Chapter 11: Roman the Woods
Quintus ordered his small group of men forward. With practiced motions, they enclosed the last snarling panther in a tight formation, its two compatriots bleeding out where they lay still on the forest floor.
He and four of his men formed a shield wall, their scutums locking together, and banged their gladiuses against them as loudly as they could. The panther bared its teeth, flattening its ears against its head. The edges of its inky black form seemed to meld into the shadows of the forest. While the beast’s attention was held, the other four flanked the panther in pairs, watching each other's backs—this wouldn’t be the first time these panthers had worked together to come at them from blind spots.
Together, they slowly backed the last panther away from the trees so it was forced into the clearing. The same clearing, in fact, that it and its now-dead companions had used to ambush them.
It didn't take long before they had it surrounded. The panther crouched low, its belly pressed to the ground, as faint tendrils of dark smoke rose from its sun-dappled hide. Its purple eyes searched for an escape route. But when it realized how trapped it was, it desperately launched itself at the shield wall with a roar.
The shield wall braced for the impact. Even as the panther bit at the top of their shields and clawed to climb over them, the other Legionnaires struck. Four sets of blades stabbed into its sides and spine, slipping between its ribs and puncturing the organs inside. After all, despite all appearances, the panther was not truly made of pure shadow.
It let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the clearing. The beast writhed in pain, lashing out in futile rage one final time before a blow to the back of its neck ended its cries. Its heavy body fell to the ground, twitching.
Quintus scanned the surrounding area as his men did the same. Three panthers was the most they'd ever been attacked by at once. But that didn't mean that a fourth wasn't still out there, sneaking around and waiting for an opening.
“All clear,” Quintus called once he was certain no more attacks were forthcoming. “Status report.”
"No injuries, sir. Barely even damage to our scutums." Brutus said from the center as he wiped his blade clean. "The [Shield Wall] appears to be performing well. When I was locked in, I didn't feel nearly as much force as I'd expect from a beast that size. I was able to stand my ground with no problem."