soldiers had already agglomerated around the ladder, shields raised as they climbed the way.

It was then that Rainer caught a whiff of oil again.

Rainer's nose momentarily wrinkled.

'What the—that smells nice. Someone cooking? Wait!'

His mind connected the dots.

'A lackluster resistance to my climb, a suspiciously low amount of defenders on this side of the wall, the smell of oil.'

"I've got to get out of here!"

With a groan, Rainer drew himself to his feet and picked up his spear.

Above, a heavy clang was heard: the tip of a large, wide pot was about to be tipped over. His face turned ugly and immediately, he turned to the clump of soldiers.

"Boiling oil! Disperse!" He warned at the top of his voice.

That said, he quickly turned and ran the other way without turning to see if they listened.

The next moment, there were bloodcurdling screams and outcries of fear and panic.

*Sshhh!*

The sound of sizzling meat, interspersed with yelps and horrendous cries filled the air behind him.

A few drops splashed onto his calf and he winced and smiled wryly to himself.

'Well, it turns out this is hell too!'

He thought as he ran before and across the ponderous, rolling, battering ram.

'But this is my kind of hell!'

He smiled, teary red eyes already set on the isolated ladder ahead of him.

'I've waited over 500 years for this level of excitement!!'