Each guard now held a human in their grasp, an offering for their Imperator—their dignified and highest leader. Caligula turned to the first human captive, a woman masquerading as a soldier, and scowled. A woman on the battlefield was an insult to Mars. She begged him for mercy, her warrior’s clothing now torn away to reveal her bloodied bosom. All manner of fluids glistened upon her naked chest. Caligula reached out and brushed his bony fingertips against her cheek. “Quiet your weeping, child, your suffering is at an end.”
“P-Please, just—”
He sank his thumbs into her eyes and left her wailing in agony. Licking his bony fingers, Caligula moved onward. The next human was more defiant, a thick-chested male scowling and spitting curses. A lengthy gash split the man’s torso and slowly bled him to death, yet he did not fall to fear nor despair. Caligula held a modicum of respect for this one. “You are dying, human.”
“So fucking what? Least I took a dozen of you limp-dick pussies with me. Do your worst; you don’t scare me.” The Germanic Guard struck the back of the human’s shaved skull, but it only drew another stream of defiant curses. This human was tough.
Caligula sneered. “I do not need fear, human. I am fattened by it already. You are a treat to be savoured at my leisure, a mug of Falernian wine or fresh snails. Let us take a taste.” He tore off the man’s ears and stuffed them into his screaming throat, choking away the defiance at once. By the end, the man most certainly did fear Caligula.
The general toyed with the other offerings for a while, then approached the single-story building housing the last human holdouts. They fired their cannons from the windows, and occasionally threw exploding rocks, but it was easy to read from their faces that they knew they were beaten.
Caligula’s troops surrounded the building waiting for his orders, so he stepped forward and addressed them.
“My blessed legions, today you have earned yourselves great victory. Each of you has distinguished yourself before the gods, including me. The battle was hard fought, yet no enemy can resist the strength and fervour of Roman hearts. We are a new empire rising.” The troops cheered, and writhed like unclean beetles, but while he might loathe each of them individually, he adored them as a whole. His mighty legions. “We have spent two seasons in this wretched land,” he continued, “amassing our strength while reducing the enemy’s. The journey has led us here, to victory. This land’s north is wiped clean. Our brothers in the South will have eradicated our enemies there, and therefore this island belongs to us. And soon, the world. The Red Lord shall deliver us our paradise, a home for warriors and gods.” He smiled at his troops, admiring the darkness in their hearts. “From different backgrounds you may be—cohorts forged from Hell itself—today you stand as Romans. The chosen people.”
The demons cheered again, an exultant cry of a conquering army.
“What would you have us do with the leftovers, Imperator?” asked one of his guards, pointing towards the building and its barricaded windows. There was a sharp ping and a nearby demon fell down dead. Caligula knew the humans were aiming for him, for their only victory now would be to take out the enemy’s general. Such a thing would not happen though.
“Do we possess fire?” Caligula asked his bodyguard, a badly scarred warrior named Adelgis.
“Yes, Imperator.” The guard nodded towards a nearby barrel. “We have the human’s petrol. We learned how to ignite it. Jupiter himself would marvel.”
“Then set the human’s fort ablaze and ensure they remain inside as it burns. The day has not yet ended. There is time yet for more screaming.”
Adelgis grinned and rushed to carry out his orders. Caligula remained, satisfied, while the last of the humans stared out from their holes in terror. His good mood curdled, however, by the re-emergence of Rux. Just for the sheer joy of it, he struck the demon in the face and sent the creature tumbling to the ground. Caligula stood eight-feet compared to Rux’s five, which made it feel like he was striking a bug. “What is it, slave?”
Rux clambered to his feet, flinching as he feared another blow. “Apologies, Imperator, but our messengers have returned from the South. They… They bear horrendous news.”
Caligula raised a hand, ready to strike the slave again, but stayed himself a moment. “What news? Victory is ours, surely?”
“No, Imperator!” Rux cowered. “The South is lost. The humans have fortified themselves along the coast and pushed back. Our army there is in ruins, the demon lords have fallen, and several gates have been destroyed. The southern human army is turning north to reclaim the land. Eventually, they shall face us here. We must prepare.”
Caligula struck Rux in the mouth and kicked him while he was down. The fury of it sent the small demon tumbling across the road. Several moments passed before the Gaul stirred, but by then Caligula’s mind was elsewhere. He turned back to the humans inside the building, now trapped and encircled by the liquid they called ‘petrol.’ One of his guards struck the pavement with a heavy, metal pipe and sent sparks into the air. The petrol ignited, and a fiery imp grew into the spirit of Ignis, spreading out and racing in all directions. Soon the flames encircled the entire building, but the screams from inside were not enough to quiet the probing voices in Caligula’s mind. It reminded him of the insecure squabbling of Rome’s curia.
How can the South be lost? The bulk of our army is there! The scouts must be mistaken. What a travesty is this? I shall see these scouts disembowelled, Caligula decided, as the inferno took a painfully long time to do its job. In a different moment, he might have enjoyed the prolonged misery, but right now all he wanted was to
