"That is the truest test of a man's quality, isn't it? To choose to be good when all seems against you, to stand against the tide even when all seems lost" - Trajan "Wyrm's Bane" Appius Aemilius

  "I'm nervous" Livia admitted. They were standing at the base of the stone steps which led up to the Capitoline hill, where among other things the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus resided. Today was Livia's day of majority, and Aurelia could tell that her friend was appreciative of a familiar presence during her special day.

  Aurelia had managed to get the day off from Brann when told him of her friend's coming of age. The bartender had reappeared shortly after that patrician guy had left along with his men. He hadn't seemed very surprised when she'd appraised him of the situation. He'd confided in her that rumours had been swirling for days before hand of the patrician's heavy-handed recruitment, and that he knew better than to put up overt opposition to their efforts.

  Asking around it seemed like only the most avaricious of the adventurer's had shown any interest in the Cudii's offer, and only the more desperate of those few had actually agreed to present themselves in the coming days.

  Back in the present Aurelia took Livia's hand in her own. It seemed so small in comparison. It would take Livia's entire hand to encircle two of Aurelia's fingers, but she could tell that Livia appreciated the gesture.

  "Hey, this is your special day, and I can't come with you into the temple. But, I can walk with you up to the entrance." Aurelia said in a gesture to try and calm her friends nerves.

  "While you're in there I can busy myself with visiting the temple of Minerva, I've never been."

  Livia nodded, and, gathering herself, started to ascend the stone steps. Hand in hand with Aurelia and eager to discover what boons the Gods had in store for her, despite her nervousness about the whole affair.

  Aurelia parted ways with Livia with a final hug before she disappeared into a throng of people being herded along into the temple of Jupiter. The attendants, clearly used to the vast numbers of people who passed through their halls each day treated their charges more like livestock than anything else. She supposed it came with the territory after a while but nevertheless the thought brought some mirth.

  When the st glimpses of the crowd disappeared in to the vaulted marble halls of the temple, Aurelia turned and began to make her way across the hilltop. The temple of Jupiter was but one of three rge temples which dotted the top of the Capitoline hill, it shared it's spot with the temple of Juno and the temple of Minerva. The tter was Aurelia's current destination.

  Minerva was the Goddess of wisdom, justice, strategy, and the arts. Aurelia had heard that there was a simir goddess in the Greek pantheon named Athena. Shameless Greeks, Aurelia thought, always copying the Romans. Obviously they had beheld the glory of Roman culture, and in their awe, had modeled their own after it.

  She heard the hoot of an owl before she spotted the main entrance to the temple. A rge open air pavilion decorated with marble pilrs and olive trees dominated the front of the temple, forming a rge pza where devotees and supplicants gathered. There were artisans hard at work all over the pce, Aurelia could see a sculptor chiseling fine details onto what would become a marble statue. She wondered how they had brought up the rge marble blocks which served as artisanal materials, and for that matter the stone and marble which served as the building materials for the temples themselves. She supposed that someone clever had devised some method of bringing the heavy stone up the hill, lugging the rge blocks up by hand was probably untenable.

  At the end of the pza a rge marble statue stood tall, dominating the entrance to the temple. At least fifteen feet tall, including the stone pedestal, the form of the Goddess Minerva stood resplendent. Holding a spear aloft and a circur shield by it's rim and with a high crested helm adorning her head, Minerva was depicted as standing watch over her domain. Bearing witness to the offerings in process of being made in the pza before her.

  The artisans and craftsmen gave way to priestesses garbed in blue robes. A slightly darker shade than Aurelia's own. Two women stood guard in the entranceway, echoing their Goddess, they stood watch bearing spear and shield. They gave Aurelia a once over as the winged woman entered the temple, seemingly dismissing her without comment. She had heard of the martial order maintained by the temple, the Shields of Minerva. They operated as guardians of the temple's will, being deployed to defend all the lesser temples which dotted the Roman world. Aurelia had almost wanted to join their ranks, but as, their ranks were exclusively filled by those raised by the temple. Either taken in as infants like Aurelia, or as young girls ter on.

  Inside there was a small fountain gurgling away. Again Aurelia marveled internally at the difficulty of pumping water this far above the city below, but she managed to keep her reaction off her face. She approached the fountain, reached into her coin pouch, and tossed a copper piece in. Most temples had some services they could provide to all who came to their doors, but having experience with how they worked internally, Aurelia knew that making a donation would allow her to speak to a priestess more quickly, and that they would be much more amenable to any requests she might make.

  Aurelia had chosen to visit the temple of Minerva for a few reasons, but mostly because she was one of the very few Warrior Goddesses. Which made their priestesses some of the few people Aurelia could go to for advice outside of the sporadic array of female adventurers. Aurelia had no problems with her fellow adventurers, but most of the women were even more bat-shit crazy than their male counterparts.

