World Conquest Online

"We have a lot of them here." Dom replied with a laugh to Cicero’s comments on the Greeks. "We have Hoplite, Spartans and some very intelligent Civilians."

"Spartans? Very interesting. I look forward to meeting them all." He smiled, his teeth white and large. He then turned to Umako who was seated and politely listening. "It’s also a pleasure to meet you Umako, I feel we are from very different parts of the world."

"I would agree, but that means there is lots that we can learn from each other." Umako replied politely, bowing his head slightly as he ate some grapes that Gregorios had handed to him earlier. Umako had a prestigious presence that seemed to surround him, he seemed polite, but there was a danger to him.

"Let’s head outside and I will explain Riverside, our situation and other Towns to you." Dom commanded politely to the two experienced Heroes as they left the Heroes Hall. Excited to see what they could do. Neither of them were Mayor Candidates that he was looking for, but he was confident both could do that role if necessary.

The light was bright as they left the building, and all four of them had to cover their eyes as the sun passed over them. Dom’s other guards quickly fell in around them as Dom headed past the Military District.

"There is a variety of Military Units." Umako commented as those that had been spawned were having an introduction by Xun Yan as usual. Tang Forbidden Guard, Hoplite, Batavi, Female Horse Archers, Legionaries and the other minor spawns were all gathered together. "Is he one of your Generals?"

"He is, that is Xun Yan who manages the defence of our Cities with his deputy. We also have five external Armies, each with a General and a Deputy. We also have a Head General, Strategist and their staff." Dom explained to them both as they walked.

"Are those Legionaries?" Cicero asked with open eyes, and a tinge of excitement in his voice. He instantly recognised the armour, finding it strange to see them in this location.

"They are, either from the Ninth or First Legions. We currently have around Sixteen Centuries of Legionaries, but not all of them are Roman’s. Some of the units are made from other races who we have trained." Dom explained as they walked towards the Town Centre. "We have Chinese, Celtic and mixed units as well. The majority are Roman though."

"They have a variety of weapons." Umako added as they walked, looking at the different set ups of the units.

"They do, we have been working heavily with our Generals, Strategists and Blacksmiths to create a well formed force." Dom replied openly, "There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are making good progress." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Cicero? For a younger man, you have aged a lot since I last saw you!" Dom heard Crassus shout, as they walked through the Inner Wall and were greeted by Shang Yang, Xun Yu, Lucius and Crassus.

"Crassus?" Cicero asked with a confused voice. "You are supposed to be dead!"

"So I have heard." Crassus replied as he grasped forearms with his old colleague. "Killed by Parthians and with gold poured down my throat, or something like that anyway. One of the Centurions told me."

"Your death led to a lot of chaos." Cicero explained, shock still on his face as the two old colleagues reunited. They were never close friends, but they had worked together closely throughout the end of the Republic. When Crassus had been part of the Triumvirate, Cicero had been a key member of the Senate that allowed them to work together successfully and to stay in balance.

"I heard that as well, Pompey and Julius were never going to stay peaceful without me there in between them. Also, supposedly Julius’s nephew became an Emperor so I suppose he was the ultimate winner." Crassus laughed, but this news caused Cicero to pause, news that he wasn’t even aware off.

"Octavian?" Cicero asked back, "He was meant to balance against Antony, not turn in to his uncle and become a dictator!"

"There are a lot of things to fill you in on, I don’t have all the details myself. Centurion Septimius of the Praetorians has a lot of knowledge, I’ll introduce you to him when they return." Crassus explained, realising that the two of them had just taken over the greetings. "Let me introduce you to my colleagues. This is Lucius the Mayor of Riverside, Xun Yu my fellow Minister and Shang Yang who is the Head Minister."

"Nice to meet you all." Cicero replied politely with a bow of his head, before turning to Umako who had listened to it all quietly. "This is Umako."

"Nice to meet you all." Umako said as Cicero introduced him.

"Well, now that you have all met, I will leave you to it. It seems there is a lot to discuss." Dom laughed, as Shang Yang nodded at him with a smile, grateful that Dom had brought in more Domestic Heroes.

"I will speak with you later Lord Lazarus." Shang Yang said, hinting that he would update Dom on how Cicero and Umako had fitted in and what their roles would be. He then directed the newcomers to follow him towards the Town Centre, before he took them on a tour over the next couple of days.

By the time the Domestic Heroes had left, the sun was starting to set. Dom decided he would head north towards the new Blacksmith district and check in with Ou Yezi who he assumed would still be working, even if most of his Blacksmiths would have finished work for the evening. As he began walking he heard the alarm that a ship was approaching. He quickly turned to see that a Bireme was approaching at fast speed.

