A Task Accepted (solus)

“And who are you?” Demanded a girl in her late teens as you entered the governor’s administration office of Monopoli. She was garbed in a loose fitting shoulder to ankle robe which, aside from the sides and the trim which had been dyed an earthy red, was a plain bleach white. Her garment was so loose fitting that you had no idea what she looked like under her robe but with her youthful features, you weren’t game to wonder anyway. What gave you most pause was her caramel blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. You’d gotten so used to nobody wearing their hair in a ponytail that seeing one brought you up short.

“The better question is who are you?” You ask in reply. “Where’s the new governor? Are you his assistant?” You ask and get an annoyed huff from the girl. Behind her, Bard entered the room, looking decidedly uncomfortable. While you had been battling Odoacer, the defenders of Monopoli, what few still bothered to defend it, had decided to rush Bard’s men. This ended as well for them as you had originally expected in that Bard had managed to completely capture Monopoli.

“I am the new governor,” the girl told you angrily. You blink at this and then turn your attention to Bard who was behind her and looking decidedly uncomfortable. He then flicked his gaze over your shoulder. You didn’t need to turn around to know who was there or how the teen in front of you got her job.

“Hello dear,” you say before turning around to meet Artemis. She was standing there with her hands on her hips, a mischievous look in her eyes in a deep blue dress with silvery designs of a fox froliking through the woods.

“Hello husband mine,” Artemis replied, sauntering forward, picking herself up on her tippy toes and giving you a peck on the lips.

“Husband!? You’re married to this idiot?!” The girl behind you exclaimed incredulously. “Uhh, sorry milady, I d-didin’t uhh I-I’m really s-sorry,” the teen stammered. Artemis gave a near silent chuckle that only you saw before stepping around you and putting her hands on the governor’s shoulders.

“Relax, you can be comfortable around us,” she told the teenage governor. “But if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a private word with my husband. The teen nodded and ducked out of the room.

“Strabo!” you call to the man who’d just entered behind you. “Go with her and see if we can’t clean up the mess we made while sieging this place,” you order, pointing to the teenage governor. You didn’t need to see him nod to know he’d done so. Artemis then turned to stare at Bard until he left as well, looking as uncomfortable as ever.

“Great” Artemis began, turning back to face you. “What the fuck happened?” she asked, startling you with her casual display of profanity. Given the situation however, you could understand her concern.

You sighed in response and summoned a couch for yourself and then one for Artemis too before slumping into yours. Artemis took one look at the chair you’d summoned for her and then slid into your lap. You wrapped your arms around the woman and pressed her into your chest, your chin on her shoulder as you breathed in her scent. The two of you stayed like this for a good moment before you recounted the meeting you’d had with the mysterious stranger.

“Well then,” Artemis muttered softly, “That makes things simple,” she stated.

“Simple? How?” you ask, playing with the foxy goddess’ furry ear with one hand while the other stroked her back.

“We need to kill Christ or die trying,” she told you. You sucked in a breath and paused in your petting of your wife. It wasn’t until the woman let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a fox or a dog who wanted you to keep going and you resumed your petting with a small smile. “I think it’s time we began flashing our goodhood around like a girl on her majority,” Artemis told you and you snorted with amusement.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right” You mutter into the goddess’ silvery hair.

“So . . . decided to install your own governor eh?” You ask with a smirk. Artemis snorted in amusement.

“If I’d let that oaf from Brundisium do it he’d have selected someone who couldn’t even run a city into the ground much less into prosperity,” Artemis told you.

“And the fact that the ‘best person for the job’ happened to be a young female is purely coincidental,” you state with amusement.

“Naturally,” Artemis replied and the both of you chuckle.

****

“Strabo,” you call out as you enter the room he and the teenage governor had retreated to. It seemed to be some sort of planning room with a table in the middle of it and carved wooden chairs scattered around the room. The governor was in the chair at the head of the table breathing heavily as if from exertion, her robe was in a mess and you could see she wasn’t even properly sitting on it. This, combined with a deep blush and a frustrated look, gave you the distinct impression you’d interrupted something. Strabo, naturally, was impeccable as ever, not even breathing hard.

“By your word, Odoacer lives or dies,” you declare. Strabo’s eyes widened and he sucked in a breath as he turned away, studying the map.

“Something has changed,” The general stated. He wasn’t asking a question, nor was he looking at you but you nodded in agreement anyway.

“I can’t afford to delay anymore so . . .” you begin, trailing off to let the statement hang. “If he is in any way redeemable or usable or if you think he isn’t a true servant of the real enemy, I will spare him,” you say.

