Play@YSDC

Decius had time to retrieve his spatha and get back into position. The guard he had pierced was actually still alive, just unconscious and horribly wounded. Caelia was able to keep him from bleeding further.

"I shall stay back," Lucius said. "You should as well, Brook."

Once everyone was inside the villa's grounds other than the two guards Awan had picked to stand outside, he and another guard shut the gates. Then everyone stood against the wall on either side of them. Since the gates opened inward, they would block the group from view.

Soon horses' hooves could be heard approaching the gates from outside. "Open quickly!" bellowed Scaevola. "I am being pursued! We must bar the gates behind us!" The gates were quickly opened, and Scaevola rode inside. His fancy Senatorial robes were splattered with blood. There was not much time to act. Once the gates were shut, everyone would be visible.

Decius grips his spatha with satisfaction. "You will pay for that blood you have spilt! For Caesar!" he roars for all he's worth. He swings at the mounted Scaevola.

Decius charged at Scaevola and struck him mightily with his broadsword. The blow took him in the thigh, but it did not seem to affect him - though he did notice.

Titus tries to appeal to what little may remain of the man's reason. "Thrown down your arms and be spared! The gods are against you!"

Story hesitates hanging back observing the ordeal before him. He looks at Lucius and says, "Quite right... you and Brook should remain out of harms way." He looks at the sky, and then turns his attention to the the action with Scaevola he mumbles, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Artemis rushed after Decius with his mace held high.



He swung it at the blood speckled senator. "You won't get away with the murder of Caesar."

Aricus and Spurius also rushed forward. Aricus stabbed the Senator with his gladius with a mighty thrust. While it didn't hurt him as much as it should have, it did pierce his flesh and cause him to bleed. He looked utterly shocked as Spurius slashed at him with his spatha, mortally wounding him and sending him toppling from the horse.

Scaevola landed on his back, bleeding out. "The Oracle..." he muttered, "she tricked me...When she said the betrayers would win the day, I thought..." Then his eyes closed.

Decius blows out a breath. He is by now fairly splattered with other people's blood.

"Well done lads, good team work," he says to his brothers in arms. "I really hope we are right about this or we are in so much trouble."

Decius attempts to rescue Scaevola's no-doubt-spooked horse before it hurts itself, as long as this effort doesn't involve going near the Sphinx.

Caelia watches the fight with a professional eye; it was incredible how much damage Scaevola withstood; 'Be wary, Decius, He may look mortally wounded but he has already survived more than any normal human should!'

Brook keeps out of the fray together with Lucius. She has her knife in her hand, just in case, and stands almost protectively next to the Roman companion. She watches the fight with concern and horror.

Decius, being a skilled cavalryman, was easily able to secure the horse, which had not wandered far. The Sphinx was far off in the distance, near the villa itself, and it showed no sign of movement. Scaevola breathed his last and expired, clearly dead. He too moved no more.


Aftermath