“… It was then when I heard of the Lupus Wolfpack approaching Rome. I tried my best to prepare the few men we had left to hold the city like so many times before, but it wasn’t enough. They broke through the gates and sacked the city indiscriminately. I sent a century to reinforce the Imperial Palace and protect Julia. My plan was to take the Alpha Lupus down and let the soldiers deal with the rest. It was a risky plan, I know, but it was our only hope… Until you returned.”

Minerva rested her armored arms on the table and looked to await a response from Gaius. Her explanation had taken far longer than he expected, an impressive thing considering she was vastly summarizing events. There are few ways to relay 1000 years’ worth of historical events efficiently. There were many parts where the details were secluded, but it was necessary not to delve too deeply into the whens, hows, whys and wheres.

“… I see.” He said, “One day I will require more details, but for a general overview it is enough for now.”

Gaius reached for the nearest pile of paper. He read several documents regarding the city and empire, flickering through each page. It was a good thing his characters fluency in Latin had remained, otherwise he wouldn’t be of any help in administration. As it was when he first started playing Impera, his problems were boundless, enemies never-ending and struggle absurd. It didn’t matter how intelligent and powerful himself and others thought he was, no single man can re-establish an entire empire alone. It was madness even to consider it. He was now in charge to correct the mistakes of past emperors and overcome the obstacles they couldn’t, but it was not a burden he would carry by himself.

“Minerva, give me a review of the immediate state of Rome.” He put the documents back in the pile, “As the last bastion of the empire still standing, we must make sure we set a solid base before starting to intervene further outwards.”

“Agreed,” she nodded, “I made sure to collect as much information regarding the city’s infrastructural, commercial, military, cultural and political structure for our meeting. If I may, I shall start.”

Gaius glanced at all the piles of scrolls she had brought to the Imperial Grand Strategy room. He was far too open with his request and ended up making her collect too much. If the people were happy or prosperous was of little concern. What mattered was if they were healthy and protected. Once those factors were secured, then those other scrolls will be useful.

“Focus on the most relevant issues if you can.”

“I will.” She grasped onto her main document, the one which held a general analysis of the city, “Since the attack, out population, has diminished from 100,000 to an estimated 50,000 if the body counts are accurate… Our farms are burned and plundered, the rivers polluted and diverted. Most buildings suffered great damage from the attack due to the fire and Lupus domiciliary breaches. The Imperial Walls are in a terrible state of disrepair and the gates have been improvised into functioning for the moment. Every day we receive more refugees from the countryside, as tales of our victory against the Lupus have spread… Accounting to all this, we are in a seriously bad spot, as we lack the food to feed the survivors and lack the resources to repair the buildings.”

“… How long do we have until Rome officially runs out of food?”

“With our estimates… And if the flow of refugees keeps increasing… We would have a week before starvation breaks out.”

Gaius frowned, “… Dammit, this is too bothersome.” He placed his hand over his helmet, “If we can’t secure a steady source of supplies, the city’s inhabitants will die of hunger, as they cannot flee anywhere else… Our farmlands cannot be extensively used without Lupus raiders befalling on the citizens… This is not good.”

“There has been a recent disease outbreak as well.” She said in a low tone.

“… I know.”

The sickness was no news to Gaius. That little girls’ brother was a victim of it, and back then it was obvious he wasn’t alone as a victim. It was possible to cure it with a medical spell, but he couldn’t apply it to all those who were sick. It would take weeks of day and night efforts to do so, and by then everyone would already have starved to death. What needed to be done was for trained medics or healers to undertake that task. It would take a lot of money to find and hire them, money that, if he had, he would be already spending it all on food shipments.

“… The disease must be disregarded for now. We need to find some nation, some trading partner we can access and get a reliable food shipment deal. Do you know any possible candidates?”

“None.” She shook her head, “The Sirens took advantage of the islands they seized and have cut off any trade we had with nearby nations. Their hope through the years was to starve us out, and since the Lupus have reduced out ability to grow anything ourselves, it’s been working.”

