* In the province of Tiberia, a group of outspoken farmers who protested Elagabalus's bloody gladiator games were mysteriously found missing, their fields littered with strange, metallic feathers and a distinct lack of complaints.

What I mistakenly took to be just another storm cloud in the far distance ended up being much, much worse.

Before I noticed it, Umbra, my reluctant pegasus, soared through the sky with me on his back. The cotton clouds swished past me at his lightning speed.

After having saved Julius Caesar from a Roman cavalry attack, and the dreaded news that Rome’s Emperors Elagabalus and Nero were sending their army towards my home, Villa Fortunata, we began escorting the legendary man back to my estate. We wasted no time in our travel along the Tiber River.

Once my Historical Insight recharged, which allowed me to see a full forty minutes into the possible futures I could create, Caesar recommended I take to the skies to ensure the last portion of our return journey would be unhindered by spies, patrols, or better yet in Antiquits, monsters. I was initially unwilling to leave behind my pregnant wife Cleopatra, along with my friends Titus and Livia. However, once in the skies, his cautious foresight proved worth it.

“What is that?” I said as Umbra flapped his powerful grey wings, keeping us afloat in the clouds. I hadn’t activated my Historical Insight yet, I was too shocked to see such a black cloud on a rather sunny and pleasant afternoon. And it was moving fast, unnaturally so. I couldn’t help but notice the dark cloud was moving towards my Villa Fortunata in the distance where over ten thousand men were camped in tents around the house. It was our very small rebellion, one that was soon to encounter the Roman Empire.

Turn on that peace enchantment, Umbra said telepathically to my mind. He at once turned back around, descending quickly to where our friends were walking.

“Got it,” I said, activating my Harpy’s Eye Amulet that gave us both a courage boost for a minute. Immediately, my nerves began to settle, as did Umbra’s. “I take it that wasn’t a storm cloud?”

Far, far worse, mortal, Umbra said. He waited till we had landed on the Roman road next to our Caesar and our friends. Cleopatra’s coffee brown eyes looked at me with concern. That is no cloud. It is a herd of Stymphalian Birds. We must make haste!

“By the gods,” Titus groaned, mirroring everyone else’s shock.

Suddenly I was very grateful I had activated the courage buff.

The Stymphalian Birds were the sixth labor that Hercules had to face in his twelve impossible labors. I had read about them numerous times in high school, and many more times in my quest to read every book in Antiquitus to further increase my Historical Insight. At the very least, they could tear humans apart with their viscous beaks. At the very worst, we might be fending off mini-archers in the sky if they could shoot their metallic wings.

I had a feeling they would be more deadly than that if the System that put everyone here had anything to say about it.

System Message: “Wonderful insight Maximus! You are correct, surprisingly.”

Am I correct that you are the one who sent it for failing to stop Camilla? I thought to the System.

System Message: “How presumptuous! I take back my earlier compliment. No, it was Elagabalus who sent them. He would like to whittle down your numbers before his army arrives. At least the birds ruined some of their appetite by destroying some protestors first!”

I cringed at the Eastern Emperor’s name. How in the world does he have so many monsters that work for him? Elagabalus had somehow convinced Cetus the Sea Dragon, Cacus and Caca the giants, Scylla for the gladiator games, and now a horde of deadly birds to fight for him. Last I checked, monsters weren’t usually that selfless or in love with humans.

System Message: “I’m not sure you want to know the full details.”

I blushed at the System’s implications. Knowing what I did of Elagabalus, it was best not to know or think about it.

“Let us not tarry,” Julius Caesar said, his worn face hardening at the coming herd. With haste, Caesar reached down to help Titus and Livia ride along his horse. I did the same for Cleopatra, and together we took off.

“I’ll meet you there!” I said as Umbra took us off to the sky again, this time with Cleopatra’s elegant hands firmly around my waist. My faithful bride nestled her head onto my back as the wind whistled past us.

“Try to fly calmly,” Cleopatra said, her voice a whisper to Umbrea. I gave a quick look behind me. She looked pale despite her olive skin. It must have been from the pregnancy. The realization almost threw me off with the fact that I was now a father.

I’ll think about that later, I thought, trying to retain focus. As Umbra quickly arrived at my sprawling estate of farm lands and my traditional villa, I waited to use my Historical Insight until the birds were closer. Even now, the dark cloud of death was moving at a ridiculous pace. It would be here in minutes.

Gaius, the wiry scholar with unkempt hair who managed my estate, came rushing out of the gardens at our approach, with a look of shock that was quickly followed by relief. In his hands were stacks of parchment paper.

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“About time, Maximus,” he said, using the paper to help push back his sweating spectacles. “And a pegasus! That will surely help with the estate duties.”

You forget yourself, mortal, Umbra said, rearing up on his hind legs before letting us get down.

“Never mind that,” I said, holding Cleopatra as I helped her down. “I need you to alert Sulla that we are about to be attacked by Stymphalian Birds.”

When Gaius scoffed, I pointed to the dark cloud that was approaching way too fast. What broke his disbelief was Caesar and his horse bolting onto the estate grounds, making straight away to the military camp to get ready for the attack, shouting for the men to prepare.

