The sun rose as usual. On the wooden raft by the sea, Alexios was furiously hacking away with his chisel, while Gorgias used his nimble hands to quickly tie the canvas spread on the ground to the mast. His younger brother, Lycurgus, stood watch with a bow and arrows.
As expected, enemies soon appeared. Two groups, one on either side, were heading their way.
Facing the band of raiders, Lycurgus simply held his bow ready and waited. He was running low on arrows, so he couldn't fire quickly to suppress them; he had to make every shot count. Seeing this, his brother picked up his shield and spear and stood beside him.
As soon as the enemy came within range, an arrow whistled through the air and struck a boy in the neck. The youth fell to the ground, an arrow lodged in his throat.
This was a common failing among many of the challengers. To travel lighter and carry more supplies while staying nimble, they wore only leather or cloth armor—or none at all. The brothers had discarded only their shoulder and knee guards, keeping their full bronze breastplates and Corinthian helmets.
Two more arrows flew, but the enemy blocked them with their shields. They covered their torsos, it seemed, and had learned their lesson. Lycurgus didn't care. He nocked his last arrow and fired, striking one of them in the exposed lower leg.
The enemy were clearly taken aback. They hadn't expected the other side to have such a skilled archer. But it no longer mattered. Lycurgus could only drop his bow and draw his cousin's Lasidream Battle Knife from his waist.
The two groups on the other side were clearly wary of each other, and neither dared to attack first. The three sides remained in a standoff until the group that had already lost a man could no longer bear the wait and charged.
But they were clearly no match for the brothers in close combat. The enemies rushed in with short swords and javelins, only to be slaughtered by the two brothers.
The other group, however, cleverly filled the gap at once. One youth wielding two swords moved nimbly, striking again and again at Alexios's shield and forcing him to defend himself.
That left Lycurgus to face two enemies alone. Fortunately, he had already shot one in the lower leg. The man limped badly and could barely help his companion.
Alexios kept the enemy at bay with the tip of his spear, maintaining their distance as he waited for an opening. The dual-sword wielder darted in from the left, toward the shield. As the saying went, the shorter the weapon, the greater the danger: he meant to close in and escape the spear's reach.
But in an instant, the swordsman lost his footing and fell to the ground. Alexios had tripped him with his leg, using a wrestling move. The Lasidream people were skilled wrestlers, and his cousin had taught him this leg sweep.
Before the dual-sword wielder could get back up, Alexios drove the weighted spike at the end of his spear viciously into the youth's face.
After dispatching his enemy, Alexios immediately turned to his brother. Lycurgus had already split open the limping enemy's head, but the man with the sword and shield had given him trouble. His arm and thigh were cut, and he had actually taken several blows to the chest and stomach as well. His breastplate had stopped them.
Alexios twisted at the waist, put his strength behind the throw, and hurled his spear. It pierced the last man's leather armor and pinned him to the ground.
Alexios hurried over and pulled his spear from the corpse, anxiously asking,
"How much longer?"
Gorgias tied the ropes at a frantic pace, without even looking up.
"Five minutes. It'll be ready in five minutes."
Alexios didn't like the sound of that. Four more groups were on their way, and his brother was wounded. The fight ahead would be even harder.
As the four groups drew closer, there was one piece of good news: two of them had started fighting each other. But the remaining six men were still a serious threat. The brothers braced themselves and fought them off. Alexios charged with his shield, but an enemy swung a hand axe and struck his Corinthian helmet.
All Alexios heard was a loud ringing as his helmet shuddered. He was about to raise his shield to parry, when the enemy in front of him suddenly took a javelin through the face.
It was Gorgias. The young fisherman had stopped working and joined the fight. With deadly aim, he threw the only two javelins he had, killing one enemy and striking Lycurgus's opponent in the thigh.
He took the trident from his back and went to help Lycurgus. The small, slight heretic was tougher than he looked. He used the trident to knock aside the spear thrust at Lycurgus, then steadily forced the enemy backward.
Alexios glanced to the side and felt despair wash over him. The two groups had finished fighting: one had only a single survivor, who was retreating, while three injured men from the other group charged toward them.
Worse, two more groups were approaching in the distance. They wore red cloaks, Corinthian helmets, and bronze armor. They were Lasidream warriors too.
Alexios had no time to think. They had to finish off the enemies in front of them as quickly as possible, because everyone in the group was wounded.
The three men who had defeated their rivals charged forward. Just as they were about to reach the others, several arrows whooshed through the air. All three fell to the ground. Lasidream-style javelins and throwing spears had pierced them. The Lasidream warriors in the distance had thrown them.
Alexios, Lycurgus, and Gorgias could only tighten their grips on their weapons. They had to defend the raft.
The six warriors also slowed their pace and walked closer. The man at their head removed his helmet.
"Your Highness."
Alexios recognized him. He was the son of a reserve officer serving under his uncle.
"Maximus, what are you here for?"
Alexios felt a little dizzy. He couldn't tell whether it was from blood loss or from the blow to his helmet.
Maximus replied,
"To help you, Your Highness. We haven't forgotten what the king did for us all."
Alexios and Lycurgus finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What will you do, then?"
Maximus answered, chest held high,
"Better to go back in disgrace than to have the blood of our own people on our hands."
Alexios nodded.
Maximus then pointed his spear at Gorgias.
"Your Highness, we could trade him for one of our own."
Gorgias was startled by this!
Alexios shook his head.
"I've already made a promise. I have to keep it."
Seeing this, Maximus didn't press the matter. He had his men hand over the bodies on the ground and all the supplies they carried to the prince.
Aboard the Storm Eagle Gunship in the sky, Anthony turned to Peter beside him and asked,
"Captain, doesn't that count as cheating?"
Peter kept his eyes fixed on the screen as he answered,
"Anthony, strictly speaking, almost everyone cheats. The rations they eat are made with technology from the Dark Mechanicus, and so are the collapsible water tanks."
"The purpose of these rules is to test their will through marches in the wilderness, confirm their fighting spirit through combat with one another, and assess their leadership and obedience in teams of three. The sea voyage tests their adaptability and ability to execute orders. What these men are relying on is unity and trust—their brothers and comrades. That's within the rules. They should even be encouraged."
"I don't want to see someone breeze through the trial carrying a mechanical repeating crossbow, wearing Flak Armour, and lugging an engine for a speedboat."
Peter continued staring at the screen as he spoke.
"I like those Lasidream people even more now. They're brave, tenacious, and brutal, but they have a sense of honor. They're perfect candidates for Neophytes."
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