Welcome to Hero of Rome, a litRPG historical fantasy set in Ancient Rome. If you’re new here, start the story in Chapter 1.
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I am not getting shorted again, I thought, heart pounding in nervousness from what I was about to do. There might be slightly more wealth than the senator’s house we raided, but with more bandits to divvy up the spoils, I was sure to get a lesser amount this time. If I were to take on Medusa and then Cetus before the Romans found Bulla’s hideout, I would need to dip my toes into less honorable acts to hasten the path forward.
I ignored the red notifications about my recent success with the ambush along with my wound. I would need to be fast if I were going to do this without being caught.
Flavian and I, along with Camilla and the other archers, rejoined Bulla’s group. The bandits cheered and celebrated over the victory and were quickly sacking the caravans of their wealth. Camilla smiled at me. I gave her a nervous one in return.
Bulla quickly commended us and ordered us to seize the wealth from nine of the wagons and to store it in one where he would divide the spoils once we returned to the hideout. He planned to only be burdened with one of them while taking the rest of the horses.
A plan formed in my mind as he spoke. I toyed around with the idea of seizing more wealth for myself by looking into the future. In my visions, I was able to find a secret compartment in one of them. It lay hidden in a fake panel beneath the floor and above the back wheel. There was already some precious jewelry there and it wasn’t the largest of spaces. I would have to choose the smallest and most valuable of the loot in order to store it there for later.
Let’s do this.
Wealth (+50): 10,738
It was a madhouse of plunder as Bulla set the bandits loose. Save for Camilla and Titus, the fifteen surviving bandits busied themselves with the larger, more ostentatious loot: colorful silks that glowed in the afternoon sun, pungent spices and perfumes that soaked the air, amphorae filled to the brim with oils and wine, and so much more. There was even a wagon filled to the brim with papyrus scrolls. Bulla found himself drawn to this one in particular, and as we sacked the caravans he often exclaimed how many skill books and knowledge lay before him.
Most of the caravan treasure would indeed be too large to store in a compartment. But amongst the spoils lay items I could conceal, like the scrolls.
“Marvelous,” Bulla whispered to himself, enchanted by the ancient knowledge from the scrolls as I took several for myself.
He hardly noticed me stuffing scrolls into my bag.
Skill Book of Ancient Tactics (Rare)
Enchantment Scroll of the Desert's Whisper (Rare)
Scroll of the Sphinx's Riddle (Rare)
Before I moved on to the caravan laden with jewelry, I brushed past several of the excited bandits to nab a variety of other goods like weapons, armor, and other luxuries. It would look suspicious if, at the end of the pillaging, I ended up with zero loot in hand. I would more easily get away with a decent pile while explaining I spent the rest of the time reading some of the scrolls like Bulla had.
Looking over the loot I had so far, I set aside this haul in one of the wooden papyrus baskets I stole and focused on their worth, bringing up a glowing red list.
Ceremonial Khopesh of Horus (Epic)
Breastplate of the Desert Legion (Rare)
Amulet of the Nile Serpent (Legendary)
Scroll of the Sphinx's Riddle (Rare)
Egyptian Cotton Fabric Bundle (Common)
Spice Jar Set (Common)
Decorated Pottery Shards (Common)
Bronze Oil Lamp (Common)
Wooden Carved Scarab (Common)
Woven Papyrus Basket (Common)
Wealth: 12,400 Denarii
Good enough.
Doubtless I would see much of that wealth return to me, I hastened to the jewelry caravan that was close to being picked clean by the time I arrived. My heart dropped for a moment fearing my plan was ruined until I pushed past some of the torn-up leather couches. Beneath the rubble was a glittering pile of jewelry, gems, and shrines. I had to blink twice at the incredible wealth before me.
Including the two scrolls I found earlier, I focused on this loot which I stashed in a smaller bag from the caravan.
Skill Book of Ancient Tactics (Rare)
Enchantment Scroll of the Desert's Whisper (Rare)
Jewelry Set of the Nile (Epic)
Gems of Ra (Uncommon)
Statuette of Anubis (Rare)
Emerald Necklace of Cleopatra (Legendary)
Bracelet of Horus (Epic)
Ring of the Pharaohs (Rare)
Amulet of Isis (Dei)
Wealth: 21,000 Denarii
I almost couldn’t believe it. I was sitting on more than enough money to hire a crew for Medusa’s island. If I retrieved this hidden stash successfully later, I would be ready to take on Medusa.
