B2 Chapter 45: Escort Quest

Marcus walked quickly through the Legionnaires’ camp as he followed the messenger towards the city. He had been on quite a lucky streak in dice, and he did mean lucky, he only sometimes cheated among these men, when he’d been interrupted by a summons. One from the Legatus himself.

It had been a while since Tiberius had called upon him like this. That wasn’t to say they hadn’t been in contact though. They still had regular meetings, albeit less frequently than before, or the leader of the Legionnaires would simply send someone to inquire about a matter on his behalf. The growth of Tiberius’s little empire meant the man was always more busy and weighed down with responsibility than the day before.

Marcus of course made an effort to always be available for whatever was required of him. It was only polite. Besides, staying useful was the best way to ensure he continued to enjoy his special privileges. Such as having free reign around the camp, being privy to many of the Legion’s plans, and generally being alive.

Not that he thought the Romans would execute him without reason, of course. They had so far been fairly reasonable people, especially the rank and file. Mostly. To anyone who wasn’t actively trying to fight them. Really, the idea of falling out of the Legion’s good graces and having to navigate through Novara again just wasn’t that attractive.

As they left the camp and made their way toward the city’s front gates, Marcus pondered what the emperor might want from him this time. The messenger had given no indication about the reason for his summons one way or another, but it usually had to do with intelligence or filling some gap in the man’s knowledge of this world. Nowadays, those gaps had become increasingly related to the political landscape and governmental structure of Novara. So this was likely something in that vein.

Maybe he wanted to know something about the baroness? Possible. Marcus has made sure to check in on her occasionally. The woman was still confined, but a bit less combative than before. She no longer lashed out at her guards with the same regularity, which he counted as an improvement for both her sake and theirs.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity for the woman and her daughter. It was why he did what he could to make sure they were comfortable, safe, and well-fed.

The last one wasn’t really a problem, thankfully, and the first two were easy enough to manage with a few well-placed words. Just a nudge to ensure that one particularly surly Legionnaire was taken off of guard duty and put to work elsewhere, or the guard who had gotten a little too drunk on looted whiskey was replaced with a more merciful one. Little things here and there.

So far, things had been going smoothly, so he wasn’t too worried.

When he was finally led into the former baron’s study, Marcus saw that he was not the only one attending this meeting.

“Marcus, my friend! It’s good to see you!”

Gaius grinned as the bard entered. Marcus made to bow, but the young officer didn’t let him. Instead, they clasped forearms as Gaius pulled the other man in to slap him heartily on the back.

Marcusn let out an involuntarily woof of air at the impact. He returned the gesture with as much heartiness as he could, but he just didn’t have the constitution and strength that this level four did. It was a little bit embarrassing in his opinion, but luckily no one seemed to hold it against him.

“Gaius. It’s good to see you as well. You’ve certainly grown since I saw you last.”

Gaius snorted. “You’re far too young to sound so much like my grandfather, Marcus.”

“Well, I am older than you.” The bard pointed out.

“True. But then, most everyone is.” The officer’s eyes twinkled. “Although I suppose I do find myself in the company of the oldest geezers more often than most of the men.”

Gaius glanced towards Tiberius as he spoke. His words were obviously an effort to lighten the mood. However, that effort fell on deaf ears.

Tiberius’s face was stone, clearly unamused by his officer’s antics. The growing smirk fell unceremoniously from Gaius’s face as he paled. If he had to guess, Tiberius would be having words with him later. He probably didn’t appreciate the overly-familiar ribbing in front of someone like Marcus or the aides that perpetually accompanied him. Appearances had to be kept, after all.

Marcus swept into a bow to reassure Tiberius that no respect had been lost. As he straightened, he saw that Gaius had stepped to the side and was waiting for his superior to speak. Evidently, the pleasantries were over.

“Bard Marcus. I have a request for you.”

A “request” from an Emperor was simply a more diplomatic way of saying “orders”. Even if Marcus was not a soldier under Tiberius’s command, he’d be an absolute fool to treat it as anything else. Yet the fact that he’d worded things so was incredibly heartening. It was a show of respect, one that Marcus did not take for granted.

Marcus bowed again. “I am here to serve, Emperor.”

Given how he’d reacted to Gaius’s joke, it seemed prudent to opt for a more formal manner of address at the moment. Given that Tiberius made no move to correct him, Marcus assumed he’d been right on the mark.

The Legatus motioned toward his officer. “I am sending Gaius to negotiate the ransom of the baroness and return her to the duke, should an arrangement be reached. I would like you to accompany him. Advise him on the political landscape and ensure that any local customs and formalities are observed, within reason.”

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“But of course. It would be an honor.”

He would be more than able to do that. While Marcus had never actually been a part of ransoming someone before, he certainly knew how it was supposed to work. Not to mention that diplomacy was one of his specialties.

“You will be accompanied by a full cohort. And to keep the baroness out of reach until a deal is made.” Tiberius continued, turning to Gaius. “Based on the information Marcus has provided, I do not anticipate the duke will take the risk to retrieve his daughter by force. But it is better to ensure that he is not tempted to try based on perceived weakness.”

“Thank you, Legatus.” Gaius said, far more formally than before. “I will strive to ensure that the men under my command are well taken care of.”

“See that you do. Remember that you are there to negotiate, not to conquer. Should the use of force prove necessary, you are to immediately report back. Reinforcements shall be provided to ensure that any aggression is properly dealt with.”

