Prologue: The End of Tyranny
The date is January 24, 41 AD.
"Traitors! Die!", a praetorian guard, wearing a steel helmet with a horsehair crest, shouted, his voice echoing off the tunnel walls.
He swung his gladius wildly, the blade glinting in the flickering torchlight; a scorpion emblem was visible on his tunica militaris, while the discarded wooden scabbard lay abandoned on the tunnel floor.
It was two versus seven people.
It's a hopeless situation, and yet, the guard brandishing his gladius still bravely attacks and goads the seven attackers.
The only other guard that's with him is guarding someone and he is unable to move.
*CLANG* *CLANG*
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhgggg!!!!!!", another praetorian guard, but from the attacking side, with no helmet but also wearing a white tunica militaris with a narrow purple stripe, bumped his shield to the guard wielding a gladius.
*CLANG* *CLASH* *THUD*
The scene is unusual as the guards who were supposed to be on the same team are attacking each other.
*CLASH* *SCREECH* *CLANK* *THUD*
A man falls, together with his shield, one of the traitors.
*CLANG*
"You'll pay for your treachery!!", the guard, who wore a horsehair crest on his helmet, screamed to the remaining traitors. His eyes glinted with determination under his helmet.
He expertly countered every sword that swung his way. He knew exactly how his enemies moved, familiar with them from being on the same team for so long.
'What led you astray?', he thought to himself.
*ZZING* *THUD* *THUD* *THUD*
Three men fell.
"We're not the traitors here, YOU ARE!", one of the attacking guards countered, sneering.
The ongoing clashes between metal to metal create a sense of urgency. Until the guard swinging his gladius fell together with the attacking guard after his final slash.
His back was oozing with blood from the other guard who snuck up on him.
*CLANG* *THUD* *CLASH* *THUD*
And two of the six remaining men fell. Leaving four people. Two on each opposing side.
One, a man of unearthly beauty, stood tall, his expensive, crimson robe torn and tattered. His stumbling feet were clad in elegant leather sandals, polished to a warm sheen.
A golden diadem, adorned with glittering emeralds and rubies, sat atop his crown, its brightness accentuated by the dim torchlight.
His blond hair, with hints of gold, framed his face, subdued by the tunnel's shadows. A symbol of his imperial power. His piercing blue eyes blazed with fury, like stars in a midnight sky.
The air was heavy with the metallic tang of blood, the musty scent of decay, and the sweet, cloying aroma of mold.
It was suffocating.
"Haaaaah haaaah ugggggghh!", the remaining guard, whom the stumbling man thought was his remaining protector, suddenly grabbed him and tied him up, confusing him.
*Splorch* *Squelch*
*Swish* *Swish*
He stumbled backward, his eyes blazing with anger. He shook uncontrollably, unable to control his body.
The elite guards, sworn to protect him, had now tied their emperor up!
'This is blasphemy!', the emperor wanted to scream, but he bit back the words, refusing to give his captors the satisfaction of seeing him broken.
Blood oozed from the slashes in his expensive robes, inflicted by the traitorous blade that had cut deep into his flesh.
'How dare they do this to their God!', he seethed.
*Swish* *Splat*
A guard grasped him, forcing him to drop to his knees on the bloody ground.
His knees scraped against the cold, sticky wet stone, sending a jolt of pain through his body.
'The humiliation!', the emperor's anger boiled over, indignation burning like a fire in his chest.
The torches' dim light struggled to penetrate the tunnel's gloom, but the glint of steel was unmistakable as more and more figures emerged from the shadows beneath the palatium.
*Squelch* *Squelch*
The emperor thrashed about, trying to break free from his bonds. He looked around for someone or anything to untie him. But all he can see are his fallen guards.
'Useless! And the others are traitors!', he looked up and stared at the faces of the other three backstabbing guards standing beside him. Holding him in place.
His blood boils even more.
"Struggling is of no use..", the head of his guards quietly said, breaking the silence.
"Untie me this instant! Obey me!", the emperor said in his commanding voice.
"Why would I?", the guard asked, his eyes empty.
"I AM YOUR EMPEROR!", he roared.
"Down here, you are nothing...", and as if the guard timed it, a loud cheer boomed, and a thudding sound of what seemed like a hundred or more people's steps could be heard echoing through the whole tunnel.
"Listen to the people above.. they are celebrating your downfall", the guard taunted him.
"I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL KILL YOU!!!", the emperor screamed. His nerves showing in his temple.
*SPLASH* *SPLASH* *SWOOSH*
"This is for your madness!", the first assailant that emerged from the shadows, stopped the emperor's rage and stabbed him.
"Aaaaggggggghhhhh!", a searing pain shot through the emperor's whole being, as if a hot iron had been thrust into his flesh. It's a bit different from the cut wounds that he received earlier.
He looked down in time to see a sword plunged at his side.