“Sirens…”

As Minerva had explained, the Sirens were part of the myriad of races who took advantage of the Empire’s fall and formed a kingdom for themselves. He should have realized that since they took the islands from the Imperial Sea trade would almost be an impossibility. No help would come from overseas.

“… If we cannot hope for anything off-shore, then…” Gaius blinked heavily. For all his might and experience, he couldn’t find a way to save his people from a fate worse than death. Starvation, sickness, and fear of awaited them tomorrow.

“Excuse me Princeps, but I forgot to mention something Important.” She leaned forward, “The Island of Cilia is very fertile. If we could seize it back into imperial Control, then food would no longer be an issue.”

“… Cilia?” Gaius asked, although mostly rhetorically. The large island off the shore of Rome was only a few hundreds of kilometers away. Back in Impera, it was a center of wheat and wine production. They wouldn’t make for a full diet, but it would be enough to keep the citizen's bellies full.

“Are you sure? How many Sirens are in that island? Do they hold the local population hostage?”

“There are no Sirens and no hostages.”

“… None?”

“There are no living beings in Cilia anymore. It has been turned into an undead realm rule by Discordia.”

“An… Undead Realm?” he gasped, “… I see… So that’s where she is…” he thought on the matter, staring onto the island’s depiction in the local map, “You mentioned Discordia was among the surviving Divine Legionnaires, but you didn’t say why she went to Cilia.”

“It was part of her mission, given by Emperor Flavius.” Minerva took an old document from a pile, “The Sirens captured the island and started killing the local population. As the Emperor was busy with the Lupus Invasion, he dispatched Discordia to retake it.”

“Was she successful?” asked Gaius.

“… Partially.” Minerva sighed, “She did what she did best and killed everyone she found there, but once her job was done Flavius had been killed in battle, and so she refused my commands to return. She’s been there for 10 years now…”

“She doesn’t obey you, then?”

“She doesn’t. As she had made obvious in the past, she only takes orders from the emperor. As Julia was too young to assume the office we were left in a limbo where Discordia wouldn’t recognize the authority of anyone. I considered bringer back by force, but beyond doubting my ability to win against her in an open battle, I was too busy trying to keep things afloat after Flavius’ death.”

Gaius facepalmed. An unrelenting guilt flew in his bones. Why did he have to make Discordia like that? Why did she have to be one of the few to survive this long? It was his own fault, even if the consequences of past actions couldn’t be predicted. Divine Legionnaires like Minerva and Discordia were part of the exception. The immortality granted by their respective races ended up meaning they were the only ones around when he woke up. He wondered if it was the same case for the other one. Venus’ immortality wasn’t simply a passive racial ability like that of elves or vampires.

“… We will deal with Discordia very soon, but before getting our hands dirty we need to plan things further. On the topic of your sisters…”

“Shall we discuss Venus?”

“Yes.” Gaius passed the map to Minerva’s side of the table, “You mentioned she is also alive and in the area. Where is she exactly?”

Minerva dragged her finger to the center, “She holds the currently largest urban center in the Imperial Peninsula, the city of Tioch. It is a wealthy and well-developed city under her absolute authority.”

“Absolute authority? What the hell…” Gaius couldn’t hold his true thought back, “Discordia’s behavior I can understand, but what is Venus doing? What’s all this about her ruling by herself?”

Minerva sighed, “Emperor Flavius granted her that rank shortly after he ascended to the throne some fifteen years ago. It gave her dominion of that particular piece of the peninsula. She’s used it to de facto be a queen, and rule as she saw fit. Because of her policies, the city became a center of demonic races and mischievous business.”

“He gave her that authority? For what reason?”

“Contrary to Discordia who had a clear objective, Venus was granted her position for no apparent reason. I’ve had my suspicions, but they are not worthy of your ears.”

