Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt (The Artorian Chronicles) by James Mace Read Free Book Online Page B

service weapons more easily,” he continued. “As you progress through your training, your bodies will become stronger, your muscles more conditioned. Remember what you learned today, and we will expound upon it tomorrow. That is all.” As he turned to walk away, he heard one of the recruits address him.
    “Excuse me, sergeant?”
    Artorius turned to see it was the recruit he had chastised earlier for complaining about the weight of the practice weapons. The young man was standing rigid, his hands clasped behind his back.
    “What is it?” Artorius asked, folding his arms across his chest.
    “I…I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was unbecoming, and I assure you it will not happen again.”
    “What is your name, recruit?”
    “Felix Spurius, sergeant,” he replied. “I’m the bastard son of a magistrate of Ravenna. I’m here to prove my worth to my father, as well as to myself.”
    “You can prove yourself by becoming stronger in the mind, as well as the body,” Artorius replied. “Each drives the other. A strong mind will carry the body beyond its limits, thereby making it stronger. Learn your lessons well, and you’ll be alright.”
    “Thank you, sergeant,” the recruit replied.
    Artorius wa ved for him to go join his fellow recruits, who were getting briefed by Optio Flaccus.
    After he dismissed the recruit, Artorius walked over to where Centurions Macro and Vitruvius had been watching. He had completely forgotten they were even there. Both men had their arms folded, but did not look displeased.
    “Not bad,” Vitruvius remarked with a smile.
    “Well done,” Macro added. “When you finish stowing your training gear, I need you to come to the century office. We need to discuss your own training regime for the Legion Champion Tournament.”
    “Yes , sir,” he replied with a nod.
    Vitruvius winked at him as both centurions walked away. Artorius took a deep breath and blew out hard. He was genuinely surprised the training had gone as well as it had. The physical chastising was to be expected when recruits were raw and undeveloped. He again thought back to when he was in their place. The extreme conditioning had been a wakeup call for him, given that his entire physical training regime up to that point consisted of gaining size and power. Artorius still possessed an extreme amount of muscle size and was considered by many to be the most physically powerful soldier in the entire legion. However, he had supplemented his training with extreme amounts of conditioning. In truth, he knew stamina was far more important for a legionary than raw power.  Still, he worked hard to maintain his size and strength as a matter of personal pride.
    He walked into the centurion’s office and sat down across from Macro, who was leaning back in his chair, his feet up on his desk.
    “I take it you have given some thought to how you are going to prepare for the Legion Champion Tournament?” Macro asked.
    Artorius shook his head at that.
    “To tell you the truth, sir, I’ve been totally focused on preparing for weapons training with the recruits, not to mention the day-to-day running of my section.”
    Macro frowned slightly and nodded. “Well, I can understand you being quite busy,” he replied, “especially since you are new to both duties. You do know, however, every legionary who fancies himself as a master of close combat is looking to beat you.” “So I’ve been told,” Artorius retorted, dryly.
    “The thing is,” Macro continued, “these men all know your talents. They will push themselves to be at their best in order to beat you. I know you haven ’t been sparring as regularly as you would like, and we need to fix that. Your duties as chief weapons instructor are paramount and cannot be changed. However, you can delegate your tasks as decanus to one of your more competent legionaries. Anyone you might have in mind?”
    “Magnus would be the most logical choice,” Artorius