* Western Emperor Nero, not to be outdone in the grief department, pens a tragic opera about Commodus’s life and death, starring himself as the fallen emperor. The audience, unsure whether to laugh or cry, opts for silent terror as Nero demands encore after encore.
It was impossible to fall asleep.
Even after I had washed the blood off of me and tried to wind down with my bride, who now clung to me more than before from my rescue of her, the adrenaline was too strong within me. Instead, I let Cleopatra go back to bed while I paced the gardens overlooking the Tiber River, alone.
I found myself staring at the black, rushing waters for a long time.
Tomorrow, or technically today, would be twenty-eight days until Aqua Virgos Refugium, the underwater city mentioned in the note that was staked onto my doorpost. What did that even mean? I sorted through the possibilities in my mind.
Clearly, the note was not from the Western Emperor Elagabalus. It didn’t make sense coming from him, but the assassins he just sent did. The boy emperor was very displeased when I killed one of his Caesars, Commodus, at the conclusion of the Colosseum tournament.
So, who else could that be? The only group I could think of would be the Cult of Eternal Night whose sinister plans for utopia eluded me.
“System, do you know anything about this, what it all means?” I asked the System, who watched over everything.
System Message: “Ah, come crawling back to me for wisdom? How fitting. Unfortunately, no. The Cult of Eternal Night’s plans are hidden well by Persephone. However, if they intend to go there when they do , you should stop them.”
“What would they gain by going to the city of the sirens?” I said, shuddering at the thought of the Siren Queen I had slain earlier and barely made it out with my life.
System Message: “Maximus, for all of your wisdom you are quite dull. Upon the new moon, the gates of the city will open up to the labyrinth. What they desire inside is a mystery. But if you want me to remain as your god and not these sociopathic women, then by all means beat them to it so they don’t further their goals. Remember what’s at stake here: me.”
I rolled my eyes at the System’s words. But what it told me was invaluable. Confirmation of the Cult’s influence was supremely helpful in deciphering the note. What they planned to find there was unknown, but it couldn’t be any good. They must be stopped. It would take about four days to reach the Siren Isles if we secured naval transportation, giving us twenty-four days to prepare. It would be wise to discuss this with Caesar.
But before then, one nagging question remained.
“Why would the Cult inform me of their plans to reach the labyrinth?” I asked. “They were hellbent on stopping me from killing Cetus, yet they saved me in the tournament. I don’t understand their motives.”
System Message: “One word: women.”
I shook my head in confusion. “What?”
System Message: “Are you still so blind even with your Historical Insight to see the future? Goodness Maximus. The little informer was none other than your former love, Camilla.”
Heat rushed to my face. “Camilla?”
System Message: “Quite a strange creature, that one.”
That made zero sense in my estimation. “Why? If I knew of its location, wouldn’t that make me more of a threat to their plans?”
System Message: “Ah, there’s the wisdom! At long last. I was beginning to worry that the arrow you received to the head dropped your intelligence.”
As much as I was reluctantly grateful for what the System revealed, if anything, this revelation only complicated the matter further. I blushed in realizing Camilla probably saw me about to lay with my new wife.
Nevermind that, I thought, pushing it aside. Camilla saving me in the tournament and showing me where to go next would certainly not be condoned by her cult. No, this was on her own initiative.
Whatever the reason, I was grateful for the knowledge and would act on it.
New Quest: A Maze Me
"Race against the shadows and prevent the Cult of Eternal Night from retrieving an unidentified object of immense power from the labyrinth. Fail, and the world will be plunged into eternal darkness of their vague notion of utopia, as will my benevolent reign."
Rewards:
Key of Aetherius: A mystical key that opens hidden passages and unlocks ancient secrets. Its true potential remains veiled, just like your supposed heroism.
Ring of Perseverance: A ring said to boost your endurance and strength, allowing you to push beyond mortal limits. Perfect for someone who often falls short.
Labyrinth Loot: Take anything you want, there’s loads of treasure down there (if you can carry it).
“Do you accept this quest, Maximus? Or will you let the Cult of Eternal Night plunge the world into darkness while you bumble about your villa with your prostitute bride?
“Yes or no? C’mon, let me hear it.”
I sighed. “You are obnoxious. Of course.”
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Quest accepted!
Morning came not long after.
I spent too much time mulling over Camilla and her betrayal. I couldn’t allow her to distract me from stopping her chaotic cult. Even if she was for some reason helping me, it did me no good to stew over it. She had lost her chance to be on the right side of all of this when she screwed me and Bulla Felix over to Rome.
Instead, I used this time to use up my remaining skill points. This time, I looked into the Art of War Skill Tree, seeing as I had gained tremendous Intelligence thus far.
* Art of War Tree: Intelligence
* Military Management:
* Battlefield Tactics:
* Honor Guard:
* Siege Engineering:
* Ship Management:
* Naval Tactics:
Since I wasn’t in charge of an army yet but would be responsible for my small team, I spent one on Battlefield Tactics to improve our morale. If that ever broke in a battle, it would mean certain doom for all of us.
Battlefield Tactics (+1): lvl 1.
* Gain the ability to effectively command small units in battle. Increases unit morale by 10%. Simple formations and maneuvers become available for you to command (shield walls, skirmishing lines).