“Nonsense.” Gaius straightened his back in the chair, “If you know why, then I must know.”

Minerva’s long elven ears lowered a little, her pale cheeks slightly blushing, “… Emperor Flavius always seemed to hold a particular fondness of Venus and vice versa. That is to say, they were very close…”

A nauseating impulse crawled from inside Gaius’ stomach. As he realized what Minerva meant, it had almost reached his throat. He held his hand over his mouth, but pretend to be stroking his short beard, “… So… Ugh, him and Venus…”

“Of course, their affairs bore no children due to the racial differences. Nevertheless, I am quite convinced their relationship is the cause of her defiance after his death, and why she doesn’t recognize my authority as Julia’s regent. Furthermore… Hmm, Princeps?”

Gaius had both his hands scratching his helmet. So recently had he thought Discordia was the worst NPC who could have survived until then, but he was proven wrong. Yet another of his joke characters, Venus was now a fully sentient being who lived all these years and was apparently still in her written persona. It was an unmatchable shame. Of all his NPCs, why did he give the immortal races to those ones? To counteract his despair, he luckily had made Minerva an immortal elf. She would be the voice of reason, the living standard who proves Gaius wasn’t a masochist, maniac sadist when it came to his creations.

“… I’m still listening.”

“Well, pardon for interrupting your thoughts. You must be considering many things.”

“Yes… A great many things…” he rested his arms back on the table, “… I’m trying to understand why those two got together. It might be relevant when we encounter her, be it as an enemy or ally.”

“I’m not sure what you mean to ask.” Minerva tilted her head, “By your own design, Venus was built to be an absolute female beauty, which is why I wager Flavius was so interested in her.”

“I meant on the other end, on Venus’ end…”

“Oh… That is… Difficult to guess. Whenever I attempt to get into the minds of my sisters I never get anywhere.”

“Understandable.” Gaius nodded, “You three are far too different from each other in so many ways.’

“Indeed… But if I had to guess, it might be her racial affinity to powerful beings.”

With that, Gaius fully understood what had happened. Venus’ specific demonic race, that of Succubus had a passive talent which allowed them to sense the total amount of Health, Stamina, Magicka of a being, among other stats. He made her that way as it was the most fitting build for an NPC focused in assassination and infiltration. Once more, he failed to predict the differences aspects from Impera would have in this new reality. Was everything about a succubus to be true, then it not only made sense of how Venus managed to survive as long as her immortal sisters, but Gaius knew exactly how she did it. He shuddered, closing his eyes in a mix of disgust and shame.

“She’ll be a piece of work, but once Discordia has been dealt with she will follow along. I’ll make sure of it. They are my responsibility…”

A soft smile reached Gaius. He had spoken like a father, and that’s what speaking of the Divine Legionnaires naturally required from him. It was said back in the early days of Rome that to be a good politician one would be indifferentiable from a good father, for the most exalted of all citizens would be the father of the state. It was uncomfortable to think with such a fraternal guise on matters that required precision, cynicism, and lack of morals. It could be a good father was indeed the same thing. If that was so, then power itself might not be an end goal, but the tool for a grander objective, one he yet did not conceptualize.

“… Regarding Rome and Divine Legionnaires, all of great importance has been said.” He pulled the map back to his side, “Let us then focus on our enemies and decide on how to most efficiently eradicate them.”

“Certainly.” She nodded, “There are three races of hostile monsters who have grasped partial control of the Imperial Peninsula as the years passed.” She pointed to the archipelago of islands off the coast, “On our shores are the Sirens… About whom Discordia has already cleared off of Cilia, yet they still roam the seas and threaten any ship which sails too far...” her finger went to the peninsula, “To the northwest are the Lupus. They killed most of our legions in our last set-piece battle, killing Flavius and taking most of the countryside for themselves…” Finally, her hand went to the mountains, “To the North are the Dragons. Ancient and powerful monsters who have migrated here during one of our last civil wars. They enslaved much of the northern population, demanding tribute and servitude from anyone they get their grasps on. They are hostile to the Lupus and have skirmished before.”