  A blue robed woman approached Aurelia, gracefully gliding forward without seeming to take any steps. She was middle-aged, the signs of her experience written in the corners of her eyes and by the sides of her lips. She stood tall and regal, her posture suggesting a life standing with her back straight and upright.

  "What brings you to the house of our Goddess, daughter?" She said, not unkindly.

  "I seek guidance, Mother." Aurelia replied "And a path on which to tread."

  The woman took in her words, paused, then nodded. "The blessings of our Goddess are many, but prophecy is not one she often bestows. I will give what words I can, though they shall come from me alone."

  "That is all I ask for, Mother."

  "Then speak, daughter, and I shall see what illumination I may provide."

  Aurelia then described her past few weeks. Coming of age under the temple of Ceres, turning to work at the Sword and Scroll, and starting to complete her first few jobs as an amateur adventurer. The priestess was a good listener, nodding and asking for crification when needed.

  "I see..." She said when Aurelia finished. "Do your troubles come, do you think, from embarking on this journey alone? These are times of rough seas, and those who sail alone are prone to foundering."

  Aurelia reflected on her words. She had thrown herself into her work quite emphatically as soon as she'd been able. And it had been a radical departure from her past life. Where before she had felt like a small stone among a huge pile of gravel, now she felt more like a lone tree standing in the middle of a clearing. Yes, there were many trees around, but she wasn't really close with any of them. From Brann, to Marrion the cook, to Nym her coworker, she didn't feel nearly as strong a connection with them as her fellow orphans under the temple. Perhaps it was this loneliness which had driven her to seek out the priestess before her now.

  "I-I will reflect on your words, Mother." Aurelia replied, stammering slightly with the revetion. Maybe she should seek out some new companions when she returned home to the tavern.

  "There is something more, daughter." The sage woman said with a small smile. Aurelia had been ready to bid her farewell, and stopped halfway in progress of bowing before the priestess.

  "There is?" Aurelia questioned, before quickly adding "Mother."

  She ughed, the sound ringing in Aurelia's ears. "Indeed there is, daughter. I can sense a stirring within you." Aurelia paused, wondering what she could possibly mean before realization dawned on her.

  "You don't mean..."

  "Indeed, daughter." The woman replied with a warm smile.

  "If you would kneel before me, I know that the stone floor may not be the most comfortable, but this should only take a couple moments."

  Aurelia quickly dropped to her knees, though she was still nearly as tall as the woman before her. She closed her eyes, and tried to center herself. Attempting to calm her by now racing pulse.

  The priestess id a hand on her shoulder, her fingers cool against Aurelia's bare shoulder. Her vision behind her eyelids began to swim before her, splotches of colour and light forming before resolving themselves into legibility. Aurelia briefly wondered how people who didn't have their letters received their boons, did they get pictures? Or was it more feelings and interpretation? The sight before her broke her from her whimsy, and she began to read.

  Aurelia

  Race: Seraphim

  Level: 2

  Health: 120 / 120

  Mana: 60 / 60

  Attributes

  Strength: 13

  Dexterity: 11

  Agility: 11

  Vitality: 12

  Resilience: 10

  Endurance: 13

  Will: 8

  Focus: 5

  Crity: 7

  Attunement: 6

  Presence: 5

  Resolve: 8

  She noted small increases to her strength, dexterity, and focus. But what appeared next quickly took her attention.

  Level 2 Achieved

  Select a boon below

  Let There be Light

  Active - Racial

  Suffer no darkness before you

  Mesmerizing Moves

  Passive

  It is easy to desire, the true challenge is to be desired

  Polearm Mastery I

  Passive - Progressive

  Increased mastery over spears, staffs, and other simir weaponry

  What immediately caught her attention were the two added descriptions to the nature of the boons, Racial, and Progressive. She had heard of progressive skills before, they were almost always passive skills which could be improved through enough dedication. They were held in high esteem by the Roman military, and there where many simir skills which were often offered to soldiers. While they weren't imbued with as much raw power as other martial skills, the long-term effects of mastering progressive skills could be quite potent.

  It was the other skill which raised her interest more. Racial skills were skills typically only given to people of a certain race, and were typically based around certain archetypes. When she had asked before, she had been given the example of Dwarven Metallurgy. Apparently dwarves were prone to receiving special racial skills should they involve themselves with the shaping and forming of metalworks. Were Seraphim typically nocturnal or something? If Aurelia had had anyone to ask, she would have.