I also spent one on Real Estate Lord, reflecting on a comment Gauis had made the day before. He said I would need it if I wanted to manage my new home and be able to buy others in the future.
Real Estate Lord: lvl 1.
* You can now buy and manage real estate.
Skill Points (-2): 0
After this, I returned to my villa. Titus, one of my first and most steadfast friends whom I had met as a bandit, was the first I encountered. I found the tall and muscular man hand feeding a baby horse in one of my stables. He gently patted the foal as it fed from him. I paused before distracting him. The hulking blacksmith looked so at peace amongst the animals. When he turned to gather more food, he saw me, his face lighting up with joy.
“Max!” he said, immediately lifting me up to a bear-hug. “How’s married life, my friend? You’re up rather early!”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I said through crushed lungs.
“Ah, even better!” he said, laughing as he put me down. “I’m very happy for you my friend. If there is anyone deserving of a wife, it is you. I and the others would not be alive if it wasn’t for your leadership and courage to fight the monsters before us.”
I smiled at his words. He truly was like a brother to me.
“Thank you Titus,” I said. After he told me about some of the blacksmith repairs, I asked him to gather everyone to meet me after they had eaten breakfast. I would need my new friends if I was going to take on this dangerous quest to stop the Cult of the Eternal Night.
Before the gathering, I needed to set things in order for my estate to get things running smoothly. There were fifty servants already setting to work for the day about my estate. However, I needed to guide the ship of my property in a profitable direction if all of the money I had just acquired would continue to grow. Afterall, Julius Caesar had stressed to me that we would need a fortune of denarii in the coming days if we were going to bring down the wicked tetrarchy which oppressed Rome.
I found Gaius exactly where I thought he’d be: my villa’s library. He was truly one of the smartest individuals on the estate, his nose already buried in a sea of books besides, surprisingly, Cassius, the Shadow who oversaw my libraria business in Rome.
“Did you purchase the required skill?” Gauis said, not bothering to look up.
“If he’s smart, he did,” the Shadow said, thumbing through a stack of parchment papers.
“I did,” I said, joining them on the couches which lay before the circular bookshelves.
“Here, look this over,” Gaius said, handing me some papers. Immediately, the text glowed blood red.
Villa Fortunata Overview
Daily Income: 600 Denarii
* Olive Grove:
* Produces olives and olive oil.
* Daily Income: 300 Denarii
* Lush Gardens:
* Produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale.
* Daily Income: 200 Denarii
* Rental and Events:
* Hosting events, weddings, and renting out parts of the villa.
* Daily Income: 100 Denarii
Daily Upkeep: 350 Denarii
* Servants’ Wages:
* Average daily wage per servant: 3 Denarii
* Total for 50 servants: 150 Denarii
* Food and Provisions:
* Daily cost to feed all servants and residents: 100 Denarii
* Maintenance and Repairs:
* Daily cost for maintaining the villa, gardens, and olive grove: 50 Denarii
* Utilities and Miscellaneous:
* Includes water, oil for lamps, and other necessary supplies: 50 Denarii
Net Daily Income: 250 Denarii
Wealth (+300): 101,158 Denarii
“Not bad,” I said, looking at the profit. “I also make about fifty denarii from my libraria. Three hundred a day is pretty good.”
“But it will not be enough for what is to come,” a commanding voice said behind me before he joined us on the couch.
“Caesar,” I said, nodding with respect to the living legend.
“There are some upgrades we can begin to increase revenues,” Gaius suggested, handing me and Caesar some more parchment with his ideas. “Caesar had me prepare them right away.”
“Apologies for being forward,” Caesar said. “I wanted you to enjoy the pleasures of marriage and not be burdened by such deliberations yet. We will need the finances if we are to be successful in overcoming the remaining tetrarchy.”
“Your forwardness is needed, as of last night,” I said, before briefly filling him, Gaius, and Cassius in on the events of the attempted assassinations, the Cult of the Eternal Night, and the race to the labyrinth.
Cassius and Gauis stewed in silence at the news, while Caesar frowned in thought before speaking. “Whatever this Cult is only further necessitates our need to grow quickly in power and resources. A diversion to race to this labyrinth comes at an unfortunate time. We will not bode well with enemies on all sides. Our need is to raise legions willing to unshackle themselves from the tetrarchy, or now the triumvirate I should say.”
“I would not ignore this threat,” Cassius said, his dark eyes boring into Caesar. “They are more powerful than you know. If Maximus insists their plans be foiled, whatever their aim, it would be wise to heed it.”
“Very well,” Caesar said, turning to me. “I will remain behind, along with Decimus, to prepare what we need for the coming civil war. I would choose upgrades to the villa that would best accommodate for hosting men and providing for militia. I will need Decimus to forge equipment and arms for them. You can take as many companions that you need for the quest if you deem it vital. Just promise to return swiftly. If the assassination attempts have already begun, there is no telling how soon Elagabalus, Nero, and Caligula will increase their attacks on us until we are all but destroyed.”
“Civil war,” I said, the words heavy. It really would come to this. There would be blood on the horizon. Whether our blood or the triumvirate would be spilt remained in the air.
Before I could choose an upgrade for the villa, a servant rushed into the library, out of breath.
“My lord!” he said, fear in his eyes. “A host of men approach us!”