Maximus is hiding under a tree after running for 30 minutes straight on the opposite direction of the little cave he helped his family to hide. His breath is ragged, but worse than his breath is his mind on this moment, because, if he was desperate before, so was he now.
He's still trying to figure out what's happening and the reason behind all this. He spends some time, in halt under the tree, just analyzing everything, any escaping routes. But on the process of doing it he notices something he didn't before, for some reason the invaders are not killing young men around his age. But, instead of entertaining this thought he returns his focus and attention on trying to find an escape route.
"Damn… I need to find a way..." his voice is low and desperate as he keeps trying to find an escape route. But it is absolutely hard, not just because finding it is almost impossible, but because his mind is absolutely troubled. He can't stop to think about his father who just died before him, about the possibility of someone finding his mother and brother and doing unspeakable things, especially with his mother, and about what could be happening, right now, with Nathan and Beatrice.
But even with this wave of thoughts, Maximus breaths deeply and try to think rationally. He knows this is no time to mourn, this is time to act, so he tries to focus on finding a route again. After some minutes of pure silence, shaking hands and focus, he notices that the legion of men are more spread on the main gate and main part of the village, not so much in the back region, so, if he wanted to escape, he must go to the back part of the village, that was the only option. But if there are any of them there, and probably are, he's dead, but he has no other choice, if he keeps hiding someone will find him anytime soon, so he decides to do it anyway.
He runs stealthily on the big and spacious field, going from bush to bush, trying to use it as a kind of cover, or at least to hide. While hiding in a bush and preparing himself to run to the next one, he starts to hear some horse gallops and on the same instant he freezes and tries to get even more hidden on the bush. He closes his eyes as his hands start to shake and the grip on his father's sword tightens, because he knows he may fight if necessary, but just the thought makes him want to end his life so he doesn't have to be brutally killed.
"Gold time" Stephen's voice is calm, serene and slightly amused.
"Was the purge necessary?" says one of Stephen's partners, who was always silent during the tax collections.
"Yes?" replied Stephen, almost laughing as he spoke "C'mon, let's share some women later, don't trouble your mind with such things, Jonathan."
"What about the slaves? What are we going to do with them?" said Jonathan as he slow down his horse and leaves it, stepping on the grass and observing the burning houses and desperate screams at the horizon.
"I thought about getting the women as slaves as well, but… Ravé said we couldn't, so let's just use them right here and then kill them" Stephen's voice is as calm as always, even as he says the most brutal and disgusting things of all. He stops his horse as well and leaves it, stepping on the ground alongside with his partner on crime.
"I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about the young men we're taking, you idiot." Jonathan's voice is slightly irritated, it's obvious he doesn't likes Stephen, but is working with him anyways.
"Ah, about them… Ravé will probably select the most capable and take as mercenaries. You know, you can't waste manpower like that." said Stephen in a casual tone.
"But, couldn't they rebel?" asked Jonathan with genuine curiosity, because he's new on this business of collecting slaves.
"That's why we kill everyone, with no house to return there is no reason to rebel." replies Stephen like it was the most obvious thing of all "The only thing we need to do then, it is to tame." he finishes with a sarcastic smile on his face.
Jonathan is going to speak a little more, but suddenly a sound comes from the bush, a movement sound, and Stephen quickly draws his sword and blocks the attack coming from Maximus.
"YOU BASTARD! IT WAS YOU!" screams Maximus at the top of his lungs in a desperate tone. After hearing this entire conversation he couldn't keep hidden, he prefers to die in a battle against Stephen and at least wound him a little, than to escape letting the bastard alive and unharmed. Maximus never felt so angry in his entire life, he's still shaking, but this time not from fear, but from pure rage.
Stephen stares at Maximus' eyes and smiles calmly, he skillfully and easily moves the blade of his sword against the blade of Maximus' sword and with a quick and efficient swing of it, Maximus' sword flies from his hand without harming him. The sword falls on the floor as Stephen puts his blade against Maximus' neck, ready to kill him at anytime.
"Oh, what a good surprise!" said Stephen, more amused than anything.
"Isn't him the farmer's son?" asked Jonathan, with a curious tone.
"You can bet he is." replied Stephen with calm and amused intensity.
Maximus stares at Stephen's eyes with an assassin intense, if gaze could kill, he would be already dead. But Maximus doesn't moves, he knows if he does he's going to die, but he is seriously thinking about just going against the blade, dying on the process, but still harming Stephen somehow, but his thoughts are interrupted by Stephen.
"You attacked me like a bitch in heat, are you sure swordsmanship is your dream?" said Stephen mockingly, because he knows about Maximus' dream and the fact he's so bad at it sounds funny for him.
"Shut up..." answered Maximus, his gaze getting even more enraged and intense, even as his neck slightly try to lean away from the blade, but Stephen's blade occupies the empty space quickly.
"You're lucky Ravé asked to conserve the life of all young men, otherwise, I'd had killed you already." says Stephen with a hint of mocking disgust and even more evident amusement.
Maximus get silent for some moments and then speak up, his words sounding as pathetic as his actual condition.
"Why? Why Stephen?" Maximus' voice is desperate, angry and confuse by Stephen's actions, he is enraged with him? Sure he is, but he's curious as well, why would Stephen do such a thing against the village?
"Why? Easy sex and money, kid." Stephen is confused by such a question, but he answers anyways.
Maximus just stops, he stares blankly at the floor, his neck pressing slightly against the blade of Stephen's sword.
"… Easy sex and money? You killed all that people…" Maximus stops to talk as he tries to rationalize his actions "for… sex and money…"
"Ugh, stop with the drama, you're so annoying kid." said Stephen evidently annoyed by Maximus' words and the fact he's still resistant in such a situation.
Maximus' face contorts into rage and disgust, and as he prepares himself to lunge, planning to wound Stephen and lose his neck on the process, Jonathan just hit Maximus' head with the pommel of his sword using brutal efficiency and forcing Maximus to pass out on the same instant.
Maximus is unconcious.