Percius had two official meetings scheduled for the day, and one personal meeting to attend.
The first was with the commander of the first military legion of the Empire, and the second was with the minister of the capital city. The personal meeting was with his own son, Percius V.
Percius sat at his exquisite golden throne in the magnificently decorated throne room- guards lined up on either side of him, waiting for the guests to arrive. Percius wore his usual red tunic, symbolizing his status as the Emperor, and the crown of vines donned his head.
An enormous man, well over 7 feet tall yet very skinny for his height, wearing a shining set of golden armor walked into the room, marching steadily.
He wore a helmet that was lined thinly on the face area, and had holes in it that were similar to a mesh or a cheese grater. To an extent it looked like the same outfit a beekeeper or a baseball catcher would wear. The helmet had a rectangular metal plate which could be pulled down over this thin mesh to protect the face, which looked similar to a welders mask, and the dark green mane which was attached to the back of the helmet protruded from a single location, looking more like a spiked up ponytail than a mohawk.
This was the commander of the first legion, Caspus. He walked with pride, and one could see his youthful face through the mesh. Despite being at the young age of only 28, he had managed to succeed in many battles and expeditions into the monster realm throughout his life, and his experience and intuition had lead him to his current position.
He had a curved long-sword at his belt, which was lined with tassels and embroidery. In a way, he looked somewhat like a mix between a samurai and a knight.
His armor clinked against itself as he paced through the throne room before reaching the spot before Percius and kneeling before him, after removing his helmet.
"My Liege, the Emperor. At your command, I stand before you."
Percius sat up in his seat and lifted up his hand, motioning for Caspus to stand at ease.
Caspus obeyed and stood up.
"As I was informed the other day, the Indeterminant has appeared in the Ruthobold Kingdom. I have done much thinking on how to proceed with this information, and I have come to a conclusion. The arrival of the Indeterminant to this world implies the arrival of the heroes- those who will save humanity and beat back the monsters and the demon lords who lead them. The times will surely become turbulent soon, and it is critical that we gain the advantage in the chaos."
"It is as you say, my Liege. What do you intend to do?"
"I will personally visit the Ruthobold kingdom to make contact with the Indeterminant and try to negotiate with their fool of a king. I doubt that we will see things eye to eye, but it is necessary that the heroes of the nations be sent here to the Empire- the front line of humanity- so that a campaign can be launched into the monster realm. If the heroes are not all present during this campaign, the strength of humanity may fail to either the current monster kings, or by the legendary demon lords who are said to arise. Therefore, it is crucial- even if we have to give up land or gold to the kingdom- to negotiate a trade so that they are willing to send their hero to this land."
"It truly inspires me how you care about the entirety of humanity as much as to sacrifice our own land and people in order to beat back those fiends. I will do everything in my power to serve you and your purpose.", Caspus said with his hand on his heart. .
"I thank you for that, Caspus. You have served well in these past 12 years since you joined the military, and now you have obtained a ranking of the highest post. However, the strife of a soldier is never over. I have a new assignment for you."
"And what might that be, my Liege?"
"I wish for you to travel by sea as a legion in order to take over the fishmen village on the Northern edge of the monster realm. If we are able to establish a strategic outpost there, then it will serve us well for an entire campaign when the heroes are able to join the fight."
"Do you believe that an entire legion of ten thousand men is necessary for the annexation of a single village with only around 1500 to 2000 inhabitants, from what we know? Or is this merely caution?"
"I do not wish for any more casualties than necessary. If possible, the best result would be complete retreat of the enemy upon sight of the fleet, so that the location may be overtaken without bloodshed. The purpose of this maneuver is twofold- to test our strength against a mid-tier group of monsters on a large scale, and to take over the strategic point for naval transport in the future. We don't know how strong the monsters in the middle areas of the monster realm are, so it is your duty to find out, even if it requires an excessive force."
"Indeed. I had surmised as much. You truly care about not only your own people, but also of those who are not your own. My Liege, I will do as you wish."
"Please allow time for mercenaries to be hired before setting off. I will have the minister send out a request to all senators, who will then contact the guild leaders of each town. Once as many mercenaries as possible have gathered, set off in 1 week time. Ensure to send messengers with any updates on the situation to me."
"Of course my liege. I will go and begin the preparations immediately."
With that, the man turned back and walked out of the throne room. On the closing of the large door he entered, another man came in- this one an older gentleman with a short white beard and sharp eyes. He wore a purple tunic and gold rings on each finger, and on his head was a crown of leaves similar to the emperors, however thinner.
This was the minister of Turak, the capital of the Vythguard empire- Longitudinas. He was only second to the Senator of the Capital and the Emperor himself in power.
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He came in gracefully and swiftly and walked up to the Emperor with style that was unfitting of a man who appeared to be in his late sixties. He did not kneel, but simply lowered his head as he might become stuck on the ground and unable to stand again due to his bad knees if he were to do so.
"My Liege. For what reason have you called me here?"
"Minister Longitudinas. You have served this city of Turak well for many years. I have called you here because of news that you may be well aware of already- the arrival of the Indeterminant in the kingdom."
"I have heard the rumors."
"Let me get straight to the point. I intend to start a campaign in the monster realm, spearheaded by the heroes of humanity. I wish for you to contact the senators of each city throughout the Empire and send out a request to the mercenary guilds in order to hire troops for the annexation of the fishmen village in the northern sector of the monster realm. I wish you to offer a payment of a single gold coin per day. We need as many mercenaries as possible if we are to truly begin this long term war. Many lives will be lost, and I wish to minimize these losses even at the cost of our own purses."
