Chapter 7: Time to Leave.

-The next day-

Artemis and Aroma woke up the next day in caravan section of the city. Masses of tents, campfires and wagons crowded the area. They awoke and had breakfast with a potential client. They were a homey family, they traded the seeds they could find and of course the other stuff like small firearms and miscellaneous items but seeds was their specialty. Hayseed was the patriarch of the family, he had a tan coat with brown freckles and a yellow mane. His wife, a unicorn with a dull pink coat and purple mane was named Lady. They weren't a Legion family so Lady wasn't an object with a singular task and Hayseed wasn't a violent murderer. They traveled with their two kids and Lady's grandfather. He was brown stallion who was up in his years and it was probable that he could not see. But he had a jolly air to him and he could keep a conversation going. The family planned to leave and go up north. Artemis and Aroma offered their protection for a discount. Personally they just needed to leave.

"That's mighty kind of you guys for a discount, usually we just try to outrun anything that happens upon us." Hayseed told them from across a cooking spit.

"Well don't mention it, it's time for us to leave Gryphondale anyway." Artemis said stirring her drink.

"Well still we really appreciate it." Lady stopped stirring the pot to thank the two of them.

"Is there anywhere you'd recommend going to Ms. Arrow?" Hayseed asked.

Artemis thought about it, she really wanted to talk to Hans. Especially after this fiasco in Gryphondale.

"How about the Palomino Exchange?" She asked coolly. Hayseed rubbed his chin and looked at his wife.

"Well dear we do have those old wagon engines and we would be better by unloading them for some dinar." Lady commented to her husband.

"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right." He agreed plainly. "We'll leave at high noon, after we get our mark and go through the caravan authority."

"Mark?" Aroma asked.

"Yeah, our mark of Commander Cesare'. It keeps us safe in the Legion region, only the ballsiest or dumbest raiders dare attack us with a mark on our wagon." Hayseed answered.

"Who's Commander Cesare'?" Aroma asked yet again. Then someone answered for Hayseed.

"Commander Cesare' is the leader of the Dreadsaw Legion and you will show him the highest respect or we'll hack you to pieces in front of him." Answered a legionnaire.

This wasn't just any legionnaire. This was a centurion one of Cesare's top field commanders! He was a deep gray unicorn stallion with a helmet that spouted red plumage from the top. His armor was patch-worked from his fallen adversaries. Assorted bartings, metal plates and even a leg of steel ranger power armor. He was a force to be reckoned with. Aroma's was stunned, sheer terror or admiration decorated her face. The sight of a centurion was a rarity, they were rarely seen outside Citadel Spire. He gave Hayseed his mark and went on his way.

"Whoa, that was scary." Aroma broke the silence.

"But what was with that getup with the helmet?" Aroma whispered to the others.

"I think they're based off the old Equestria royal guards from back in the day. That's where they got the plumage from." Hayseed said proudly.

"No." Muttered Lady's father. "They're acting like the ancient pegusai. Commander Cesare says he's the new Commander Hurricane. This is ancient pegusai law. The law of the pegasus legem factorum." He corrected Hayseed.

"What's that?" Aroma asked.

"Maybe another time my curious little pony." Lady's father told her nicely.

One of Lady's foal ran up to her and began asking for something. Lady obliged and Artemis's mind escaped her again. Seeing Lady with her colt made her realized, she hadn't told her mother she loved her before she had to leave last night. She knew her mother knew but it made Artemis feel bad. What if she never saw her again? Life as a slave was very short in the Legion. "Maybe one last thing before we leave..." She thought to herself.

"Hang tight here Aroma, I gotta go do something." She said. Aroma saluted and smiled. Artemis finished her drink and hovered into town. She was walking down a crowded street when a pony bumped into her. He was a legionnaire except he was small in stature unlike the normal soldiers. Artemis had to apologize since he was a legionnaire.

"I'm sorry, my bad." She said begrudgingly. The pony smiled.

"It's quite alright." He said and trotted away.

Wait, was a legionnaire just nice? Usually they were supposed to be mean and nasty but why was he-!

"Fuck shit." She muttered to herself and check her belongings. She had been pickpocketed! She wasn't going to let this go, she would kindly ask for it back but the likelihood of her getting her dinar back was slim to non-existent. She tailed the pony to his little hangout, a dead end alley where other delinquent legionnaires congregated.

"Hey! Give me back my money little boy." Artemis threatened. He didn't take her seriously even though they were younger than her. The pony nodded to his friends another pony and a griffon.

"You'd better run along lady before you get hurt." He goaded.

"Or pregnant." His griffon friend added. None of these threats phased her. She took another step into the alley, the punks weren't going to give ground just yet.

"Last warning." She said in a dark tone.

"Fuck off lady before you find yourself on a cross." The other pony threatened. Artemis barred her teeth in a vicious grin.

