Kanuro5: Greetings, all. Was playing Total War and noticed the new upcoming game in the franchise, Three Kingdoms, which will be focused on ancient China. Don't know much about ancient China, I'm more familiar with Feudal Japan. But hey, maybe this new game will teach me about ancient China. Anywho, enjoy!
V
The Arcani
"You said, 'the Arcani'?"
"Yes, what do you know, Vitus?"
"Nothing, what is it?"
"Not 'it', 'they'. The Arcani were a group of Romans disciplined in the arts of deception and death. They are devout worshippers of the Gods, with Jupiter Optimus Maximus being their herald. They border on fanaticism. Everything done is in His name. They are effectively trained to take lives in the most clandestine of measures."
"'Clandestine measures'… you mean they are a league of assassins?"
"That they were, Vitus. And very skilled ones at that."
"You stated they 'were', does such mean they are disbanded."
"They were disbanded years ago, yet they have resurfaced." Sulla took a pause, contemplating something in his mind. "An old order that now resurfaced to strike fear into the heart of the Republic."
"An ancient order of assassins has returned?" Vitus wanted to vocally scoff. "How do you know this? That these men from the shadows have returned?"
"Because one of them tried to kill me three days ago."
Sulla was scowling again, Vitus knew he was telling the truth.
"They did?" he asked, his voice wavering.
"It was the dead of night when I awoke from slumber to relieve my bowels. My home is specially crafted to hold sanitation within certain chambers. So there I went to my secret chamber with two of my slaves in attendance. As I emptied myself, I heard the pitter-patter of footsteps and quick yelps from my slaves as they were cut down. I saw the assassin from the shadows of the torch one of my slaves carried. He was dressed in all black and had a black facemask obscuring his identity. I yelled for aid and he brought his swords down on me. Yet I am a soldier and refuse to die like a craven. I wrestled with him and received light wounds, and would have perished if not for my slave who had survived the attacked, ran to alert the guardsmen. The Arcani killed two of my guards before they finally killed him."
"Sulla…"
"How the fuck did he even penetrate my home? My guards were lax, Vitus. If not for that brave slave, I would have been no more. I freed that slave the next day for his loyalty and devotion." Sulla grumbled off in incoherent muttering like a grouchy old man he was.
"I have no words for that," said Vitus.
"I don't expect you to hold any of note. I am informing you that this threat is all too real."
"What more do you know about this order of assassins?"
"They were formed by the Scipii."
"Truly?"
"Indeed. About 135 years ago, when Rome was in its Second War with Carthage and faced its darkest hour—such was when the Arcani had its origin. Hannibal Barca had just defeated the Roman forces at Cannae. Rome was in chaos, senators were shitting their white togas, men flocked to the temples of Jupiter for deliverance, mothers clutched their children to their breast and whispered in their ears that, 'Hannibal was at the Gates'. But only one man held on to hope, he rallied the Roman forces together, he was the light in the darkness, he was undefeated in battle, he was the greatest of the Scipii, the greatest of the Romans in his time, and he was the founder of the Arcani. He was Scipio Africanus."
The young man scrunched his face, "The Scipio Africanus…? He created them?"
"He did, their design was for that of the shadows against Carthage. To ambush any force on any terrain, to skulk in darkness and strike down enemy leaders, to sabotage settlements from within, commencing raids on supply lines, and to poison field camps by befouling their water and rations. For years he trained them, recruiting the best men from all the legions in the Scipii lands, even gladiators who were high of skill and merchants that bore linguistic tongues; they were all trained together in deception and death; all in the name of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Africanus even allowed them to aid Fabius Cunctator in his efforts of sabotage, burning the field of crops to deny the Carthaginians food. Though the Arcani were skilled in arms, he never placed them in a direct battle. But from behind the shadows of war, they were instrumental in Africanus' victory at Zama."
"If… If they showed such valor, then why is their name not common knowledge? How come no one speaks of them? I do not even recall their names in the scrolls of history."
Sulla chuckled lowly, " 'One cannot prepare for an enemy they do not see.' Such words fell from Scipio Africanus' tongue. He instructed no one to mention them, not even to his fellow Romans. Only those in his personal confidence truly knew what this mysterious force was. To keep the Arcani secret was to keep another blade ready on the body of the Republic. So the Scipii continued using them to put down any remaining Carthaginian insurgence. But it was not until the death of Africanus that the Scipii soon found… other ways to best utilize the Arcani."