Gaius nodded in acknowledgement. “It will be done, Legatus. Although I suspect that a full cohort will be enough to quell any resistance we may encounter.”

“Be that as it may, I would prefer not to take unnecessary losses. Not when we may preserve our numbers by overwhelming the enemy with our numbers.” Tiberius said simply.

“Understandable.” Gaius agreed, a small smile finding his face once again. “Though I do appreciate you sending such a strong fighter along with me.”

“Oh?” Tiberius raised an eyebrow.

Gaius gestured to Marcus. “This man. I told you of his exploits in that underground colosseum. It seems as though he’s a little more capable than he would have us believe.”

Tiberius swung his gaze to take in the bard. Marcus just shrugged and spread his hands innocently. “What is a performer without tricks up his sleeves?” He said with a flourish, producing one of the flowers he always kept handy. It disappeared back into a hidden pocket within his shirt. “Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’m a fighter. But I can handle myself when so required.”

He intentionally left out how much of his combat abilities were dependent on expensive and highly difficult to replace single-use spells. No need to lay all of his weaknesses on the table.

Tiberius simply grunted. “It seems that you are more useful than you let on.”

“Surely not. What use would my meager abilities be in comparison to the strength of your men?” Marcus smiled.

It was a rare display of humility, but one made for good reason. After all, he couldn’t have the Legion thinking that he was some sort of combat asset that belonged on the battlefield. Not only was it not true, but such a misunderstanding was liable to get him killed. Especially with the caliber of foe they’d been facing as of late.

No, he was far more satisfied to stay in his role as an informant and adviser. That had already proven enough to make Tiberius classify him as useful, even with the additional scouts and information sources that the Legatus now employed. Even if he could get knowledge from the locals they’d conquered, Marcus was simply more convenient, cooperative, and knowledgeable about certain political matters in particular.

“The men will be ready to leave in the morning. That is all.”

“If I may, emperor?” Marcus interjected before his attention fully turned to other matters. At a motion from Tiberius, he continued. “You intend to conquer the duchy sooner rather than later, correct? Then what is the purpose behind squeezing ransom money out of them now rather than taking it by force later?”

Tiberius nodded, seemingly not offended by the question. “Gold now is gold that he won’t have to arm, pay, and feed his troops. Especially once he and others become more aware of our intentions for conquest and wary of our forces. Extracting what value we can now will make our future battles easier and provide us valuable resources in the short term.”

“I see. Well. As I’ve said,” Marcus began, “The duke is a very reasonable and competent man. I do not anticipate any… drastic action on his part. However, I cannot help but wonder if there is more that can be accomplished on this venture than simply securing a ransom.”

Gaius shot him a perplexed look, while Tiberius remained impassive. “Explain.”

“Well. As a reasonable man, he has often found himself at odds with the king in the past. Never so severely as to endanger himself or his position, of course. But enough that he has found himself on the receiving end of some rather tyrannical stipulations more than once.

“Should he find a more agreeable arrangement under which he may better thrive, the thread of his already tenuous loyalty may finally snap. Perhaps he would be willing to hear out a more peaceable relationship with the Legion where others have not.”

Tiberius remained silent for a long moment after Marcus finished. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his fists. “You assume that I would even want this man as an ally.”

Marcus didn’t bat an eye. “Even with the majority of his forces being diverted toward the western front, the duke is still a powerful man, and not just when it comes to material goods. Connections with merchants, influence with other nobles, and the benefits of a specialized class… Not to mention that having someone with a great reputation and decades worth of experience continue to run the duchy will surely be a boon. Whether you make him an ally or simply require him to swear fealty is a matter for you to decide, however.”

“It would be reasonable for a man to hold ill will against those who kidnapped his family.” Tiberius shot back. “Who is to say that his loyalty to us would not be as fleeting?”

The bard couldn’t help but scoff. “With all due respect, emperor, his ‘fleeting’ loyalty endures to this day, even despite the king’s best efforts to squash it. In fact, I doubt it will be easy to bring the man around to the Legion’s side. But I believe it can be done, and that doing so may be worthwhile. As for the matter of the ransom… the fact that we will deliver his daughter and granddaughter safely rather than allow them to be executed can be spun in such a way as to earn goodwill.”

Tiberius considered the proposal in silence. Marcus wasn’t honestly sure whether he’d go for it. After all, simply rolling over the region with force of numbers was an entirely viable option. But there were definite benefits to the alternative.

After a long moment, Tiberius nodded. Beside him, Marcus caught a fleeting look of surprise flit across Gaius’s expression before he masked it. “Very well. I will permit you to attempt to bring the duke to our side. However,” Tiberius warned as he looked at them both, “this will not supplant your mission to negotiate a ransom. Regardless of the duke’s allegiances at the end of this, I expect a hefty sum of gold to accompany you on your return.”

With a final wave, the emperor dismissed them both. Gaius saluted as Marcus gave one last flourishing bow. As they stepped into the hall and shut the door behind them, Gaius let out a breath.

“So. Seems as though we have our work cut out for us.” The Legionnaire remarked.

“Indeed.” Marcus smiled. His thoughts were already weaving plans on how to persuade the duke. It would be tricky, but not impossible by any means. The world of wits and words was his own personal battlefield, after all.

Now he just had to hope that the duke was as reasonable as he’d claimed.

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