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Description
The frozen earth cracked beneath me as I strode; long strides, the strides of a man of true purpose.  I looked about me at the calamitous aftermath of battle, and my brow furrowed with deliberate irritation.  It had been a long and tiring melee that had taken much of the morning to complete.  The reward had been the view I saw now before me; thousands of broken and dismembered barbarian corpses, and those of the war pigs they rode.  I myself had killed at least seven hundred of the savages, and enjoyed every bloody death.  The ice covered ground was stained pink, as fetching as the blush of a pretty servant girl.  My mind drifted to other pleasures for a time.

I was brought back to my surroundings by the sighting of my aide, Suetineus.

Suetineus stood at attention; his unkempt appearance and the practiced ease of his salute made mockery of the traditions he so callously regarded.

“Report” said I, though I did not deign to look upon him.

“Two score dead on our front sir, three and forty wounded.”  He walked with me as he spoke.  I caught the stench of ale upon his lips.  Drunk on duty, that would not do.

“A good tally indeed, in this great game we call war, wouldn’t you say, Suetineus?”

He chuckled dryly.  “Aye sir, aye”, though I judged his heart was not in it.  Without warning I thrust my gladius into his ripe belly.  Into his startled eyes I gazed as I uttered the words that all who failed me would hear at the last.

“You are not worthy.”

Without a glance at Suetineus’ falling body, I turned and looked over the field.  Maximus would be pleased with my efforts this day.  Very pleased.

Description
The frozen earth cracked beneath me as I strode; long strides, the strides of a man of true purpose.  I looked about me at the calamitous aftermath of battle, and my brow furrowed with deliberate irritation.  It had been a long and tiring melee that had taken much of the morning to complete.  The reward had been the view I saw now before me; thousands of broken and dismembered barbarian corpses, and those of the war pigs they rode.  I myself had killed at least seven hundred of the savages, and enjoyed every bloody death.  The ice covered ground was stained pink, as fetching as the blush of a pretty servant girl.  My mind drifted to other pleasures for a time.

I was brought back to my surroundings by the sighting of my aide, Suetineus.

Suetineus stood at attention; his unkempt appearance and the practiced ease of his salute made mockery of the traditions he so callously regarded.

“Report” said I, though I did not deign to look upon him.

“Two score dead on our front sir, three and forty wounded.”  He walked with me as he spoke.  I caught the stench of ale upon his lips.  Drunk on duty, that would not do.

“A good tally indeed, in this great game we call war, wouldn’t you say, Suetineus?”

He chuckled dryly.  “Aye sir, aye”, though I judged his heart was not in it.  Without warning I thrust my gladius into his ripe belly.  Into his startled eyes I gazed as I uttered the words that all who failed me would hear at the last.

“You are not worthy.”

Without a glance at Suetineus’ falling body, I turned and looked over the field.  Maximus would be pleased with my efforts this day.  Very pleased.