That said, Kotys' gaze shifted to Hoplite.
"Leave us. I'll take it from here."
"Ah. Yes, miles."
He bowed lightly and tried to get up.
Hoplite moved to stand and the rays from the sun streaming in through the window momentarily caught him in a mesmerizing light.
Rainer blinked and his eyes dilated for a moment, surprised at the sudden emotional assault on his heart.
Just as Hoplite pushed himself up, Rainer drew his arm back and smacked him across the bum.
"Ah!"
Hoplite held his butt in pain but mostly shock, looking perplexed.
Rainer guffawed at the look on his face and rose to a sitting position, grimacing slightly at the pain, but he still held a pleasantly amused smile.
"For the mess, Hops."
Rainer chuckled lightly.
"I can barely move with this wrapping, but thank you."
"O-oh. Y-yes?"
Hoplite blinked intermittently, nervous and confused, wondering if the smack was supposed to be a punishment or a reward.
However, he couldn't deny the flutter in his tummy which brought warmth to his face.
In an attempt to escape, he awkwardly nodded before quickly packing the tray and scurrying off.
Rainer watched him until he disappeared past the doorway. Then his gaze shifted to Kotys' dull eyes, and he reached out an arm.
"A little help, friend?" He asked with a wane smile.
Kotys paused, still comprehending Rainer's actions. However, he soon understood his meaning and wordlessly went to pull him up.
"Argh!"
Rainer let out an involuntary groan and stood with a self-deprecating smile.
"I feel like I sprained too many joints during that siege."
Kotys patted him on the shoulder, looking him up and down as the slightest of smiles cracked through his serious demeanor.
"You will be fine. You're a god, right?" He lightly remarked before walking through the door.
Rainer's smile morphed into a mischievous one and he walked to keep up with him, trying to get a glimpse of his face.
"Huh? Is this affection I sense? Were you worried about me, Kotys?"
Kotys' eyes twitched and he refused to look back even as he walked out the door.
"I was not." He tersely replied.
"Aaawe~" Rainer cooed. "Was I right?! Such a cute soldier boy! How about I call you little Ko from now on?"
"Little?" Kotys' lips pulled up in distaste. "We are roughly the same age."
Rainer chuckled with a scornful light in his eyes.
"Same age? So it would seem..."
He then walked up to his side, placed a hand to his mouth as he leaned close in a conspiratorial manner.
"But the truth is rather shocking—putting it lightly."
He whispered, but when he pulled back he was no longer amused.
"Besides, I'm not a god. I'm a—"
"Qegon."
Kotys completed, glancing at him with smugness.
Rainer gasped, pleasantly surprised at his correct pronunciation, and then he squinted with a suspicious smile.
"You crafty little—You remembered! Perhaps, I should call you little Ko, after all! You could be a kid brother."
Kotys sighed and looked ahead.
"Do whatever you want."
Rainer chuckled, placing a hand behind his head looking pleased.
"Will do, Little Ko!"
Kotys lightly groaned, feeling like he had just made a horrible decision. However, he couldn't ignore the warmth in his chest from Rainer's nickname of endearment.
After a moment of silence, Rainer curiously glanced around.
"So where are we going?"
Kotys glanced at him.
"Firstly, I'll take you to the storeroom where you can find some proper clothes... You woke up just in time. It was about time we left this place."
His mouth momentarily twitched in discomfort.
"The special political figure, a Patrician, was a Provincial Governor. He left yesterday. Fortunately, Lord Praefect remains at the meeting hall... I imagine you have much to say to him."
Though Rainer had gleaned this earlier from Kotys' comment regarding a medicos who tended to him. His eyes still widened mildly in surprise at the confirmation. Then he looked away in thought, musing.
"Yeah... Given that a governor was here. I guess he has already freed me; according to our deal, that is. All I need now are my rewards, maybe some loot for the road—"
"He didn't." Kotys interrupted.
"W-what!?" Rainer croaked out, astounded at what he just heard.
"You are still a slave, Rainer." He informed, keenly observing his reaction.
Rainer's eyes widened and his arms fell.
He suddenly seemed breathless as various thoughts ran through his mind. Suddenly, he paused as something seemed to click in his head, then slowly, he clenched his fists in frustration.
"That old fox!" He growled.
***
'It's a new world, Arenius. Our world.'
A deep voice laced with ambition rang out in the dark.
'There, the Emperor's hold is feeble and I rule... When I raise my banner, old friend. I would expect your experienced command to heed my call.'
Alexios opened his eyes to a large, dry hall, its ancient walls adorned with tribal murals and vases.
He leisurely sat on a chieftain's armchair with an arm angled, and lazily propping up his drooping head. Dull grey eyes, softened by lethargy idly surveyed the soldiers standing guard beside the doorways and windows.
They soon came to rest on a signifier holding up his cohort's new standard.
Above, white fringes crown the banner's top like a distant snowcapped mountain, and leather strips hung below, brown as plowed Dacian soil. The banner's face was a unique green, dyed dark as the forests of Germania, and at its center was a golden tiger, stitched in a shimmering gold colored thread—not prowling, but coiled and at rest. Its redstone eyes were fixed and vigilant as if guarding its den.
Beneath the beast were the words FEROX ET FIRMA—'Fierce and Reliable', sewn boldly in red.
Alexios' gaze shifted to the tiger's eyes—glinting and catching the light. They never blinked, always watched as if waiting for one foolish enough to stumble into its sights.
But then he sighed softly, wearily.
He was not indomitable like the tiger—at least, not anymore. Now, he was an old man, fallible and prone to sleep. He knew that one day, despite his many victories and accolades, he would fall...
But when he did, he would like it to be towards a great end.
He silently hoped, closing his eyes.