“What a mess…” Gaius sighed, “To think Rome would be surrounded by so many enemies, and without a single legion on the field… “He looked at the northwestern portion of the map, “Tell me of Arcail, the Alpha Lupus of the wolfpacks.”

That one…” Minerva’s eyes squinted, “He’s been responsible for so many roman deaths…”

“Give me a brief summary of his abilities. Surely, you must have encountered him many times, no?”

“Not quite. Before Flavius' fatal battle took place he ordered me to stay in Rome and protect Julia. As it happens, he never did mount a direct attack on the city. All attempts were made by independent and smaller wolfpacks. In short, I have never met that particular monster.” She reached for another scroll, “According to our intelligence, Arcail is an incredibly powerful Alpha Lupus. Imperial records of him trace back hundreds of years. He is an elder one, and his strength only benefited from so much experience…”

“If that’s the case, then he must have been born shortly after my departure. That gives a long timeframe to develop himself… Regarding physical strength, we might even be equals.”

“Its good Lupus are incompetent with Magicka, then.” Said Minerva, “He will share the same fate as the one who dared breach the eternal city.”

“… We must recover ourselves, starting with the army.” Gaius changed the subject, “We must stop thinking about individuals and address the larger picture. For that, we need capable soldiers.”

“It won’t be practical to recruit from the local population, much less deploy them for battle. Most available men we have left are already conscripted as Rome’s garrison, leaving only the old, woman and children left.”

“You are correct, but the fact still stands. We cannot hold onto what we gain without the legions. I might be able to win the battles, but who is going to be there to enforce my rule when I’m gone? I can’t be everywhere at once…”

Minerva raised her head, “… Technically, we still have a legion we can call upon.”

“… We do?” Gaius voice thinned for a small moment, “Which one?”

“As part of her rank, Venus was awarded a personal Legion to guard her and the city of Tioch. From what I gather, it is still intact and under her command.”

Gaius’ eyes widened, “This changes a lot… I was planning on dealing with her after the Lupus, but know she’s a big priority. It’s fundamentally important to take control of her men back into the Empire.” Gaius grabbed onto the map, “First we will go to Discordia and put her back on a leash, so to say. The people of Rome need that food as fast as possible, and our armies could very well use a talented Obliteration Master like her. Next, we will go to Tioch and relegate Venus back in her position of Divine Legionnaire, under your authority.”

Minerva nodded, her green pupils widening, “It will be my pleasure.”

“Once our forces are reunited, we will mount a coordinated surprise attack on the main Lupus host. It is monumentally important for them all to die. Beyond the need of justice to be made and permanently nullifying them as a threat, we must let it be known the Empire will no longer tolerate such open defiance and humiliation. They all must die.” Gaius said coldly.

“We will see to it.” Minerva replied with passion, yet conformity, “Shall we befall the Dragons then?”

“… No.” Gaius shook his head, “We will need time to recover, plan and strategize. One thing is killing barbarian Lupus, the other is fighting Elder Dragons… If they have been given the time to develop, they must be much stronger then what they were in my time. It will be a great challenge, one we will need to prepare for.”

“A wise decision.” she put her helmet back on, “Shall we be off to Cilia then?”

“Yes.” Gaius put his hand on the table, “We will personally tell Discordia there is now an emperor to obey.” He got off the table, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, Princeps.” Minerva went to her side, “However, is it wise to leave Rome unguarded? What if the Lupus take advantage of our absence and attack us again?”

“It is a risk we must take.” He, his head low, “The clock is already against us. We cannot stay idly in Rome hoping for our problems to vanish or that someone will solve them for us. Fortune favors the bold, and I plan to compensate for the cowardice of a hundred generations.”

“… Understood.”