...

Dom arrived at the Docks as the Bireme tied up, one of the workers pushed a ramp against it as Meritamen’s face appeared over the railings. She saw Dom and a huge grin appeared on her face as she slowly made her way down the ramp trying to not fall. Dom felt that with the setting sun behind her, she looked incredible and even though for him it had only been a week, he realised that part of him missed her.

"A whole month!" She exclaimed as she approached him and jumped in to his arms. "You said you would be a while, but a month!"

"It was the quickest I could return." He replied apologetically, but with a smile on his face as he could see that Meritamen had genuinely missed him, or at least had been programmed to.

"I will forgive you, but you have to make it up to me!" She teased, giving him a wink. Dom rolled his eyes in response, before walking towards the Palace with her. As they walked, he explained everything that had happened today, with the growth decisions, his planned next steps and also the arrival of the two new Heroes, Cicero and Umako.

"I am not sure that you need to expose yourself by exploring the south." Meritamen had commented as they walked, happy to agree with the other things that he had planned. "It would be best to send a separate fleet first, with you to follow up if you really want to see."

"We won’t be taking any risks, but I want to explore." Dom had argued back, not in a negative way, but more to assert his authority.

Meritamen had also explained how she had set up initial conversations with the two Towns to the North of Tongpai Lake. They hadn’t arranged a meeting yet, but she had sent a diplomat to each Town to introduce themselves and explain what had happened at Tongpai Town. They had even taken some of the remains of the Type 3 Humans with them to demonstrate the risks. She was feeling positive on what the future could hold in the north.

She had also explained that she agreed with Xun Yu’s approach to the San and that an ally in the south would be key. She was more keen to incorporate the Cove Town in to their sphere of influence as it directly in the land they wanted to claim.

They had soon arrived at the Palace and had a meal provided by the Chef’s that were based there. They weren’t personal Chef’s as Riverside hadn’t grown to the size where it could accommodate that yet, but they prioritised Dom and Meritamen’s meals, whilst also running their own business.

Subutai had joined them for a short time, explaining that everything was ready for Dom to depart to the Mountview Fort in the morning, which Meritamen hadn’t been happy about but she understood the importance. Subutai had then left them to finish eating, knowing that they wanted some time alone.

After they ate, Shang Yang and Lucius had joined them for a brief time. Shang Yang had happily explained how Umako would be working alongside Crassus to promote Immigration and Trade, as Dom had expected. Supposedly his religious views were interesting and Shang Yang had broached the conversation on religion again, but Dom dismissed it saying it could be too divisive with so many different cultures within Riverside and it’s Towns.

He also explained that Cicero was an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable Senator. Shang Yang had intentions for him to lead on the daily governance of the people, whilst himself and Xun Yu continued on the long term plans. Dom agreed as from what Crassus has said to Shang Yang, and Shang Yang’s personal feelings about Cicero, he was definitely had the people’s best interests in mind.

"We are finally getting to a stage where we have a strong Government forming." Shang Yang had stated happily, "For a Kingdom of our size, we are full of talent, not just from Heroes but every day Civilians."

"We have everything we need to succeed." Lucius had agreed. Dom felt that his Kingdom Building Quests were progressing smoothly, probably too smoothly, but he was surrounded by Talented Heroes. After Shang Yang and Lucius left, Meritamen had joined Dom in his room to make up for lost time.

.....

The next morning soon came and Dom awoke to Meritamen lay beside him still, her body sprawled across the large bed in his room. He climbed out of his bed, trying to not wake her up, before changing in to his armour. He didn’t plan to get involved in any Military Issues today, but Mountview Fort was a Fort and he had to be prepared just in case. He strapped his sword on his waist, whilst looking over at his Spear, unsure if he would need to take it.

"You don’t use it often." Meritamen said tiredly from the bed as she awoke. Dom turned and saw that she was sat, with only the thin sheet covering her body, her figure underneath clearly visible.

"I feel that if I take it, I am asking to use it." Dom replied with a laugh, he took his sword with him everywhere, but the Spear was meant for battle.

"If you don’t take it, and you need it, you’ll be annoyed." She replied as she climbed out of bed, the sheet now wrapped around her like a dress. "You really need to learn how to put your armour on."

She approached him and pushed her body behind his, allowing the back of his armour to keep her sheet up whilst her hands tightened the fittings on his breastplate. She then leant forwards, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"Take it, stay safe and return to me." She said seductively. Dom was tempted to take his armour back off, but he had a ship waiting on him and he had enough self control to not always fall to temptation.

"I will." He replied, holding her hand on his chest for a second, before grabbing his spear from the rack.