"How?"
"I dare not point blame in the foulness of Man's heart, for my own sins are plenty. But there comes a time when a leader must end the life of one man for the good of the many. Be they foreign enemies or domestic. The Scipii noticed the effectiveness of the Arcani's subtle hands of death against the Carthaginians, and employed them in the more concrete roles of assassins. Numidians, Egyptians, Rebel Leaders, and eventually fellow Romans, many of them were struck down by the blades of the Arcani."
"Romans?" his face tightened at the thought.
"Yes. I do hope you remember your lessons in history? For this new tale involves the Gracchi."
Vitus was stunned. Of course he knew of the Gracchi brothers, arguably the two most renowned reformists in the Republic's history. The elder brother died fifty years ago whilst the younger died forty years ago around this date. But after nearly half a century, their lives and their deaths still sallied on in present memory. They argued vast reforms for the benefit of the plebeians and they had garnered major support from the people. The Senate feared that such support could start a revolution, so they murdered the eldest brother, Tiberius. But such murder did not deter the younger brother, Gaius, it only strengthen his resolve. He too preached about reforms for the people of Rome, but with even more vigor than his brother. And ten years later, the Senate had murdered him as well, along with all of Gaius' supporters.
Vitus stammered, "What…? The Arcani, they… they killed the Gracchi brothers?"
"Publius Scipio Nasica, at the time, the Patriarch of the Scipii. He was a most hated enemy of Tiberius Gracchus, the eldest. At the time, he was the Pontifex Maximus and believed Tiberius wanted to become king. So Scipio Nasica along with another Scipio, Scipio Aemilianus—the Sacker of Carthage in the Third War—organized a force of several hundreds of men with members of the Arcani leading the charge, disguised by wearing senatorial togas and beat Tiberius to death and slaughtered hundreds of his supporters.
"After Tiberius was killed, members of the Senate had seen the use of such clandestine killers, so they "acquired" them from the Scipii. And since then, the Arcani had been the new Fist of the Senate. Scipio Nasicia and Aemilianus were both ostracized by the Roman people; Nasica was exiled a year later and died, while Aemilianus was murdered years later. And yet the Arcani remained a secret.
"When his time came, Gaius—the younger brother—would come forth to speak, and in his actions, a riot sparked which sent Gaius fleeing across the Tiber River. Once again the Senate used the mob to their advantage and amongst the furious crowd; members of the Arcani secreted themselves. As the younger Gracchus escaped the Tiber, the Arcani were already there and killed him and his slave. And as the frenzied mob killed Gracchus' supporters, those who were pro-Gracchi that had fled were tracked down by the Arcani and were silenced forever."
"Shit…" Vitus poured himself another cup of wine and drank it before continuing. "Wait… if they are so secret, if their names are lost to history, then how do you know all of this? Weren't you a child young when both of the Gracchi were killed?"
Sulla sighed. "Scipio Africanus was privy to secrecy, his descendants were not. As the richest of the Three Families, they sought political office and as they climbed the cursus honorum. As they sold the Arcani to the Senate, so too did they sell their secrets. Only those of the cursus honorum that held the title of Proconsul, Consul, and Pontifex Maximus were privy to the existence of the Arcani and their history.
"Such secrecy was paramount in the office. How would it look if it was known that the Senate had professional killers immediately on call like a man could whistle up a dog? If the Senate could not sway the people of Rome to kill their enemies or if the enemy had to be killed posthaste; then the Arcani were sent to do the duty. Any untimely death of a political rival among the senators would reflect vilely upon them, as if it was foul play. When I was first elected Consul about six or seven years ago, I became privy to these men and their history."
"They were the perfect killers, then?"
"No, they were not perfect. They are men, and as men they are fallible. I believe Scipio Africanus also designed them to be the perfect assassins, to murder Hannibal and his family, yet Hannibal stilled lived on into the end of the war. They missed him somehow. They kill most of their targets, but some escape them. They are not the perfect assassins, but they are the most versatile ones. Their quality has decayed across the years. They sent only one man to kill me." His face grimaced as he dwelled on the thought. "One man! As if I was some drunk and feeble cripple!"
"You would have desired that they sent more men out to kill you?"
"Such is not the point, Vitus. They sent a single man to kill the Dictator of the Republic, they should have sent more or their best, which they clearly didn't."