She looked quite bothered, even depressed about it. Was it due to facing her sister, or was it about leaving Rome? She had been stationed in the city for so many years now it was insane to imagine. She must have grown attached to it by necessity, and now the same force is telling her to leave it. It must be disconcerting for her. At that moment, judging her as an NPC, a scripted AI program was beyond impossible. She looked and acted like a living being, and even if it all was fake, it didn’t matter anymore.

“… I wanted to apologize.” Gaius stared at Minerva through his visor, “An unbelievable amount of responsibility has been placed on your shoulders by my past mistakes. It was unfair to you…”

Minerva looked serious before smiling softly, “… Bearing responsibility and serving the Empire is the reason why I exist. If I had to go through it all again, still unsure you would ever return, I would still do what was asked of me to the best of my abilities.”

Gaius was at a loss for words. Her words and actions so far did nothing but prove her statement. Through such a confusing situation, he could still count on her help. For the secluded Emperor, her devotion was altogether astounding, “…. Just take the apology, damn you…”

Someone knocked on the door. As the Grand Strategy room was so large and empty of obstructions, the sound echoed loudly. Opening the door, a soldier barged in holding a scroll, “Excuse me, but I have an important report from our scouts in the field! It is said to be urgent!”

Minerva quickly snapped to look at him, “Bring it here.” She said. The soldier rushed to her side, delivering the scroll and just as fast leaving the room and closing the door. She opened it, reading with great attentiveness.

“… Princeps, our scouts have sent word from the Lupus’ recent activity.”

“What of it?” he asked, “Are they mounting another attack?”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be the case. Their main host is still where it was before, however, this report informs of small Lupus wolfpacks diverging into the countryside.”

“Are they scouting us? Or are they just gathering food?”

“It doesn’t look to be either of those… It is said one of those groups got in a boat and sailed west… That could only mean…”

“… Discordia.” Gaius concluded, “They are trying to contact Discordia.”

“That is the only viable explanation… Which means the other groups must be heading to Venus.”

“… Why?” Gaius asked, “Why are they attempting to do this?”

Minerva closed the scroll, placing on the table, “There is only one reason I can conceive of.” She glanced back at Gaius, “It is possible Arcail is trying to ally himself with my sisters, taking advantage of our currently poor relationship to one another.”

Gaius gruntled, “That would be very bad… If a united force of the Lupus and Legions, led by an Alpha Lupus and two Divine Legionnaires attack us, we most likely won’t be able to save the city. No, we couldn’t do it at all…”

“This is painful to consider, but…” Minerva took a moment to speak, “If that truly comes to pass, the Empire will be no more.”

Gaius rested against the wall, lost in deep thinking with his arms crossed. If it came to it, he could see himself defeating Discordia, Venus, and Arcail, but not with a vast army assisting them. Even if they were to interfere, the city would suffer in his place. He would lose, one way or the other.

”… That will not happen.” He said confidently, “We must reach those two before they are given time to be convinced by the Lupus.”

“Who shall we target first, then? Will it still be Discordia?”

“We cannot go together. There’s no time to make two different trips. I will go to Discordia, and you to Venus concurrently.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, “If Discordia has already betrayed us, I won’t be able to assist you if you befall on her grasp…”

“Again, it is a risk we must take.” He touched her shoulder pad, “Do your best to try and convince Venus to return to our side. Don’t let your ill feelings get in the way.”

“… Understood.” She nodded, “I will not fail you.”

“Good.” He let go of her, “I’m off to Cilia. I’ll take our best and fasted remaining ship and should be back in a few days.”

“I’ll be here with Venus once you get back, in chains if it need be.”

“… Very well.” Gaius walked off, towards the door. “You ought to be careful not to fall on her grasp as well.”

“I will.” She replied.

Gaius smirked under his helmet, leaving the room. Each time he tried to fight against the clock, it worked just as hard to counter him. Time had been such an enemy of his these past few days it would be odd he didn’t hold a grudge. He closed the door and departed to his mission.