“Does he not have skills yet?” Karl asked.

  “He’s not sixteen yet,” Kara said, as if it were obvious.

  “Oh,” Karl said as he stood to his feet and notched an arrow. “I wonder why that is.”

  “The System’s not a fan of child murder,” Ratatoskr said as he chased after Justus up the aqueduct. “Well, not all the time. You should have seen the Mount Vesuvius explosion quest he had the Emperor endure!”

  “What are you doing?” Karl shouted.

  “Giving you incentive,” the Trickster said as he grappled his way to the top with his projectile claw that shot up like a metal chain before launching him the rest of the way. “I haven’t had my third lunch yet,” the squirrel said, giggling as he got to the top and chased after Justus, who shouted with joy at being pursued.

  “You’d think he’d not want to get shot in the butt again,” Sporus muttered darkly, making Karl laugh.

  “Let’s see what you have,” Livia said, nodding to Karl to test out his new ability.

  His arrow notched, Karl drew back his tentacle bowstring, making a squelching sound that grossed out Sporus. Once he felt mostly comfortable with aiming at Livia’s son—whom she assured would be totally fine and for him not to worry about killing her son accidentally—he activated his Arrow Will Guidance, draining 25 Stamina points.

  As soon as the arrow fled from his bowstring and whistled into the air, Karl’s vision became the arrow’s. He could still see out of his own eyes, but now it was like seeing with a third eye, which was disorienting at first. It felt like he was being catapulted as the arrow sped with blinding speed toward where Justus had laid the tomato out of sight. Karl could see it instantly as the arrow flew. It had to be at least 270 meters away. The tomato would have been invisible had he not had his Arrow Will Guidance.

  Seeing that the arrow’s trajectory would completely miss the tomato, Karl mentally willed the arrow to flex downward as much as 30 degrees to change its trajectory. It felt like he was straining his neck, pushing it down. But true to the ability’s design, he was able to snake the arrow downward and straight into the tomato, right before the Trickster could get his teeth on it.

  The force was so great that it caused the tomato to explode into frozen tomato cubes. The Trickster shrieked with horror that his lunch had been destroyed. Save for Justus, who was overwhelmed with excitement at the heroic feat.

  Elf Leap (+lvl 27). Instantly teleport up to 270 meters after successfully hitting your target with artillery. Line of sight required. Cooldown: 8 seconds. Hit beyond 280 meters to reduce cooldown by 2 seconds.)

  Glory (+20): 1,920

  Level: 39 (50/400)

  “Well done,” Livia said as Justus came running back from the aqueduct with the arrow and frozen bits of tomato.

  “Yeah, thanks a lot, Karl!” the Trickster shouted as Karl’s vision returned to himself now that the arrow’s flight was over.

  As much as Karl wanted to continue training, his and Kara’s stomachs both growled at the same time, indicating how hungry they were. Still, he looked at the next and final ability for the Path of the Farseer, feeling daunted by how many Skill Points it required.

  True Sight Dominion

  Description: User fully synchronizes his senses with the arrow’s flight. Time slows as he becomes both archer and projectile, capable of impossible shots.

  Effect: 100% arrow-perspective vision until the arrow hits. Time slows by 50% for everyone but the user during flight. User can guide the arrow freely (up to 120 degrees of turning). Arrow can perform one loop or spin maneuver. +200% Crit Damage. Ignores 50% of armor.

  Cost: 8 Skill Points

  Stamina: 50

  Cooldown: 40 seconds

  “Will you get up?” the Trickster said as he rejoined the group and jumped onto Justus’s shoulder, who laughed at the robot’s companionship. “I’m ready for Titus’s cooking, since someone decided to destroy my tomato snack.”

  Karl took a whiff in the air, smelling past all the other houses to something that smelled distinctly like sausage, which Titus had promised he would make. His mouth instantly salivated.

  “Come on,” Kara said, grabbing him by the hand.