"Well boys this is your moment." A voice said at the entrance of the alley. Artemis turned and saw the griffon from last night in centurion armor! Maybe she wouldn't have survived fighting him after all.

"Centurion Preensdale!" The boys shouted with fear in their voice. He simply stared at them.

"You trash insult the Legion." He said coldly.

They looked scared out of their minds. "S,s,sorry sir." He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Here's your punishment." He began. "You all fight her and get twenty lashes for your incompetence. If you lose, you'll fight me and die." He said.

The boys saluted. "Thank you sir." They walked up to Artemis menacingly.

~twenty seconds later~

Artemis had beaten two into unconsciousness and she held the thief in a neck lock. Her talons could break his neck or cleave his face off on a moments notice. Preensdale smiled.

"Well well well. Looks like you're tougher than I thought. Go ahead, kill him. You have my permission. He stole from you a crime punishable by death in Legion.

"Oh goddesses please no, I'm sorry." He begged and Artemis tightened her grip to quiet him.

"No legionnaire begs for his life, it is now forfeit." Preensdale proclaimed.

Artemis refused to let Legion cruelty invade her actions. She grabbed her money and threw him to the ground. He landed with a thud and gasped for air, he crawled over to the centurion and wobbled to stand up.

"I failed sir, please forgiv-!" The boy never finished his sentence. Preensdale had drew his hellhound claw sword and cut the boy's head off in one clean swipe. His body fell to the ground and blood oozed out of his neck occasionally erupting in small squirts. He sheathed his sword and walked over to Artemis.

"You did very well, for a woman."  He said almost playfully.

"What does that mean?" Artemis retorted. He smiled.

"It means if you were a man you could've been someone in the Legion." He then assumed a steely expression and approached her.

"But you have disgraced the Legion. If I let you walk free then I will have defamed the Legion as well."

Artemis's eyebrow rose. Damn she just wanted to tell her mother she loved her. Was it so damn hard to do anything in this city! Artemis knew if she killed him she'd be crucified or some other sadistic punishment. Artemis once saw a stallion who murdered a legionnaire get whipped until he didn't have a back then they salted him, and another time she saw a mare that had disobeyed her husband have her ears ripped off her head. Executions were torturous and public. Artemis had to find a mediated solution.

"Hey now, we're in a alley no one saw that. I'll just leave and never comeback." She offered, she hated sounding weak or scared.

Preensdale shook his head. "My apologies for your misfortune but this is the way it must end." He approached her. Artemis tried to persuade him one final time but she was met with his sword. She barely ducked as it cut the air and stuck a wall.

"I promised you it won't hurt." He told her. Dammit Artemis wasn't going to just lay down and die! It's funny actually, she was born in Gryphondale and it looks like she'll die here to. Preensdale raised his sword for a vertical slash but Artemis raised her right arm.

-cling!-

Her arm was still there! The pipbuck had halted the attack, although it had a deep chip from the cut but nonetheless! "Holy hell." Artemis thought to herself. In the split second Preensdale was stunned after the parry Artemis tackled him, his sword clanged on the dirt. Preensdale landed with an "oof!" He kicked Artemis with his hind legs, she struggled to stay on top of him. Artemis gave him a hard punch to his beak and she pressed his neck with her forearm. Chocking him. He began to cough with out oxygen. Preensdale struggled for a rock out of the corner of his eye. Just as Artemis was sure he was finished he clubbed her with a rock roughly the size of her fist. The right side of her head rang and she saw doubles for a second. He kicked Artemis off and scrambled to his feet.

"Not bad." He uttered and ran in for the kill. Artemis regained her composure for a second and sidestepped his attack. She grabbed him in a chock hold, holding his neck with his left arm held high. His right arm flailed as he tried to break free, he kept at it but felt himself begin to weaken and weaken. Artemis felt him give away, his left hand balled into a fist and then fell limp. She let go of her breath but still held him. His body went limp but she didn't know when to let go. But she was pressed for time now, she had just killed a legionnaire and a centurion for that matter! Maybe she could buy an extra hour if she hid him. She let go and the griffon fell to the ground limp and dead. She drug him to a shadowy part of the alley and the other three kids to. She had killed a centurion...just the thought of it. She couldn't go to her mother, not now not ever again. She flew away quickly and back to the caravan.

"Goddesses! What happened?!" Aroma exclaimed. The others looked worried as well.

"I'm fine, let's just go." Artemis bellowed.

The others looked to each other and reluctantly got set to go on their trail. Lady offered to clean up her face. Artemis hadn't noticed but she had five small gashes from that rock and her nose was bleeding. Artemis accepted the offer and climbed in the back with Lady. After going to get their weapons the caravan made out for the Palomino Exchange. She had made it out of Gryphondale, but the Legion's presence reached farther than just that city. It was a hollow victory but Artemis was alive....For now. Next Chapter: Chapter 8 - My Liege Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 46 Minutes