"So what happened to them? For what purpose were they disbanded?"
Sulla bent his head. Out the corner of his eye, he looked to the young man. "Such reasons are to be kept between those of Consular rank and above. I shall not disclose it."
You tell me national secrets and threaten my life if I speak of it, yet you won't tell me everything…? Vitus grunted lowly and shook his head. "Fine, such is your right, Sulla."
Sulla seemed pleased with that answer. "Gratitude for your understanding. I cannot tell you about their disbandment, but there is… there's more I need to explain."
"What more can there possibly be?"
Sulla sighed, staring cantankerously at the young man, "Three days ago, the same night as they sent a man to kill me, half of the treasury of Rome was stolen."
"What?! How? Wh-Wh— Impossible."
"I wish it was. But it happened, the guards posted were murdered and the thieves made out with the gold." He scoffed bitterly, "They sent several Arcani into Rome, one man to kill me but the rest to steal the treasury. I guess it's pretty obvious which one they believed had more priority. I have sent out men to scour across Italia to find that gold. Such news cannot be made public, for what is the Republic without its wealth? The position of the Senate becomes even more untenable without the gold to support our weight. And another sign that the people will take from me of my own undoing, claiming the Gods had rejected their favor from me."
"And you know it was the Arcani who were responsible for the theft?"
"It was the same night they tried to kill me, it cannot be mere coincidence."
"What would you have me do about this? You have men tracking down the gold. But for what purpose am I here? Why are you telling me about the Arcani, Sulla?"
Sulla put his cup down, his eyes were cold as he studied the young man's face. He made a grunting noise and motioned with his head. "Come with me."
Back again through the party he led him. This time, Sulla wore no mask of jubilation. Sulla brought Vitus out to the back courtyard which was clear of all revelers—per Sulla's strict instructions. There was a blanket draping over a large bulging object on top of an altar. From the way the blanket covered the object, the bulge looked to be in the shape of a person.
The slave removed the blanket from the bulge. Vitus recoiled slightly back from the sight. Upon an altar was a partly decayed corpse of a man. The body was flat on his stomach with the skin having lost its elasticity and now seemed more flat, like his bones and organs had begun to decompose from within. He had an exit wound from his back and dried residue of blood was caked all over the wound. It must have been a fierce stab that had killed this man. He had a moderate smell of rankness to him, but Vitus noted the sprinkling of powder over the body to preserve it from decomposition.
"Sulla, what is this about?"
"This was the man who tried to assassinate me. I've kept this body preserved for you, Vitus."
"For me? For what purpose?"
"Look what mark he bears upon his shoulder…"
Vitus loomed over the cadaver and examined a black marking on the back of his left shoulder. It was a tattoo that read, "XXVIII"
"What, it can't—"
"The mark of the Twenty-Eighth Legion, your legion." Sulla said with a stare. "That man killed my slave and tried to kill me. Upon seeing that mark, I grew hopeful that you might have known who this man was." He looked to his slaves, "Turn him over."
The slaves bowed and they both flipped the body onto its back.
"Do you recognize his face?"
Vitus' eyes widened, "I do. This is Hilarus Murio. A centurion of the 3rd Century, 1st Cohort…"
"Hmm, 'Hilarus Murio', a plebian name of Etruscan origins. What measure would you give of the man when he was yet of this world?"
"A soldier of light and dark. He was brave, fierce in battle, determined to do his duty, every now and then he may have indulged in raucous behavior but that's an expectation of a soldier to be rowdy. But he was reckless as well, often charging alone for glory or leading his men to fight individually instead of in unison. Sometimes he grew careless in his own ability and that of his men and that would lead to casualties. I had to flog him every now and then for his behavior. But still, he was a man who was an inspiration to those underneath him. He served under my father and fought with us at Samarobriva. He retired two years ago, right before the Civil War began. I was conflicted, but I believed his light outweighed his darkness, and it never hurts to have a soldier who holds a violent streak in your employ. So I offered him position on the Evocati, but he refused, saying how he desired to return home to his father and mother in Massilia."
"Huh…" That was all he said. Vitus could see the machinations of his mind working in overtime, trying to piece together everything he had heard about this man. For half a minute, Sulla was silent; until Vitus called out his name.
"Your destination."
"What? Huh?"