  Karl was a bit worried that Titus would be cooking their dinner for the night, or maybe it was his slaves; it was hard to tell. Both he and Livia voluntarily performed tasks around the house that were beneath them, which made sense given their humbler origins.

  In either case, Karl had known Titus to be only a blacksmith and nothing more, but his fears subsided as they came back into the villa. On their dining room table was barley pottage, smelling of coriander, and bits of salted pork, chopped leeks, and soaked chickpeas. Next to it were dozens of pork sausages seasoned with pepper, fennel seeds, pine nuts, and dripping with grease.

  Alongside the meal, they had flatbread, along with several cups of olive oil to dip it in. A few slaves stood nearby with flasks of wine, ready to pour at a moment’s notice.

  Björn and Ratatoskr forgot their manners and dove in immediately before Titus could bless the food.

  Mýra gave Björn a disappointed glare, but Titus found it humorous, as did Constantia, who hid a smile with the back of her hand.

  The food tasted as good as it smelled as soon as they all dug into it. Karl and Kara even asked for thirds. Given that Titus and Livia were enormously wealthy, being the emperor’s friends, they had plenty of food, which Karl was grateful for.

  “How does he eat?” Justus asked as he watched the metal robot douse his sixth piece of flatbread into the olive oil.

  “I’ve got an iron gut,” the Trickster said, slapping his metal belly and laughing at his double entendre before eating the dripping bread.

  “Unfortunately, his new biology does not remove his horrible farts,” Karl said, which made Justus laugh.

  “He better be sleeping with you,” Sporus said, giving the Trickster a cautious glance.

  As they ate, Kara and Karl asked Titus and Livia a host of questions concerning the Emperor and their backstory. Between mouthfuls, Titus explained how he met Maximus—back when he was named just Max—in a slave pen for a former emperor, Elagabalus, who had gelded Max.

  He then went on to a brief account of how they took down the tetrarchy of emperors, including Nero, whom Sporus winced at mentioning, along with how Maximus was betrayed, had to fight his way literally through hell, and defeated Julius Caesar mostly by himself at the end.

  “Isn’t he just awesome?” Justus asked as he withdrew what looked to be a metal action figure painted black and wielding a golden spear.

  “Is that of the Emperor?” Karl asked, wiping the grease off his face with the back of his hand.

  “It’s one of a kind,” Justus said, looking down proudly at the little toy.

  “Father made it for him,” Constantia said dismissively, shaking her head.

  “No, the Emperor did,” Justus said defensively, scowling at his sister.

  Kara slid her hand into Karl’s as they watched the two kids bicker playfully. She didn’t have to say anything, but Karl could sense that she was excited to one day be a mother. Though he could sense uncertainty within her, he thought back to her conversation with Titus in the armory and the fine edge she would have to walk between being a mother and a warrior.

  After dinner and plenty of wine, Livia showed them to their guest room located on the upper floor overlooking a small inner garden while the slaves cleaned up. It had smooth plaster walls and a narrow fresco band running along the upper wall depicting laurel wreaths, wolves, and deer. The bed was interesting, to say the least, as it looked more like a couch than a comfy mattress. On either side of it were two carved cedar chests, one for Karl and one for Kara.

  There was even a little bookshelf near the window, which contained dozens of books and scrolls. It beat sleeping in some random tavern in the middle of Rome or in a tent among the Great Heathen Army.

  “I would get plenty of rest,” Livia warned as Karl and Kara dropped off their stuff on the floor. Sporus and the Trickster were sleeping downstairs in the living room, which Sporus was not happy about.

  “Thank you,” Karl said.

  Once they were unclothed and enjoyed the fruits of their marriage, they wrapped themselves together in the bed, looking at the soft moonlight pouring in through the window. Kara passed out right away as she snuggled onto Karl’s chest.

  As he glanced down at her, he noticed that his body had also gotten slightly leaner now that his Stamina was higher. He was still sculpted and rippling with muscles, just with less body fat now, which he could hardly believe.

