The Roman wall still holds, but its shields are split and its spears bent from the impact. Smoke stings every throat as the line struggles to breathe.
A scarred centurion, broad-shouldered beneath his torn cloak pushes through the rear ranks, a wax tablet clenched in one hand. He is an elderly man with a broad, weathered face, gray hair cropped close, and a dark red cloak torn at the shoulder.
Lucius Varro
Lucius Varro, carrying the orders. The reserve is failing on the left flank.
Lucius Varro
By command of the higher officers, this group reinforces it at once. Break away and move.
The centurion thrusts the tablet toward the nearest shield, then points through the smoke. Beyond the Roman front, shouting rises sharply from the threatened flank.
Gaius Fabius
If we leave now, this position opens. The Punic line will pour through before another cohort reaches it.
Gaius Valerius
Then we carry the wall with us, or trust it to men already worn thin.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the failing left flank
“I tell Fabius and Valerius to keep shields locked as we break away.”
SUCCESS (Good Oratory, rolled +3)
Titus Aemilius
Keep your shields locked. We break away together.
Titus drives his oval shield into the Roman front, its curved face overlapping Fabius's and Valerius's. Their locked rims turn the withdrawal into a moving barrier.
Gaius Fabius
Together, then. Step on my pace.
Gaius Valerius
I have your shield. Move!
The three men withdraw in measured steps. Titus's hasta thrusts beneath the shield rims whenever a Punic spear reaches too close, forcing the attackers back without breaking the formation.
Lucius Varro
There! The smoke hides a clear lane to the reserve. Take it before the left collapses.
Varro's warning gives them the route. The Roman soldiers peel away behind their locked shields, and Titus, Fabius, and Valerius reach the reserve intact as the Punic pressure passes behind them.
“I ask Varro which unit needs support first”
SUCCESS (Good Oratory, rolled -1)
Titus Aemilius
Varro, which unit needs support first?
Varro catches Titus by the shoulder before the moving line separates. Behind him, the reserve gathers in the smoke, shields battered but still advancing.
Lucius Varro
The Third Cohort on the left. Their front is thinning fastest, and the reserve cannot reach them in time.
He turns the wax tablet and presses its edge against Titus's shield, marking the direction with a hard gesture. The Roman soldiers nearby hear the answer.
Lucius Varro
Take your men there. I will record that you chose the flank. If the line fails, the officers will ask you why.
The cost settles over the order: Titus gains the needed direction, but his judgment now carries a name before the officers. Varro points left, and the reserve changes course.
“I lead the reserve toward the Third Cohort”
SUCCESS (Fair Athletics, rolled +0)
Titus leads the reserve left through the smoke. His oval shield catches the first jostling impacts, while his hasta reaches past its rim to keep the marching file clear.
Gaius Fabius
Keep the pace. The Third Cohort needs formed shields, not scattered men.
Fabius guides the reserve behind Titus, while Valerius presses close on the other side. The soldiers follow their overlapping shields, stepping over churned earth and discarded gear.
Gaius Valerius
There! I see their standards through the smoke.
Titus turns the reserve toward the standard. The oval shield shoulders aside the press, and his hasta hooks a fallen spear away from the path without breaking the advance.
Lucius Varro
Good. You have reached the Third Cohort. Dress the line and put your men into their left.
The reserve arrives at the Third Cohort's thinning flank. Titus's men close into its ranks, shields settling together as the threatened section gains fresh weight and order.
Quest Complete
Secure the failing left flank
Skill Upgrade: Oratory Good→Great
New gift: Steady Under Fire