I must have blacked out after finishing the puzzle. One minute, I was finishing the complex set of patterns, moving the dusty images of the Carthaginian symbols around, only for the next to be surrounded by total darkness.

Location Discovered: Carthaginian Dungeon

If I didn’t have my Helmet of Maximus that increased my vision, I would have been stumbling blind.

They’re getting worse, I thought with chagrin, pushing myself forward. To have some light, I withdrew and activated my Praetorian Flameblade, flooding the damp and musty tunnel with light. The sudden blast of fire, though necessary, seared my eyes, increasing the pounding headache I had from seven days of no sleep.

I checked my Historical Insight to see how much time I had left.

Nothing worked. The future was completely dark.

“Something’s off,” I muttered, trying to project the futures again.

Still nothing.

A sinking, depressing reality hovered over me.

My Historical Insight was officially done. I must have blacked out several times after entering the dungeon. Hours must have slipped by without my notice, and I made very little progress. I had seen some traps and challenges ahead, but so far I hadn’t reached any of them.

Or maybe I had?

None of my stats had increased, so odds were low. Either way, I would now have to wait over a week for it to be recharged.

Although I had tried to mentally prepare for this moment, I couldn’t help but feel a crippling panic. I no longer had insight to guide me. I was left to my own devices now, which were severely damaged by sleeplessness. It felt like I was trying to compete in a race with broken legs on the peak of a mountain, while the other runners were as healthy as horses.

I felt so sick that I wanted to puke.

“C’mon Maximus,” I said, trying to hype myself up. “You can do this, you can do this.”

I literally had no idea where I was supposed to go or if any of this was going to work. But I had to try. Giving up was not an option.

“The impediment to action advances action,” Marcus Aurelius used to say. “What stands in the way becomes the way.”

I will find or make a way, I thought, reminding myself over and over as I placed one heavy foot in front of the other, repeating the mindless action of walking while sipping from the dwindling supply of Café Aeternum. It had very little effect on me now, making me more nauseous than anything. But it was something at least.

As I walked, I munched on some of the dried fish Cleopatra had cooked for me, though it did little to help the sick feeling. I held it close to the gladius fire to heat it up.

Since I had a ton of skill points to spend, I maxed out my sword skill, just in case I needed it in the coming battles.

Sword (+8): lvl 10.

* Deal 100% more damage with any sword.

* Increased Attack Speed (5% faster swing rate)

* Critical Strike Chance (+5% chance for 1.5x damage on hit)

* Reduced Stamina Cost (3 per normal strike, 6 per charged strike)

* Combo Attacks (consecutive strikes increase damage by 5% for each successive hit, up to +20%)

* Enhanced Movement Speed (+10% movement speed while wielding a sword)

* Heavy Strike Efficiency (charged strikes require only 5 stamina)

* Master Strike (every 10th hit deals 2x damage and costs no stamina)

I also spent the last of my points leveling up my evasion skill, considering I was being penalized for speed going off from no sleep for a week.

Evasion (+5): lvl 7.

* Effect: Increases running speed by an additional 10% (total 70%, to 13.6 mph).

* Evasion Boost - Increases evasion chance by 5% while sprinting.

* Quick Recovery - Regenerates 1 stamina every 5 seconds while sprinting.

* Enhanced Agility - Agility increases by an additional 10%, improving the ability to make quick, sharp turns and dodges.

* Momentum Shift - Reduces incoming damage by 10% while sprinting, making dodges more effective.

* Agility Reflexes - Reaction time improves, reducing the time needed to dodge or evade attacks by 10%.

* Stamina Cost: Running now depletes stamina by only 0.4 points per second.

Hopefully with how fast I could move now and how insanely agile I would be on the battlefield would help to win the day. I could move at the speed of light with my lightning, but being able to strike as fast as a viper on foot could prove critical.

Time became irrelevant to me as I walked for what felt like hours, switching the sword repeatedly between both hands from the fatigue.

Soon my feet began to splash into water, echoing in the dark halls of the dungeon. The walls themselves began to grow further apart, as if I were entering into some large cavern. Before long, as I had seen before, the water rose to my ankles, then my knees, and finally my hips. Before me stretched an endless mountain lake of the dungeon. So far there were no traps, but the chill from the water was enough to perk me up and spread goosebumps across my flesh.

A soft silver light began to stream over the waters as I mindlessly marched on. It was collectively coming from several figures that moved weightlessly through the water, almost gliding. I almost thought they were angels at first. They were young and shapely priestesses wearing long, flowing gowns of dark blue and green. Much of their skin was revealed. Upon their breasts were a dazzling array of jewelry that twinkled in the darkness, most notably the silver moons that cast a glow around them. Their perfect skin had glowing white tattoo symbols of harvest, fertility, and different phases of the moon. As I drew closer to them, my nose was flooded with frankincense and myrrh, immediately calming me and making me more sleepy.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Don’t give in, I thought, shaking my head free of the warm and fuzzy feelings that aroused as one at a time they approached me.

If my weakened memory served me well, there would be a seven headed serpent beneath the waters that would attack me if I failed the wisdom checks that the priestesses would give to me. Considering I was in a dungeon, my ability to summon a storm or lightning would be inapplicable.

The first of the seductive priestesses approached me. She stepped right into my space, her silver lips coming inches from mine, eyes batting heavily and innocent.

“What was born in battle but dies with peace, yet when revived, it brings destruction beyond cease?” she asked.

Despite my pounding headache and sluggish response, it was easy.

“Hatred,” I replied, to which she kissed my right cheek and went on her way.