  Karl tried to force himself asleep, focusing on Livia downstairs teaching Justus to read aloud, which was almost like a soft melody. But neither that nor the breeze that carried scents of olive wood smoke could help him relax.

  His mind just kept focusing on tomorrow and what they would experience. After hours of lying in bed, he got up gently, pacing around the room. His sense of devotion to his wife made him want to prepare even more, almost obsessively.

  But maybe he was being foolish, for he could not feel the fear that had once crippled him. He still felt restless. Eventually, he sauntered over toward the bookshelf and began flipping through what lay on the shelf.

  He began pulling out several books, not knowing what they were saying since they were all in Latin. He huffed in frustration, almost giving up when he noticed a small magnifying glass lying next to the shelf. Curious, he picked it up, and a second later, he was prompted by the System on what it was.

  Item: Oculus Sapientia (Legendary) — Translate any written text to the user’s natural language. Crafted by Emperor Maximus.

  Karl was astonished as he flipped over the circular magnifying glass, which was circled with bronze and gold. It was just lying around like some common object. Studying it closer, he could see writing engraved on the rim: Gaius Cassius dedicatum.

  He had no idea what the Latin meant, but it looked like a name, and dedicatum sounded like dedicated.

  I hope you don’t mind if I borrow this, Karl thought to himself. Though he didn’t know whether to internally say that to Titus, Gaius, or the Emperor.

  Let’s go with Gaius.

  As he looked over the books now, true to its word, the titles on the spines began to read themselves to him. There was one called The Ennead by Virgil, another called Metamorphosis by Ovid, but his eyes fixated upon the book Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

  Having recognized that name on the stone bench from earlier, it took a little bit longer to read since he had to hold it over every word. But eventually his eyes landed on something that struck him to his core.

  “Do not act as if you have years left.”

  And then another: “You can control your actions, not outcomes.”

  But perhaps worse of all was the last one: “You suffer more in imagination than reality.”

  Karl felt deflated yet encouraged at the words as they sobered him. He kept imagining Kara dying and their baby dying with her, and the only person that he really felt for disappearing from him. But that imagination was haunting him, robbing him of his time with Kara now.

  It was true he could not control the future, nor could he act as if he had years left, as tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed. He and Kara might just die at the beginning of the games, but then they would go to Valhalla together, so maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

  Karl let a heavy breath out of his lungs.

  Karl closed the book, thankful to have found it, along with pocketing the translator magnifying glass. He looked over at Kara, who was bathed in moonlight, her white skin glowing like that of the moon. He could let the fear devour him, let him grow paralyzed and reckless, which would only further increase her chances of dying.

  Or he could be a man and do everything he could to prevent her from dying. To be okay with death that would eventually take them all. But at least he could control his actions right now, even if he couldn’t control the end. Although it didn’t stop him from dreading the idea of her dying, it did give him some comfort that he could just focus on what depended on himself and let the chips fall as they may.

  Wisdom (+10): lvl 3 (0/40)

  Glory (+20): 1,940

  Level: 39 (70/400)

  Karl smiled at that, knowing that he had just unlocked the ability to increase his Odin’s Wisdom skill once he got another Skill Point, so he could boost his Glory by three times the amount, which would certainly help him to achieve more abilities.

  Having mental clarity and a rush of excitement, Karl snatched his Tentacle Bow that was leaning against the wall and fired an arrow out into the garden to Elf Leap so he could practice before the big day.

  14

  I VOLUNTEER AS GLADIATOR

  Karl’s arrow flew through the night sky, whistling down the aqueduct. Thanks to Eagle-Eye Shot and his Arrow-Will Guidance, he successfully landed a 300-meter shot down the seemingly endless aqueduct along the Aventine Hill.

  Elf Leap (+lvl 30). Instantly teleport up to 300 meters after successfully hitting your target with artillery. Line of sight required. Cooldown: 2 seconds. Hit beyond 310 meters to reduce cooldown by 2 seconds.)