"Massilia. You are to travel to Massilia and question the family of this Murio. Investigate all you can about Murio and discover any information you can about the Arcani threat. If this man was too sloppy to kill me, maybe he left a trail of their whereabouts. Report back to me promptly on any discovery."
"I am to go?"
"You are. I am making that an order. He's your centurion and living in a city belonging to the Julii. And yet he wore the black mask of the Arcani and tried to murder me in the night."
Murio… He was in league with assassins?
Sulla gave a look to a slave. "Give him the mask."
The slave bowed and retrieved a solid facemask from a trunk nearby and handed it over to Vitus. It was solid black and rather firm, it felt like clay but he was sure it actually wasn't. There were no lips on the mask and the holes for where the eyes were had been carved large enough to see out from. On the sides of the mask was a black leather strap that could be adjusted to fit the size of the wearer's head.
"Murio wore this mask?" Vitus asked.
"He did, and died in that. Memorize this mask, anyone who wields this or holds one in their possession is among the Arcani. I remember the last time they were a unit, all of them wore a mask such as this. Since he's been dead for a while, the Arcani may assume that he has perished in his failed attempt instead of fleeing. Time is crucial. I was already prepared to send out a courier to Arretium upon your arrival, but was relieved to hear that you entered Rome on your own volition."
"How did you hear about my entry?"
"I have many eyes in every gateway of this city, they see all and more. And it makes surveillance easy if I tell my men to be on the look for a young man with red hair who has one eye blue and one eye green."
"I see…" Vitus pursed his lips, a few days in Italia and he was already sent on another mission. "I understand, Sulla. I do not seek to question, but you make it seem that since he was from Julii territory this is the problem for the Julii. What of the Brutii and Scipii?"
"They tried to kill me, they stole the State Treasury; this is a problem for the entire Republic! The Brutii and most of their men are still fighting Mithridates in the East. The Scipii have taken their considerable forces down in Africa and are still fighting Ptolemy and his Egyptians. You Julii have are the faction with the most men near Italia and you just ended a campaign against Germanic incursions. Your legions are closer to Massilia than the Senate's, which are still retraining from years of war. The Julii are my first response."
"But still… for what reason do you not send your men you trust? What of good Lucullus?"
Sulla smirked, "I would send Lucullus, but he and my man, Murena, are still in the East keeping Mithridates at bay. I already sent word to Lucullus to keep an eye out for the Arcani, maybe they seek to give the treasury to Mithridates, but I am not certain. All the men I trust wholeheartedly are out of Italia."
"You trust me, wholeheartedly?"
"You have proven your candor in my war. But I do need you, your father was a good man, I trusted him and I believe I can trust his son."
On the merit of my father, you lay your trust in me? I can—
Sulla continued. "Those five heads you saw, on your way here in front of my home?"
"Uh, yes? What about them?"
"They were from my villa's guard. Upon the night of the break-in, two of them admitted to have fallen asleep at their post, one of them was drunk, and two of them failed to spot the intruder and thus they were incompetent. I shall not have my home and the secrets of Rome be protected by fools. I had them put to death in front of my guards to realize the price of incompetence."
A reminder… or a threat… Vitus thought. With Sulla, it could have been either or both. Just to make clear that failure cannot—no, failure will not be tolerated.
Sulla continued, "Also, I understand that your young wife has been getting in trouble with the local girls on the Palatine. Powerful fathers they have, I shall post my guards to protect her family in case of any unforeseen complications that are to arise."
"You are truly gracious, Sulla," Vitus replied with a polite smile. Yet he was thinking, Truly, Sulla? You must threaten me with my wife's family? You believe that I shall fail or won't take this seriously? Didn't my father-in-law fight for you in your wars? Or is this just simple assurance…? But if I try to investigate a league of assassins, is Titia safe here? "Safety is paramount, that is true. Yet, I do make a request, may my wife be allowed to return with me to Arretium? I have been too long from her and…" his cheeks blushed, he couldn't believe he was going to say this, "As she hugged me, my cock stood straighter than a spear when her flesh touched mine."
Sulla unleased a lecherous cackle. "A soaked cunt of a lover does that to a man." He continued cackling, "And you often bore the mask of piousness, I knew such lust-filled masculinity was inside you, no man can hide that for long!" He raised his cup to Vitus, "I hope you pleasure her good, with the fury of a beast."