  In the end, the decision was easy. While polearm mastery was tempting, she didn't know if she would be sticking to a spear for the rest of her life, and didn't want to make any big commitments yet. Simirly, mesmerizing moves sounded great if she wanted to work as a wench for the rest of her days, at the moment it was more of a way for her to earn her lodgings at the tavern. Any tips she got would most likely be spent on clothing or adventuring gear. Which made her final decision obvious, while Let There be Light sounded kind of vague, she could see the utility should she ever be outside the city walls when night fell. That fact that it was a racial ability was an added bonus, as they tended to be more potent in their respective fields than a more general equivalent.

  Her choice made, she opened her eyes. The priestess removed her hand from her shoulder, and stepped back. Aurelia rose slowly, then, bowed deeply to the woman before her.

  "My thanks, Mother. I had no idea that you could grant people such gifts."

  She scoffed, and waved a hand. "Those boys over in the temple of Jupiter may have a monopoly on you young'uns. But it's a common enough path for those devoted to the service of the Gods to find themselves. Were there really none who could offer such things among the priestesses of Ceres?" She asked with what seemed like genuine curiosity.

  "I don't think so, Mother. Or, at least none that advertised their services as such." Aurelia replied, shaking her head.

  "Well now, off with you. I'm sure you've got more important things to be doing than wasting time with old me." The woman chided, then began to shoo Aurelia away. Aurelia turned to leave, and was walking when the woman called behind her.

  "Daughter! One more thing before you go." Aurelia turned and faced the priestess once more. "It is safer for baby birds to stay in the nest, to stay with feet pnted. But that's not in a birds nature. At some point, the chicks have to learn to fly." She said. "Or fall"

  With those thoughts in the fore of her mind, Aurelia made sure to make another deep bow before she exited through the front entrance. Eyeing the women on guard once more as she left. It shouldn't be too long before Livia was finished in the temple of Jupiter, so Aurelia made her way back across the Capitoline hill. Crossing through the grand pza with the statue of Minerva and all it's artisans hard at work.

  When she reached the outside of the temple of Jupiter, she made her way over to a low wall within sight of the entrance. She hopped up on top, easily leaping high enough as to nd on her feet without catching her robe on the stone. She sat there, overlooking the southern expanse of the city from her position near the top of the high hill which overlooked much of Rome. Her legs dangled off the edge, and she swung her feet absently, digging into a pocket to withdraw a lump of bronze.

  She looked it over in the palm of her hand. It looked so small in comparison, but felt as heavy as lead in her loose grip. The image of a she-wolf nursing two infants gazed back up at her. What it represented made her queasy. Most people would leap at the chance to be employed by one of the patrician houses. They offered the most coin, and could elevate entire families from obscurity into wealth and influence. Though not as much influence as the patricians themselves, of course. The patrician families had been making the call to recruit adventurers, and Aurelia wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea. The problem y in the fact that she somehow wasn't convinced that she'd truly be an adventurer. She'd lived long enough to recognize when someone looked upon her lecherously, and when someone gave her a once over, then returned to thinking of her like any other. Augustus, if that was his real name, had looked at her with the former.

  While it might offer the most opportunity in the shortest amount of time, Aurelia wasn't convinced with the man's words. No matter how much you polished it, a turd as still a turd.

  Aurelia hefted the bronze piece in her hand, then threw it far down the hill slopes. The sounds of it colliding with the brush and rock quickly faded out of hearing, and she breathed in deeply. A weight lifted from her shoulders that she hadn't realized she had been carrying. While she was loathe to throw away what otherwise was perfectly good bronze, and would be worth quite a lot accordingly. She couldn't spend it as is, people would recognize the insignia and word would spread. Nor could she go to a smithy and have them render it down. Most ndowners in the city were beholden to patricians of some sort, and if she showed her face trying to reduce the marker down to scraps Augustus would learn of it all the quicker for it.

  So she tossed it away, and hoped that some poor street urchin below would find it, and be all the richer for it.

  Not too long after, Livia emerged from the temple of Jupiter. She bounced her way over to where Aurelia waited, and the pair began to make their way back to their homes. She didn't want to spoil her friends excitement by interrupting her with her own level up, so she listened to the smaller woman chatter avidly as they began to descend down the steps back to Rome proper.

  A man emerged from the long shadow which overlooked the terrace where his quarry had rested. In his hand he held the small bronze piece which it had tossed from where it had sat. His purpose was to watch, nothing more. Yet.

  He followed the pair at a distance, drifting from pce to pce, shadow to shadow. The pair separated, his quarry continuing on to the blue roofed tavern. But this time, he didn't follow. This time he followed the other woman. It takes many strands to build a web, something he knew more than most. He would build his web, slowly, carefully. His job was to watch for now, but he would be ready for when it was time to pull his strands taut, or cut them entirely.