  Glory (+20): 1,960

  Level: 39 (90/400)

  “Just one more,” Karl said aloud to himself. As he Elf Leaped the tremendous distance, with only a cooldown of a couple of seconds, he felt invigorated by how much better he was becoming, and it didn’t even take that long. Those two Far Seer Path abilities allowed him to essentially never miss a shot if he was focused and restrained.

  But will it be enough, though? Fenrir whispered in his mind, haunting him.

  It will, Karl thought back to the wolf-god, trying to convince himself more than anything.

  Now angry that Fenrir had poked at his insecurities, he drew out another arrow and pulled back his Tentacle Bow, ignoring the mucousy string that squelched. He was about to fire it for the last stretch of his Elf Leap when a dark shadow passed over him.

  His instincts told him to duck. He threw himself into the water that gurgled by.

  As the shadow eclipsed him and flapped its mighty wings above, his Moonlight Meter spiked up to about half. He was thankful he didn’t activate his werewolf ability, for when he looked up, all he could see was the underside of the big red dragon.

  Umbra.

  The dragon must have emerged from Domitian’s palace, because Karl had not seen it flying around before. But what was the dragon doing now? It was so late at night.

  Curious, Karl drew another arrow and activated his Eagle-Eye Shot to zoom in on the dragon to see where it was going and what it was doing. He instantly regretted it.

  Karl’s eyes zoomed in three times for three seconds, and he could see almost every detail of the monstrously large red dragon. He wore no mount, letting his scales be unhindered in all their glory.

  But the dragon was not alone.

  On his back, with a billowing black cape that shifted between blue, violet, and silver, reminding Karl very much of the night, was the Roman Emperor. His armor was midnight black, darker than the night itself, with an obsidian plume sprouting over his helmet. He held on to one of the spine spikes of Umbra effortlessly, as if he weren’t afraid of being so high up in the sky.

  Everything about his demeanor screamed glory and power.

  Before Karl could further evaluate him, the Emperor snapped his head back. He looked at Karl with his dark helmet, which did not reveal his eyes. All Karl could see were two black, shadowy slits.

  Karl scrambled back, almost falling off the edge of the aqueduct as his Eagle-Eye Shot expired. His Moonlight Meter was nearly close to maxing out. He considered, for a second, running away now that the Emperor knew he was watching him. But thankfully, Maximus continued on his way with the dragon, strangely going to the Colosseum of all places. He flew deep into its center and disappeared down below for reasons unknown.

  Too close, Karl thought to himself, his heart racing.

  Are you going to go investigate? Fenrir asked.

  Karl shook his head. “I’m going to max out this ability and then get to sleep.” It would be suicidal anyway to chase after Maximus to see what he was up to. That man was more of a god than anything else; he could end Karl’s life at a moment’s notice. It made no sense to follow after him.

  Once his breath had steadied, Karl fired off the last arrow.

  Over 320 meters away, using his Arrow-Will Guidance ability to guide the arrow precisely at the end of the aqueduct, he lifted it slightly so that it wouldn’t fall before his intended target. The arrow struck true. Karl Elf Leaped the vast distance in the blink of an eye.

  Elf Leap (Maxed Out). Instantly teleport any distance after successfully hitting your target with artillery. Line of sight required. Cooldown: 0 seconds.)

  Glory (+200): 2,160

  Level: 39 (290/400)

  He felt giddy that he had maxed out his Elf Leap ability and received a hefty Glory reward. The joy made him almost forget the fearsome sight of the Emperor.

  To test out near-rapid teleportation, he picked up some loose stones on top of the aqueduct and threw them rapidly, teleporting each time. He instantly moved around the aqueduct without having to wait for any cooldown, teleporting one after the next with each stone thrown.

  Finally, Karl thought, squeezing his fist with excitement at the achievement.

  Having maxed out this ability would help. But now, as Karl looked to the horizon, which thankfully was still dark, he was urged to get some desperately needed sleep so that he would be ready for the coming day. With another arrow, Karl fired off toward Titus and Livia’s house, and Elf Leaped to return to bed with Kara.