Vitus forced a chuckle, "Why settle for any beast? I'm going in like the Cretan Bull."
Sulla's cackle erupted into a guffaw. "That's the spirit, Vitus! In fact, take your wife with you, I allow it! Fuck her good and hard like the bull you claim to be!" He continued to laugh for several moments until he finally got his breath back. "Her family should still be protected by my men from any assailants that seek to harm them. So go, young Germanicus, go to Massilia, investigate Murio's family, and see if you can discover such mystery behind the Arcani and the missing treasury. For the good of the Republic you must go. And remember, not a word to anyone about the Arcani."
What a wondrous perfume she had. He bit down on her neck and bucked harder, she gasped and clutched him tighter. He was thrusting hard, how he missed the warmth of her insides. All those cold nights in those damned Germanic woods that haunted a man in his dreams, all those days where he thought it may be his last, and all those times he witnessed his men relieving their urges with the intoxicating camp followers. He thrusted harder and nibbled on her ear until he exhaled as he spent himself inside her. How long had it been since he had last laid with her? Ten months? It must have been. He fell on top of her and felt her arms wrap around his back, they lay there for about a minute, gasping, until he fell over to his side of the bed.
She exhaled and brushed her hair. "Do you desire water?"
He gasped. "Please."
Titia snapped her fingers and her body slave—who had been watching over the lovemaking in silence, fetched a jug of water and poured it into a cup. Titia gave the cup to Vitus who downed it.
"Air?" she asked.
Vitus nodded.
She snapped once more and a slave with a fan began cooling them both down.
"You okay?"
He answered with an exhale, "Better now."
He asked for more water. He couldn't believe how hard he was sweating, he never believed that sex was more physically demanding than calisthenics.
"It lifts my heart to see that you are still as eager as you were on our wedding night," she smiled as she exhaled.
"Huh? Wh-What do you mean by that?"
"You are still eager to please me, not ensuring your own pleasure takes priority."
"Oh." He breathed easier. "I thought you meant…"
"Meant what?"
He blushed softly, a little relieved that it was too dark to notice his reddened cheeks. "That I was too quick…"
He could see her brow furrowing, "Were you? It felt long enough, I guess." She shrugged, "Honestly, I hold no reference to how long a man should last… Hmm, how long did you last with me compared to other women?"
"What?"
"How did you last with other women compared to me?"
"Uh… I have never been with another woman."
She chuckled and asked for some water. After she drank it, she realized he wasn't laughing.
Her eyes enlarged, "You have never been with a woman before me?"
"Uh… that surprises you?"
"Honestly… yes. Someone like you, gifted in war, a fierce legion at your beck and call, and the name of Julius and son of Julius Magnus. I believed you should have been fucking like mad before our marriage." He chuckled and thought, If only you knew my brother a few years ago… She continued, "I believed many a lonely wives of old senators would have flung themselves on you, or maybe you would visit some camp followers during your campaigns, or maybe you sampled the fruit of what I've been hearing of 'Barbarian Beauties', as if to secure an alliance between a tribe and Rome."
"I have never done that. Or planned to. A general has to be the sum of all his actions, anything he does speaks to and about the man. My soldiers and tribunes could do that, but not I."
Titia sniggered, her finger twiddling around his wavy auburn hair. "Ohhhhhh, so your cock is too good for old women, whores, and barbarian bitches, huh? Or maybe… you were too filled with nerves to ask a woman—any woman—to take your manhood?"
"Well… I mean it's not like I approach girls and command them to bed me, such cannot—well, it's never that simple to—"
Her laughter filled the night, "And I was right?!" she yelped in surprise. "Germanicus, son of Lucius Magnus, afraid of women!"
"Apologies if I know nothing of women…"
"Oh you beat yourself up too much. Ooh Vitus, did boys your age tell you that we girls have teeth in our genitals to bite off your manhood?" She continued to snigger.
"You probably spread such crude tales yourself in your youth."
"Do I wear the face of the kind of girl to do that?"
"I cannot tell, it's too dark to see your face."
"Well it's most innocent and convincing."
"Hmm, yes, well, keep telling yourself that."
She giggled softly and gently kicked his leg, then entwined her leg with his'.
Her smile began to fade, "So Sulla desires you to go to Massilia? You never told me for what purpose?"
"I already told you."
"I just desire the truth."
"It is between Sulla and I."