“Odoacer isn’t a man who is ambitious enough to even have declared himself king,” Strabo told you “I suspect it was his men that pushed him to it,” he added. “He is loyal to the Empire but now that he’s been declared the king of Italy . . . there isn’t one anymore,” Strabo said. “A show of divinity and a cause to fight for will have him on our side,” he said with a sigh.

“That answered some of my questions,” You say and Strabo nodded.

“I don’t see him being a servant of the enemy,” Strabo told you. And with that, Odoacer’s life is spared. You nod at your venerable general, turn, and leave the room.

****

“The Quadi folk will take arms for you but we can’t expect much of them,” announced a maille garbed man to Odoacer’s left.

“The Goths are going to wait and see, they’ll be no help,” Announced another to his right.

“Have we heard any response from Constantinople?” Odoacer asked with a sigh, he already knew the answer, he’d only sent the messenger a day ago.

“There hasn’t been enough time for the messenger to get there even by the fastest horse,” replied one of Odoacer’s advisers.

“My King!” Called a man as he ducked into the tent. “A messenger comes from the camp of Solus!” He announced. Odoacer clenched his jaw in anger before nodding.

“See the man in,” he ordered and the soldier stepped out of the way. And thus, in walked you. The moment he saw you, Odoacer’s eyes went wide and he sucked in a deep, angry breath.

“Greetings King Odoacer, I wish to speak with you alone,” you say, giving the four other men in the room a cursory glance.

“You are brave as you are supremely stupid!” Odoacer all but growled at you. “Guards, seize this man!” he ordered but nothing happened. “Guards!” He called and looked to the men at his table. They weren’t moving, they stood stock still with their heads turned towards the tent flap. Odoacer grabbed the shoulder of his right hand man and tried to shake him, a look of horror on his face as the man didn’t budge an inch.

“I told you I wanted to speak to you alone,” you say, stepping around the table. Odoacer’s eyes snapped to you and he grabbed for his sword. You then promptly locked his sword in its sheath.

“What sorcery is this!?” Odoacer demanded fearfully.

“You have gotten caught up in a war of the heavens, I’m sorry to say,” you tell the man. Odoacer gave you a look of confusion and you sighed. “I am not some mortal man,” You tell the king “I am a god,” you add.

“There is only one god,” Odoacer fired back.

“That’s what your one god wanted you to think but I’m living proof that he lied,” you reply.

“If you are some god then prove it!” Odoacer demanded. At this, you grin.

“And what would prove to you that I am a god?” You ask, gesturing to the men that are still frozen in place.

“Take me to whatever passes for your afterlife!” Odoacer demanded. You’ll readily admit that you were surprised by this request but you nod anyway. You stride forward, grab Odoacer by the shoulder and then the entire room falls away, being replaced with the marble palace of your Holy City. The man took several steps back and then realised where he was.

“I think the very act of transporting you here should be proof enough, wouldn’t you agree?” You ask as Odoacer looked out over the city in awe. He said nothing but merely nodded. You grabbed his shoulder once more and the two of you were transported back to his tent.

“It will not be so simple to switch loyalties,” Odoacer told you after looking around for a moment.

“Either way, the new Empire will need competent men at the helm . . . we gods won’t be around to take direct control forever,” you tell the man who nodded.

“I’ll think of something,” He muttered. He then turned to you as if suddenly remembering something.

“How much of that battle was Strabo and how much of it was you?” He asked.

“I used none of my powers if that’s what you’re asking, not wanting to draw more ire than I already was at the time,” you begin with a sigh “I helped with some of the stratagems and with the equipping of the troops but Strabo has final say on all things in regards to the Legion, I’m not a war god,” you continue and Odoacer nodded. “Which is ironic because all the other gods have some sort of war aspect to them,” you add with a frown. “The one male on the pantheon is also the only one without a dedicated war aspect,” you mutter.

“Not for lack of trying,” Odoacer snorted. He then turned to the map he had been looking over when you’d originally gotten there.

“I’m going to scrub the memory of my coming here from the minds of your men, not that it’s all that hard,” you tell the king. “In its place, I’ll leave a demand for surrender which you can laugh at at your leisure,” you add. Odoacer nodded and didn’t even flinch as a crisply folded letter appeared in front of him, lettered in rich sapphire ink. “One last thing,” you say, spawning a sun amulet and holding it out to Odoacer. “No need for worship, just have the amulet and my protection,” you say. Odoacer sucked in a breath and stared at the amulet for a moment before nodding and taking it. With that, you left the man to his peace, unfreezing his people as you left.