"I will do as you command, my Liege. However, is that not too large of a cost? Do you not think you are being too generous to those who are not even citizens of our country?"
"I have made myself clear on many occasions. I may be the leader of a country, but more important than even that, I am a representative of humanity- and not humans alone, but also the elves and dwarves of the Alliance, despite their isolationist policies. In our fight against the monsters that lurk beyond the wall, there is no room for internal squabbles. Doing so will only allow us to be crushed from multiple fronts. Rather, if we are to show this kindness and extend an equal wage and position to people of all countries, I consider it a long term investment for them to return the favor when the monsters are attacking our country."
"Even so, a single gold per day for each mercenary will run the coffers of the Empire dry in a single month if things go well and most of the mercenaries are not killed off. Could you not consider lowering the payment by at least half?"
"Minister, you are overstepping your bounds. Please do as I have ordered and I will forget this conversation ever occurred. Is that understood?"
"Yes my liege. Of course."
"There is one more thing I must ask of you."
"What is it?"
"I will be leaving for a journey to the Ruthobold Kingdom very soon, and I must rely on my son to act as the reigning Emperor while I am gone... please look over him and ensure that he does not do anything rash in my absence."
With a light bow the minister responded "I will do as you ask, my liege."
The minister then left with just as much grace in his step, and not a single shadow of irritation on his face. He was a true politician, always aiming to be politically correct while not compromising on his views and policies. Even so, he could not stand directly against the Emperor- lest he be targeted by one more powerful than he.
'Our Emperor is too kind for his own good... such a kind leader to all peoples will lead this country to ruin... I can only hope that the majority of mercenaries are wiped out in the coming battle, however that is nothing more than wishful thinking...well, that depends on which Legion Commander was put in charge of the offensive.'
The minister left the room quietly and the door was closed shut, leaving the Emperor alone in the throne room.
The Emperor stood up and motioned for the soldiers lined up to follow him. Servants had already been packing his things for the trip to the Ruthobold kingdom, and now it was the time to speak to his son who would be taking over the Empire as the ruler while he was gone. Percius had already sent a messenger to King Ruthobold that he would be coming personally to meet with him, and so he would likely be well received- he was the ruler of a country after all, and this was not something which could be taken so lightly even by the ruler of another country.
Percius reminisced about his son as he got up to head over to speak with him.
'Sigh... I wish that my son was a bit wiser than he is... he is such a hotheaded child who cannot be trusted with the rule of the Empire... if only his mother were still alive. Perhaps he would have been raised a bit better if she were around to take care of him. As the Emperor, I had no choice but to rule the country over spending time with him, but he seems to believe that he can do anything with the Empire when he inherits the throne... he is unaware that war is not the solution to everything, and that it should only be used as a last resort against those who cannot be negotiated with... he thinks that he will be able to simply take over the world as soon as he comes to power... he is much too naive. I have to properly teach him how to rule and care for the people if he is to inherit the throne. If he were to inherit it right now then that would be a disaster...especially so in these trying times...'
Percius headed out into the courtyard escorted by the guards around him. He looked around at the fountains and greenery around him in appreciation.
'What a wonderful job the gardener has done... what a wonderful country I live in... each and every person is working so hard against the odds to create beautiful scenery such as this... I absolutely have to protect it from the monsters beyond the walls.'
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Percius was led to the quarters of his son, and upon reaching the grand wooden door that was well carved and laced in silver, he motioned for the guards to step back and watch the perimeter while he privately spoke to his son.
He knocked on the door before hearing his son shout "One sec! I'm coming!!!"
Some rustling occurred from inside the room and his son opened the door. His tunic was wrapped around his waste- barely covering him- and he clearly was having fun with some woman in his bedroom. It was a shameful sight for Percius as his father, and even more so as the Emperor.
"What do you want old man? Can't you see that I'm busy? If you aren't ready to croak so that I can take over this Empire and lead us to some real glory, then why even bother coming to talk to me?"
Percius sighed in disappointment on seeing his son fooling around as usual. He was ashamed to have a son like this, and if there were powerful factions remaining in the Empire who were against his rule, his son would be the first person they targeted to gain the advantage.
'No, perhaps there still are others who plan on using my son against me... I don't believe there are any factions remaining, but there could always be people plotting behind my back, and hiding things from me....'
His son was an unworthy heir, and Percius knew this.
"My son, you cannot allow yourself to be presented like this. How many times have I told you that you must learn to become more fitting of a ruler if you are to inherit this country from me?"
"When I inherit this country from you we won't be sitting back like we are these days, barely defending our boarders from a few weak monsters. We have too much military strength to be such a peaceful country like we are right now."
"You know nothing about the horrors of war, and the terrors lurking in the monster realm. However, that is not the reason why I have come here. I will be leaving on a trip soon, and I need you to take over as the acting Emperor while I am gone. However, you must absolutely not make any rash decisions. You must present yourself well to anyone who seeks an audience with you, and you must maintain your temper and consider the consequences of each and every statement you make. I will be gone for only around a week at most, and I will have the minister and the Senator by your side to assist you... however should you fail in your duties as Emperor, and allow the Empire to plunge into chaos in the short time I am gone- then I will disown you as my son and as the heir to the throne. And that will be the end of the discussion. Is that understood?"
The son had a gleam in his eye and an immature smile which indicated that he was excited to take over the country as a ruler, however he responded in a calm and polite voice after hearing these words from his father.
"Alright. I won't let you down."
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