"And I cannot come?"
"No, at first light, I'm taking you back to Arretium. Your father is recovering and I don't want you to remain in this pestilent city."
She yawned and stretched her arms. "As you desire, Vitus."
If only I could tell you the reason why, but if Sulla has eyes and ears everywhere…
"And my parents are to stay as hostages to Sulla if you dare fail?"
His lips tightened.
"I am no fool, Vitus. Whatever, Sulla has you doing shall be fraught with peril apparently, a danger to the Republic. Why else would he station his soldiers in front of our home for 'protection', huh? He has never done that before since he took power. If you fail, then my parents shall be imprisoned, exiled, or killed."
"How do—"
"Simple. I was raised in Rome amongst the elite, I know how they operate."
"Such is why I cannot bring you to Massilia. Please, understand."
She sighed and pouted through the dark, Vitus could see a smile. "I do. It just bothers me how, as soon as you return from danger, you are leaving once more."
"Wait, I thought you said earlier when we reunited that you were not worried for me?"
She shook her head and jabbed him sharply in the ribs. He yelped, "What was that for?!"
"So you did speak truth, you know nothing of women."
She asked her slave for another cup of water. She drank it quickly and exhaled, "How did Sulla seem to you, Vitus? Was he as paranoid as others say? A beast of simplicity rank with the stench of wine and whores in his home?"
"He's… the same as I remember. He's alert, ruthless, and genuine…"
"Please explain."
"There is an air of paranoia that surrounds him, but it is justified, he told me the reason… yet I cannot tell you. But these proscriptions of his, he admits he does it to destroy his enemies and to refill the coffers of the Republic Treasury, but… it seems that he actually believes that he is doing this for the greater good of the Republic."
"I do believe he believes such a thing."
"As do I."
"My family aided him at great cost and my father a good subject to him, and he repays this with threats of punishment based on the possible failure of a son-in-law?"
"I shall not fail."
"I know you won't. You triumphed the Suebi and gave me a cherished gift. You shall not fail, or else I'll beat the failure out of you when you return." She ceased talking for half a minute before continuing. "Not only does he keep my father here, but my mother as well…"
"He would have you kept here too. But I persuaded him to bring you back with me."
"How? How did you persuade Sulla? No one but his close friends can do that."
He was blushing again, "Uh, I said…"
"What? What did you say?"
He turned away, "I said that I would, um… I had not seen you for a year and I desired your flesh, so I told… I told him I would fuck you like the Cretan Bull, and he laughed and he agreed for you to come with me…"
"You said that?"
"I did…"
"You told the Butcher of Rome, that?"
She broke out into hardy laughter, it reminded him of Sulla.
"The Cretan Bull, that's hilarious! Oh Gods! The same bull from the story of King Minos and Daedalus? You are a hilarious, Vitus!"
He turned and faced her, a smile softly curling on his face, "Indeed, even I was able to trick the Dictator of the Republic. Hmm… Titia, a question, did I fuck you like a bull…?"
She placed a soft hand on his face. It was too dark but he could swear her smile was something playful. "More like a three-legged calf than a bull."
His heart sank. "Oh that's cruel…"
She giggled and gave him a peck on his cheek, "Maybe one day you'll grow into a bull. But tell me…" The tone in her voice was bouncy like a song, "So tell me, Vitus, did I fuck you like a lust-cursed whorish queen?"
That question put his heart at ease, "I don't know, I would say more like a paralyzed temple priestess but maybe you will grow into a beautiful, pious queen."
She laughed, "Ohhhhhh, there's that barbed tongue of the Julii. We both shall get better at copulation."
"Eventually…"
"Eventually," she pressed her soft hand on his member, "I'll take care of that in the morning, but for now…"
"Sleep, and the pursuit of dreams; I agree with you."
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in. To finally sleep with another warm body in a bed after so long. "Goodnight, Titia."
"Goodnight, Vitus."
The most difficult part of this chap and the previous chap for me was nailing Sulla's character. Looking through history, Sulla was an enigma, he was violent and ruthless but seemed to believe that what he was doing was truly for the good of Rome; and his actions would pave the way for Caesar and the fall of the Republic. Plutarch labeled him as a man who was ruthless, intelligent, and yet a hedonist, even in his old ages. Hope I got those aspects of those traits down.
Thank you for reading.
-Kanuro5
