An Example of my idea

So here's a short story I wrote in an afternoon that could be an example for what I mean by short stories, now at first it isn't very ridiculous but it has a nice little twist at the ending. At the same time you can be much sillier than I and I will be writing a story that is likely to be shorter and much more non-sensical. If you have any thoughts or ideas on the short story contest you can look back to the original thread. That outlines general guidelines, dos and don'ts, along with all else you might need. Pip-pip Cheerio!

So here it is:
Thaddeus Maximus.

Thaddeus, or as his friends called him Thad, was an average man of 22 years old. He was tall and well-built, but so was every Legionnarie, he had enlisted with the legions as soon as he had become a man and was lucky enough to get into the famous Legio XIII Gemina. The 13th had fought all across Italy and Gaul, and were no strangers to the hardships of war. When the Roman Legions were sent off the 13th was always the last to return, they relished in combat on the front lines and drove the Rome’s enemies back across the border. Thad had always looked at these men as the equals of Mars or, dare he say, better? He had little time to think about the question before the Centurion was barking orders at him. “Munifex Thaddeus! Get off your ass and help those men secure the barrier!”
The 13th had been in Germania for little over a week and Thad couldn’t help but daydream of the warm sunny fields of Rome, he had had a small farm there. It was nothing much but it had been his own. He had a beautiful wife, a baby boy, and a quaint and cozy home. It had been- “Munifex!” He felt red hot fire as a the Centurion cracked a whip across his back. “Come one you laxy bastard, get up and get to work! You’re a soldier of Rome and her peoples! Don’t disgrace the great Empire or her Emperor! Now Move!” The whip cracked the air, almost created sparks with its sheer force, and he was up. He quickly grabbed a spade and began helping his fellow soldiers dig out the entrenchments that would stand in front of their earthen palisade. It may not have look like much to the enemy but it was more than effective at stopping a barbarian dead in his tracks.
Thad heard a call that was like thunder, one of the horns has been blown. That could mean only one thing, it was time. He gathered up his pilum and shield, and made for his Legion. The Centurion was already in the middle of his speech when he fell in line, and the man spat at his feet in disgust. “How disgraceful, but men disgrace is not known to a Roman. Rome and her people enjoy nothing but peace, order, and prosperity but there are others who see fit to undo that we have worked so hard to achieve. Savage peoples who barely know how to pick up a sword wish to stamp out the light of civilization itself! But will the 13th be the first to see Rome fall?” “No Sir!” “Will the 13th be the first to see Man dragged down into the Underworld? ” "No Sir!" "Then get to it lads, form up!"
At that moment they all lined up behind the barrier, 3 legions side-by-side with the archers supporting them from the year. At first it was like an normal battle in Germania, the savages charged from within the forest while yelling those gutteral sounds they dared to call words. But then something strange happened, it was like the coming of the Gods. First they was a great crack and a flash of light in the sky, but it was not lightning. Out of the light came a great metal beast. It floated above the Earth and shone like metal, but took the shape of a bird. It made a loud humming sound that seem to radiate through the entire forest and emitted great blasts of fire from its rear that seemed to propel it forward. For a second the two armies stood there in silence trying to figure out what that thing was in the sky. Was it a God? A Saint? Or was it some great beast come to kill them all? Before anyone could even move there followed a second crack along with a second great flash of light. It practically blinded them this time, but from within the beast a smaller beast fell to the Earth. It was in the shape of an urn and made out of metal as well, it was propelled to the surface at an incredible speed. Smoke seemed to billow from it as it opened up.
From within came something Thad would never forget, out came great men in giant hulking suits of armor. They had giant shoulderpads that were larger than Thad’s head and seemed to tower over 10ft in height. Their eyes glowed blood red form behind their helmets and they shouted at each other in some form of Latin that Thad had never heard before. They seemed to be saying something about the glory of the Emperor but Thad had a difficult time understanding their dialect. It was high and mighty, as if they beloved themselves to be doing the work of the Divine. At the same time they held strange weapons that shot fire and brimstone at the Barbarians before them, they appeared to be similar to a bow and arrow but in a fashion Thad could not understand. Before long these Men, if they even were of human origin, had cut down the savages before them and were yelling at the Legionnaires. Our Centurion simply stood their with his sword still pointed to Barbarians and his mouth agape, ready to give the order to charge. The Legatus was frozen in a similar fashion, on his horse with nothing more than a look that I could only describe as a mix between fear and confusion.
Thad could understand bits and pieces of what the men said and with out even thinking he responded with, “Who are you?” The Men seemed to be surprised that any of them had spoken at all. The man seemed to speak Roman Latin for he quickly responded, “We are Blood Angels of the IX Legion and serve in the name of the Emperor of Mankind. Now drop your primitive weapons and submit or you will be annihilated.” In a move that Thad only remembers as beyond idiocy, the Centurion of their IX Legion yelled for his men to charge, the 11th and the 13th stood back and watched as they were cut down in a matter of seconds. “Anyone else?” The Man quickly said, as he crushed the Centurion’s skull under his massive boot. “Might I ask who this Emperor of Mankind is?” “He has been with us for mellenia, watching over us and protecting us. He is the one true God of mankind and thus is its one true leader. We serve him so that we may protect humanity and keep it united under the Imperium of Man.” The man then fire his weapon into the air and everyone around dropped their weapons. “At least we have a common understanding.” Then to Thad’s horror he began to fire upon them, flames bellowed from his charred and battered weapon that pierce the Legionnaire’s armor as if it was paper. As more and more joined in it turned into a killing field. Before Thad could even run he heard a sound ring out and felt a great pain in his chest. Then another and yet another, he could feel the blood quickly exiting his body as if it was a stream of water. He fell to the ground in pain and thought to himself “How could this have happened?”