And then, Cetus.
“I need to relieve myself,” I said to Camilla loudly as I passed her by, towing the basket and bag of stolen goods. She gave me a suspicious glance but said nothing to stop me.
I made sure to round the hills so I wouldn’t be in sight before Pluto’s blessing enveloped me. With the sun bathing the world in its relentless light, I returned unnoticed to the group. Approaching Camilla first who pillaged one of the outer caravans, my heart thudded nervously against my ribs. I shared almost every secret with her so far, as she did with me; to creep deceptively by her in the shadows felt wrong in a way. But there was a possibility someone could overhear my plan, perhaps Flavian, who peculiarly was absent as I snuck past the rest of the ecstatic bandits.
Pluto’s children think alike, I thought, reaching the designated caravan.
I froze in my tracks.
Cataline lurked by the caravan, directly in front of the hidden compartment. Directly out of vision from the group, he was hastily writing something down on parchment.
A knot of suspicion tightened in my chest.
The man’s eyes were darkened as if he didn’t receive much sleep. His gaze scoured the hills around us periodically before returning to his letter.
The note!
My hand stopped on the hilt of my gladius to attack him in self-defense. Oddly, a dark desire also crept into my heart to cut him down in secret. Was that a result of my honor lowering?
Doesn’t matter, it’s still wrong.
Indecision plagued my mind. If Cataline had really sent the letter, then there would be no need to worry about an ambush as it was never delivered. But Cataline wouldn’t know that. For all he knew, it could occur at any moment. Unless, if the patrolmen we engaged yesterday were his allies, then we had foiled his plans altogether.
Was that why he now wrote another one?
I didn’t want to risk reading his note and then blowing my cover. I still made eighty percent sound in my footsteps. It would be foolish to risk that. But how to get him away before the pillaging finished?
The answer came when the horse beside Cataline whinnied.
An invisible smile spread across my lips. This would be both useful and entertaining.
The hairs on the horse’s back spiked in fear as my gladius swished silently through its harness, setting it free. The horse didn’t disappoint. Immediately, the horse shot off from the caravan, causing Cataline to jolt from his letter.
“Cataline, secure the horse!” Bulla screamed, cutting through the confusion. His demanding call offered no dissent.
Cataline cursed, shoved the letter into his pocket, and sprinted off to catch the horse.
Quickly now, I thought, racing to where the hidden compartment lay. With trembling hands I released the discreet catch, the panel sliding open with a whisper. One by one, I deposited the treasures inside till it was filled to the brim. I made a quick prayer that some of the amulets which hummed with enchantments would not tip anyone off about the hidden stash. There was no way to tell if this plan would be successful, but I had to try.
Closing it shut, a sudden lift of anxiety escaped from my shoulders. The adrenaline slowly ebbed away from my veins as I completed my dishonorable task.
Honor (-100): -600
As I made my way back silently to where I had gone to “relieve myself”, I took a moment to see where my path would lead of low honor by focusing on the upcoming bonus and drawback that appeared next to the statistic.
Low Honor: -1000H
Master Manipulator:
Gain a +30% bonus to stealth, intimidation, and subterfuge skills.
Access exclusive dishonorable quests that reward unique items or abilities.
Access to special dialogue options that allow manipulation of NPCs and factions for personal gain.
Outcast and Pariah:
Constant scrutiny from law enforcement and authorities, resulting in increased likelihood of being caught and punished for illegal activities.
Limited access to certain areas, quests, and rewards due to negative reputation.
Increased likelihood of betrayal and abandonment by allies, who may fear association with your dishonorable actions.
Bounty hunters become 25% more common in search of your life.
It felt… wrong to be so dishonorable. I never considered that of myself in comparison with the rest of the world. The decisions I had made so far in Antiquitus were necessary, although they were morally gray. Would I become more Machiavellian in order to survive? Was it possible to be a true man, a man of consequence, and live in this world without becoming like its emperors and caesars?
My head hurt at the conundrum of it. The memories of the men I had killed were beginning to grow.
I guess I would find out.
For now, I watched Bulla with bated breath to see if he would discover my betrayal.