“I’ll explain everything later,” I said. “Go!”

With my Helmet of Maximus, which allowed me to see anyone who was invisible, I could see Cassius, the Shadow, lurking by the villa entrance, who promptly turned himself visible to guide Gauis to Sulla.

“What do you see?” Cleopatra said, both of us looking to the coming cloud.

It was time.

Taking a deep breath, I activated the full forty minutes of my Historical Insight to see the futures of every decision I could make. A galaxy of possibilities unfolded before me.

In the next few minutes, Caesar and Sulla would quickly come to the front of the villa where I stood with Umbra and Cleopatra. Behind them would be Gaius and Cassius, along with our ten thousand troops. All of us had our eyes fixed on the dark cloud of birds that was less than a minute away.

And when they came, probably one hundred of them by the looks of it, I could understand why Umbra was so afraid.

Before our archers could get a shot at them like Hercules had, a storm of metallic arrows rained from the sky. In the futures where we were not prepared, dozens of our men were peppered by the birds. For those that received more than one metal feather or in a critical spot like the neck, they didn’t rise from their fall. Even in retaliation with arrows from our archers, a quarter of the arrows completely missed due to their extreme agility. For those that stuck, most of them kept flying, more than likely due to their metallic feathers. The only way they fell was if they were close enough to be hit with a sword when they horded down around us to claw out our faces, or if I threw my Pilum of Mars, which had more than enough damage to negate the birds’ armor and health. But I couldn’t defeat them all by myself.

First order of business then.

We would need a stronger defense to shield the men, but I wouldn’t be able to issue higher tiered commands until I achieved the third level of my Battlefield Tactics skill in the Art of War Tree. I had two Skill Points left, so I spent them quickly on those.

Battlefield Tactics (+2): lvl 3.

* Increases unit morale by 10%. Simple formations and maneuvers become available for you to command (shield walls, skirmishing lines).

* Provides a 15% increase in your unit's reaction time to enemy actions. Grants a 10% bonus to spotting enemy ambushes.

* Unlocks advanced formations like the phalanx and testudo. Units gain a 10% bonus to defense when in formation.

Skill Points (-2): 0

Testudo… Perfect.

“Caesar, Sulla, have the infantry form a testudo defense while the archers station inside the house for cover,” I said, referring to the tortoise shield wall position. “Also, do any of your men have Minerva’s blessing?” Since I had Pluto’s blessing, making me invisible, I didn’t have access to Minerva’s, which allowed the user to see specific weaknesses and strengths (along with a severe headache around kids and infertility).

“Several,” Sulla said, motioning for one of his men while Caesar instructed the infantry to form the testudo. One of the Roman soldiers, just a teenager by the looks of him, moved up to where we stood.

“What do you see?” I asked him. He looked at the oncoming birds but started rubbing his head as if in pain. I glanced over to Cleopatra’s belly, the obvious source for his discomfort. From the corner of my eye, I could see Caesar was also restraining himself from showing discomfort. In the rush of battle, I had forgotten all about Caesar’s patronage from Minerva. Why had he not offered?

“Fire deals additional twenty-five percent damage, and blunt objects do double,” the soldier said, grinding his teeth in pain. He quickly cast a wary glance at Cleopatra. “Their feathers, claws, and beak can do around fifty damage each.”

Fire…

“Gaius, is Valerius still here?” I said.

“Yes! We’ve actually been working on a new—”

“Never mind that. Cleopatra, take Gaius and go make something flammable against the birds. And take Umbra inside too.”

Cleopatra quickly kissed me on the lips before running with Gaius and the very relieved Umbra inside the villa. While Titus, Livia, and the others got into shield formation, Sulla and Caesar informed their centurions and legates of the birds’ weaknesses and strengths.

Just as the men finished forming into the testudo position, granting them an extra ten percent in defense, the first of the feathers began to descend on us.

I activated my Shadowmail Enhancement just in time and turned on my invisibility to be completely immune to the feathers at the constant draining of my health.

Health: 120/120

Health: 119/120

A few feathers pierced through the invisible shadow that I was while I returned the favor with a well thrown pilum, using my Piercing Rain ability to split it magically into three which skewered just as many birds. Thankfully, no one was injured in the intense barrage of metal feathers that stormed down on us. Several dozen soldiers who had the same invisibility blessing from Pluto as I did were able to cut down just as many birds as the save for the birds, one of them even catching fire with my pilum’s enchantment. The burning corpse made the other birds fly away with fear, breaking their herd formation and spreading them all around us.

Stamina (+30): lvl 14 (50/150)

Strength (+30): lvl 13 (80/140)

Intelligence (+10): lvl 7 (10/80)

Glory (+140): 2,000

Level: 36 (140/380)

Health: 110/120

Stamina: 150/180

I really need to learn more pilum tricks, I thought, thankful for the awesome power I already possessed with the throwing weapon as I prepared to throw a singular pilum at a nearby bird and strike another one nearby with my Gladius of Julius. But in every future, Cleopatra’s scream, along with an explosion, erupted inside my villa, halting my attacks.

My eyes snapped to the open windows where Stymphalian Birds flooded into past the archers to destroy her.