Centurio De Iteris

"Here we are!" Applejack grinned, stopping in front of the gate of her home/farm, she turned to the two, "Arceus, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! We deliver apples to Ponyville, Canterlot, and a few otha areas of Equestria, alongside the rest of mah family." She smiled proudly, before cocking her head, a confused look on her face, "Uh, do you know how to work a farm?" She asked.

Arceus chuckled, "Back in Rome, I owned a modest villa, and had a small garden. I helped out on my cousin Julius' farm once or twice, though that was more cattle, but, I think I can manage. You needed someone to chop wood?" He ran a calloused hand through his hair, the manticae around his wrists clanking which each movement of his arm.

Applejack nodded, fixing her Stetson, "Of course. Dead trees ain't gonna do us any good, and we need firewood for the hearth." She turned around, and trotted over to a modest looking shed. The door slid open with a creak, "Darn, need tah oil the hinges." She muttered, flicking the light switch, as a single bulb lit up, illuminating the room. The shelves were covered in tools, plows, hoes, spades, and the like. Applejack bent over, heaving as she pulled out a woodcutter's axe. The handle was made of solid oak, newly polished, the blade was crafted out of sharpened steel. "Here yah go, Oh, we also marked out the dead trees." Gaius took the axe and map, nodding as he headed out, whistling.

Heading into the acres, he searched for the first stump, finding it a few minutes after wandering. It had toppled over, a a messy cut separated the trunk from the stump. Hefting the axe, he ran a hand over the rough wood, feeling the course bark poke at his palm. Eyeballing the trunk, he hefted the axe, and brought it down, leaving a wedge in the first part he was to cut. He had barely begun to sweat, having been used to gathering firewood when he was an auxiliary.

"Hmph, child's play." Arceus smirked, as he brought the axe back upwards. Just as he was about to swing it downwards, the bushes to his left rustled. Swiftly sinking the axe blade into a higher portion of the log, as he drew his gladius. "Show yourself!" He yelled, turning around.

He smirked when he heard multiple growls emanate from the bushes. "Ah, so a beast comes to do battle eh?" The Centurion took a fighting stance, "Come and face me then!" He taunted. Arceus' eyes widened when he saw wolves composed of wood and leaves, four of them, saunter out of their hiding spot. "Hmm, strange. Ligneum rapaces, I could use some practice." He sliced the air twice, "Face Roman steel!" He challenged, as the first wolf lunged. The Timberwolf wrapped his jaws around Arceus' right arm, but the manticae protected his wrist, as he smacked the fiend away with the pommel of his blade, knocking it out.

The second jumped on his chest, sending the Centurion onto the ground, as his foe pressed into his torso. The Timberwolf roared, though fell silent as Arceus' lopped of its head, as he was sprayed with tree sap. Grunting, he pushed the "corpse", off his, dusted himself off, and stood, sword at the ready. The two stragglers hesitated, one tucking it's tail in between it's legs.

While one Timberwolf ran off back into the woods, whimpering, its fellow charged at Arceus, leaving small cuts on his arms, and a few on his legs, while scratching his armor. "Fell beast!" He yelled, kicking it away, sending the animal into a tree, where it slowly got up, holding its side, where tree sap was leaking from its chest, it growled. The Centurion slowly walked over, his caliga padded softly on the earthen ground, as he raised his blade over his defeated foe. "Requiescant in pace" He said, as he plunged the Gladius into the skull of the Timberwolf with a sickening CRUNCH, wood chips flew from the impact area, while tree sap splashed onto his lorica, and cascaded down its face, soaking the ground,and the light faded from its eyes. Grunting, Arceus pried his sword free, wiped it off, and sheathed it.

Panting, he wiped the sweat from his brow, resting against an old oak tree. "That, was too easy." he chuckled, catching his breath. Resting for a few minutes, he chopped the remainder of the log into firewood, and began his journey back to the farmhouse, fixing his armor.

Arceus finally arrived back at the farmhouse, where he found Applejack at a grindstone, sharpening a kitchen knife. She turned when he heard him approach, as she put the knife down. "Oh, hey Arceus. Don't mind me, just sharpening a knife o' two for Granny, Just set that fiahwood down there." She pointed to a cabinet filled with logs, Arceus did so. "Hey, what happened to yah?" she asked, noticing the scratch marks on his body, concern evident in her voice.

Arceus looked himself over, coughing into his hand. "It is nothing Applejack, I was just accosted by several wolves of wood. They proved no challenge to me." he smiled warmly, "What does your kind call them?" he asked, stretching his arms with a crack, groaning.

Applejack rubbed her chin with a hoof, "Hmm, wolves made of wood." A look of realization came to her, "Oh! Yah mean Timberwolves, they live in the Everfree Forest." She shuddered, "They rarely hurt ponies, or people in your case, unless they're mighty hungry." She smiled, "Now, come on, I bet yer hungry after all that excitement." She nudged him..

Arceus' stomach grumbled, "A warm meal would be nice." Applejack chuckled, leading him into her home, smiling. "Thank you Applejack." He smiled, as the door shut behind them.

A dark mist retreated from the farmstead, into the heart of the Everfree.