"Aaaaaaggghhhh!!", the emperor's scream echoed through the tunnel.
"You forced our children to prostitute themselves in the palace!", the second assailant spat, stabbing the emperor in the stomach.
"Raaaaghhhhhhh *blegh* *bleghhhhh*", warm blood forces its way out of his mouth.
"You slaughtered our families, our friends, you demon!", the third attacker shouted, plunging a dagger into his shoulder.
The litany of accusations continued, each attacker striking their emperor with a blade.
Each wound is the evidence to his cruelty and excess.
As the last attacker closed in, the emperor's vision began to blur. He tried to look around the faces of his attackers, he can feel their aura blazing with hatred and vengeance.
Another one struck him in the back. It's the head of his guards.
"This one is for my wife", the guard whispered in his ears.
Then he shoved the emperor down to the ground.
*Splat*
'Ugggghhhh.'
*Squelch* *Squelch*
He tried to crawl, blood oozing from his body, making the already bloody floor more sticky. But a walking foot, clad in leather sandals stopped in front of him, a few inches from his head.
Effectively stopping him from crawling forward. He craned his neck weakly, looking up, trying to make out the face of the owner of the feet.
Green expressive eyes met his eyes.
It was Lepidus.
'You!'
Then everything went dark.
*****************************
*Ta-ta-ta-Taaa*
A trumpet blared loudly, its vibrations resonating through the air.
The city of Rome, a sprawling metropolis of marble temples, grand basilicas, and winding streets, pulsed with life.
Music, dance, and acrobatic performances filled the air, accompanied by the sweet scent of incense wafting from processions led by priests honoring Apollo.
Chariot races, athletic competitions, and theatrical events drew cheering crowds, while at night, torches and lanterns cast a magical glow over the revelry.
The trumpet's blast pierces the air, momentarily halting the lively celebrations.
The people, busy celebrating the Ludi Palatini, stopped and wondered why. A low murmur spread through the crowd.
The trumpets had already sounded once, on the first day of celebrations, following the emperor's speech.
But why were they being used again, on the last day of Ludi Palatini? Another celebration? What was the occasion? The people exchanged curious glances, wondering.
Then people came running from the palatium, "Hup hup.... Go to the palatium! They are announcing something! Hurry!". They called out to the masses.
The people, curious about the announcement, decided to go.
Once they gathered, instead of the emperor or a high-ranking magistrate, a herald stood before them.
Unrest spread among the people, afraid it was one of the emperor's whims again.
When the large crowd had gathered, the herald stood straight and, in a loud voice, said:
"We are celebrating the end of the tyranny of the MAD EMPEROR!"
You could have heard a pin drop as silence ensued. The herald looked around at the faces of the people.
"As of right now, the mad emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus has already died."
A long pause, and then one person broke into cheers, and like a wave, the entire crowd erupted into cheers. The news spread rapidly throughout the city, with people gathering in the streets, forums, and public spaces.
"Hurrrrahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!", the crowd cheers.
What a joyful news that is!
*****************************
The news of the emperor's death spread like wildfire, igniting a frenzy of jubilation and destruction, forgetting about the festivities.
Mobs of people who were just enjoying the music and the mood of the celebration earlier, surged through the streets, targeting the numerous statues and effigies of the fallen emperor.
In the Roman forum, a massive marble statue of the emperor stood tall, until a group of enraged citizens, armed with hammers and chisels, attacked it.
The sound of cracking stones echoed through the forum as the statue's arms shattered, its face splintered.
*Thunk* *Thunk*
Nearby, a bronze effigy of him stood atop a pedestal. A bonfire was lit beneath it, and the flames engulfed the metal, melting its features into a twisted, grotesque appearance.
Throughout the city, similar scenes are happening. Statues were toppled, effigies smashed, and images of the emperor defaced.
The once-revered symbols of his power now lay broken, proof of the people's rejection of his tyranny.
As night fell, Rome's streets were glowing with fires, illuminating the destruction. The air resonated with cheers, shouts, and the clanging of hammers, as the city purged itself of the emperor's presence.
*Clack* *Clack* *Clack*
The sound of creaking wood and scraping wheels mixed in on the air.
*Clack* *Clack* *Clank*
An ox pulling a plaustrum, a wooden cart, is making its way out of the city. The driver, wearing a black cape with the hood drawn to his head, halted the ox and gazed back at the riotous scene unfolding behind him.
His face is illuminated by an orange glow coming from the fire that is lit. It was Lepidus.
Then his eyes dropped down to the plaustrum.
There is a thick large cloth covered in a shape that unmistakably resembles a body, breathing slowly and quietly under it, hidden from the world.
The driver's expression remained inscrutable, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of concern.
Then he continued driving the plaustrum, leaving the city a little bit more quickly now.
*Clack* *Clack* *Clack*
********************