Wisdom (+10): lvl 4 (10/50)

Glory (+40): 10,910

Level: 83 (40/850)

The next priestess approached me, equally as enticing.

“I am both bane and blessing, feared and revered by all who face me. You can see me and feel me, but you cannot stop me. Who am I?”

“Fate,” I said. This one brought me in for a kiss, throwing me into a spell of confusion. It felt like butterflies exploded in my stomach, my flesh yearning for me.

Wisdom (+10): lvl 4 (20/50)

Glory (+40): 10,950

Level: 83 (80/850)

No, concentrate, I thought, pushing past her before she could draw me in further.

The next one moved to block me, placing an elegant and silver tattooed hand on my breastplate. Seven sets of glowing, menacing eyes glared at me from behind her in the water. This one leaned in, whispering in my ear so close I could feel the heat of her sweet breath.

“I am silent yet deafening, empty yet full of secrets. I’ve swallowed countless lives and left no trace. What am I?”

From the array of futures I had been able to see from before, I could hardly remember the answer to this one. My mind was way too tired to think. It felt like someone had pounded a drill through the middle of my skull. My lips almost uttered the word “Fire”, but somehow I knew that was wrong. Almost too eager, the dungeon serpent bristled in excitement around my leg, excited to strike.

“Mediterranean Sea,” I finally said, not receiving seven snakeheads all at once.

The priestess giggled as she slid away, again filling me with sleepiness and longing. This place was messing with me.

Wisdom (+10): lvl 4 (30/50)

Glory (+40): 10,990

Level: 83 (120/850)

Finally a wall of the lovely priestesses approached. Slow and with grace, they encircled me, all batting their eyes and humming to themselves, singing some unknown and ancient song. A woman of even more light stood waiting on an elevated boulder on the waters beyond them.

Tanit.

“Rome lies before you,” the priestesses began, all in unison. “She awaits her master. Your victory over Caesar has pleased the gods. Tanit awaits your decision. You have two options: you can press on and crush those who supported him, for he had many and are sure to rise up again. Or, you can show mercy, allowing Rome to recover and rebuild, but risk another betrayal that could end your life.

“Shall you raze Rome to the ground, or shall you revive her?”

Tanit stood on the rocks just beyond, surrounded strangely by blue linen sheets and plump pillows. Her skin glowed with white enchanting power, almost blinding me. A crescent moon hung between her breasts, glowing with power. The seven headed serpent snaked through the dark waters before her and around me.

What would she want?

Think, think, I thought, reflecting on the multiplicity of books I read in Antiquitus. I knew all about the Roman gods, but the Carthage gods were slightly different. Tanit was the goddess of fertility and the moon.

What would please her the most?

The seven snakeheads glared at me again, eager to destroy me. Would destruction please her?

I shook my foggy head, my mind swimming in pain.

“Mercy,” I finally said, crouching in preparation for a fight. The snakeheads stood still for a long, tense moment.

Wisdom (+10): lvl 4 (40/50)

Glory (+40): 11,030

Level: 83 (160/850)

“She awaits you,” all of the priestesses said as one, departing from me.

I breathed a sigh of relief, only for it to be taken away when my eyes settled on the woman awaiting me.

“Cleopatra?” I said, doing a double take.

Cleopatra stood there in see through linens, most of her skin showing and her white teeth shining from her smile. She didn’t look pregnant or tired. She simply radiated beauty and rest. The oddly placed pillows and sheets around her took on a whole new meaning now as Cleopatra stretched out her elegant hands to pull me up.

“Take off your gear,” Cleopatra said, her laugh light and airy. “I’ve been waiting for you too long, Maximus.”

I couldn’t make sense of it. She was here, alive and healthy, yet not pregnant. She was pregnant though. What was going on?

The strong smell of frankincense and myrrh only increased as she stripped me of my gear and laid it off to the side. The heat that roared within me further numbed my mind, and I couldn’t think anymore. Every part of me wanted to lay down and rest with her, to be done with this exhausting journey. To take just a tiny nap. Though a small part of my mind raged with doubt about if this really was Cleopatra, it wasn’t strong enough for my weak and susceptible flesh which had always plagued me, even before Antiquitus.

And so I gave in.

Time melted away as I laid down with her on the incredibly soft, luxurious pillows. They felt like little clouds for my head, where I could just close my eyes and…

Bliss. Everything was perfect.

What was I so stressed about before?

Stress itself had left my body entirely. I must have died and entered Elysium, relaxing on fluffy clouds.

Some unknown time later, red notifications distracted me from my amazing, seemingly never ending rest with Cleopatra, who wrapped her arms around me. They also kept me from almost closing my eyes to the warmth that smothered me with relaxation.

* Day 8:

* Skill Penalty: All weapon damage output reduced by 30% due to weakening grip and impaired strength coordination.

* Physical Penalty: Heightened paranoia, believing even allies are conspiring against user.

* Day 9:

* Skill Penalty: All actions now cost 50% more stamina, and balance wavers, causing a 10% stumble chance during any movement action and making critical strikes impossible.

* Physical Penalty: Loss of fine motor control, with trembling hands and impaired speech.

* Day 10:

* Skill Penalty: Mind-numbing fatigue dulls pain perception, leading to delayed responses to wounds and increasing damage taken by 25%.

* Physical Penalty: Severe disorientation and trouble distinguishing reality. Intense emotional instability, with bouts of crying or anger.

The words were severely disorienting to read. I turned to look at Cleopatra next to me for an answer. But instead of my wife, I stared into the charming eyes of Tanit.