Legatus Octavianus Augustus sat in his war tent with a glass of wine and a plate of bread. He had sent a group of men to set up a forward camp for them farther in the forest so they may better plan their strategy, but he had never heard back from them. A Scout of usually supposed to return with news of the completed camp by now, but nothing of the sort had arrived. At one point in the day he had heard a loud crack like that of Thunder, which usually signaled ran, but no rain had come. Nor had any clouds formed up in the sky. He got up from his meal to ponder the issue, it was rare that 3 legions should go missing without a single survivor. There was no possible way the Savages in this forest had mustered the strength to completely wipe out that kind of force? Or had they? He had to investigate immediately. He left his tent out into the fort outside and yelled to his officers, “Ready the men, we head for the front.” “Yes right away sir.” Before the man could return Augustus began to hear loud noises that sounded like that of an army, could it be his forces, surely they would have sent ahead some word they were arriving? From the mists he could make out great figures, they were definitely not his men. They wore stranger armor, carried strange weapons, and appeared as great bests of war. Had Mars Ultor cursed them for their incompetence or had he come to seek hi retribution.
The Legate had little time to ponder such questions before he saw one of the men point and suddenly they were racing towards him, as they came forward more appeared behind them. They came out of thin air in a great flash of light. As they charged forward fire began to rain down from the heavens themselves, it was as if they were at war with the Gods. But that could not be, they worshipped and praised them. They showed their love and devotion to ritual, rites, and prayer. Yet for some reason the Gods had seen fit to eradicate them. The Legate got down on his hands and knees and prayed to the Gods asking for their forgiveness, but as chaos reigned around him and fires sprouted from every edifice he knew no mercy would come.
So he did the next best thing and leader could do in such times, he drew his sword and order his men to retreat. He cried out and yelled as loud as he could, running from house to house, shop to shop trying to rally everyone into a position they could defend. But it was no use, most of the structures in the fort had be leveled and the ones that remained were little more than shattered ruins. Then as he was running towards the circa maxima, he was hit by a great blast of fire. He was immediately knocked to his feet and watched as time around him began to slow down. He watched these Men butcher his people, kill their children, and burn their homes. They held weaponry that seem to turn all in its path to ash and they appeared to be laughing. How could they laugh at such horror, a great and civilized people being cut down as if they were no more than mere ants to these men.
The Legate got up, and putting aside his fear he drew his sword and yelled out the words of the great Caesar , “Veni, Vidi, Vici!” He charged forward with all his might, intent on running his sword straight their hearts, and he was able to get to them without being noticed. His sword simply bounced of the Man’s armor with a loud clang. “What have we got here, a brave little pup.” The great behemoth of man took his fist and put it clean through the Legate. It was like a knife through butter, the Legate fell to the ground with an expression of sheer horror on his face. “Why do they always resist? Why can’t they just die with courage in their hearts rather than holes?”
That was only the beginning though, the great Cathedral-like vessels that dear old Thad had only just glimpsed at before had appeared all across the Empire. They rained down fire and shot great beams into their cities. Entire provinces were gone overnight and the military had little time to react. They were facing an enemy from an unknown world that was clearly the master of their own empire and they had no intent in sharing it with the Romans. From Rome to Jerusalem the Empire burned, turned into a shattered fragment of the once proud glory it held. What is left of the Empire you ask? Well, little more than giant craters that dot the landscape. Where once there was trade and commerce they is now only silence. On that day the end had begun and it was our own fault. Rather than uniting as one and creating a unified Imperial Empire, we created one built upon war, hate, and blind Nationalism. We put our faith, our trust in half-wits. Our intrepid leaders had everything they wanted: power, money, wealth, and the wasted it. Rest assured my formed Romans when The Emperor builds a country he builds it to last.

War, War never changes. *cue Fallout music*