Chương 115: Chapter 2.52: Sacred Depths

Favius's shoulders tensed as he, alongside his siblings and the cultivators, watched Doroth whisper into Brutus's ear. The expression on Brutus's face grew more dire with each word. Finally, he straightened and nodded solemnly. What the fuck could have happened now? Last time them, and now this? Holy shit, can't we just remove Hesnia's spies and build the workshops? Brutus studied everyone in turn, but his eyes lingered on Favius.

Favius's heartbeat sped up as the cultivator gently shook his head, a deep sadness in his eyes. He felt Caliga was about to speak up, but the moment she opened her mouth, Brutus spoke.

"Dire news indeed." His eyes settled on Raukhan.

"Your horse was found in quite a horrible state." The previously bemused expression of the Thrari tribesman fell.

"Grapestrider?" he gasped, his voice a mixture of surprise, anger, and worry. Favius shivered alongside his siblings at the memory of last night. What could have happened to that monstrous animal? Didn't Brutus mention that it was a spiritual beast of Magnicultor rank? Who except... He looked between his protector and Phaidros. The two of them could have even taken it down?

"Indeed."

"Tell me what happened!" Brutus stepped forward and squeezed the man's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, but Grapestrider..." He shook his head and swallowed. Favius's eyes fell on Doroth Cerul. The servant's expression was oddly neutral. Favius could almost have sworn that the side of his mouth twitched. Is Brutus... But his protector continued.

"They found him underground. They don't quite understand how he got there, but he was motionless and barely breathing when they found him."

"Where?" demanded Raukhan, trying to pull loose. Brutus held him in a vice grip.

"Where do you think?" he said. Brutus's expression cracked.

"Utterly wasted in a wine cellar full of smashed amphorae, of course." Phaidros and Duran burst into roaring laughter alongside Brutus, while Raukhan glared before cracking a smile. A moment later, even the children joined in.

"What?" Favius proclaimed.

"I mean, the horse stank of wine, but it broke into a wine cellar?" Raukhan let out a suffering breath and walked over to his gear.

"How many?" he demanded.

"Forty amphorae of good wine, Lord Cultivator." Raukhan groaned, opened a leather pouch, and removed some jingling coins before throwing the remaining pouch to Doroth, the Master of Provisions.

"Consider that repayment and our..." He looked around.

"Board and room."

"My Lord," gasped Doroth.

"You are guests in this house."

"The Senator will surely be grateful for some compensation for the headaches we are about to cause him."

"Indeed," added Phaidros, a vicious smile on his face. Doroth shrank back and scurried out of the room. Before Favius could decide which question to ask first, Urania and Caliga took several steps towards Raukhan.

"So your horse really does drink wine and break into wine cellars?" asked Caliga. Phaidros nodded towards Duran.

"He is rather fond of doing so. It is almost a habit by now, every time it visits a new estate…"

"But how? How can a horse even drink?" demanded Favius. This is too ridiculous. I can accept a magical horse, but a magical horse that's also a boozehound? Raukhan straightened and grinned broadly.

"Well, children, Grapestrider isn't just any spiritual horse.

"No. He's a sacred beast of Sydian, so such behavior is only fitting for him." Favius narrowed his eyes. Sydian, Sydian. I haven't read up on all the minor gods yet.

"Brutus mentioned that you are a priest of Sydian."

"True. Even when I was led into your strange Republic in chains, I never forgot the God of my ancestors."

"So what is Sydian about?" Favius asked. Raukhan only smirked, and a grin spread over the faces of all the adult cultivators.

"Believe me, boy, once you study in the city for your military training, you will grow quite familiar with the cults of Sydian." Favius frowned. Well, most of the religions here have civic functions, but...

"What are Sydian's domains?" asked Urania.

"Wasn't it something about wine?"

"Yes," said Brutus.

"Sydiani cults are popular for throwing the best parties and greatest—""Brother, there are children present!" thundered Phaidros. Brutus glared at his brother-in-law. Favius's eyebrow rose. Sounds like a strange cult. Almost as strange as the Cult of Oblivion.

"The God that not just the Thrarii, but also the barbaric Minurians worship is considered a God of death and madness," Duran said as he sidestepped Phaidros's slap just in time. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Do not forget his fourth aspect, the one for which Grapestrider's chosen place of rest was entirely appropriate. After all, where else would a spiritual beast dedicated to the God of wine, death, madness, and the underworld rest, if not in a wine cellar?" Favius snorted, but Urania narrowed her eyes.

"The underworld? Isn't that just from stories? After all, Mother told me that when we die, we either go to the ancestral flame or are cast into oblivion." Duran nodded solemnly, but Raukhan huffed derisively.

"All of that is true, yet your strange Republican ways deny that the path towards oblivion is lined with balconies in the underworld, where those gathered around the ancestral flames may gloat over their lessers before they are dissolved into absence." Favius raised an eyebrow. So they all kind of worship the same gods, but have different emphases. I don't actually know enough about polytheism to judge whether this is normal or strange.

But, well, if those are the first people coming to support Brutus for his ascension and tribulation, I hesitate to think of who else is going to show up. He looked in the direction of the workshops. Brutus promised at least two people would be coming who are going to be quite interested in my endeavors. The conversation died down, and another two-hour-long round of training followed. By the end of it, they again settled down in a circle and drank the by-now cooled tea and water.

After Phaidros had finished assessing each of the children's strengths and weaknesses in combat, Favius was still nodding along. Apparently, I favor my right when attacking, and that's a tell. His idea about using my mental insight to become more unpredictable... Well, I need to think about a random function, but… Caliga's eyes fell on Raukhan, and she cleared her throat to interrupt the casual banter.

"Why do you have this diamond-shaped patch of bare skin in your armor?" asked Caliga. The Thrarii tribesman grinned broadly.

"Oh, that. It's another custom of my people."

"Stupid is what it is," commented Duran. Yet the priest of wine and madness ignored the ranger.

"Unlike the heavily armored Cindrathi, we Thrarii horsemen are no cowards. Should the Gods see fit to let the Fates guide our foe's lance true towards our heart..." He touched his fingers to the bare skin around his nipple.

"Who would I be to deny their decree?"

"A man grasping the light of destiny," murmured Brutus. But Raukhan flicked his fingers dismissively. Before the conversation could continue, Brutus again clapped his hands.

"Very well, children. As fascinating as I believe you are going to find this, there shall be ample time for further conversation. Now, I believe your brother wanted to inspect the progress of the workshops alongside the two of you." Caliga's face flashed with disappointment before she smiled again.

"Well, my people are already at the new workshops, so..." The eyes of all three cultivators fell first on the children, then uniformly on Brutus. The Magnicultor shook his head.

"As for further questions, I believe it might be fun to spend time around a campfire tonight."

"Oh, that sounds great," proclaimed Urania. Marius nodded eagerly, but Brutus raised two fingers.

"No children. It'll be an adults-only conversation." His sisters grumbled and tried to argue. Yet with a few more sentences, Brutus evicted the younger siblings towards the baths. Something in the man's eyes had kept Favius from moving.

"So?" Favius asked, looking at Brutus. The Magnicultor looked around the circle and only smiled.

"Well, Favius, I did say it was supposed to be an adults-only conversation." Phaidros's expression narrowed.

"You were rather insistent this morning that you had no plans beyond having us guard you while you ascended whatsoever."

"Indeed," murmured Duran. Raukhan nodded.

"You even fought back our..." He glanced in the direction of the mansion.

"Rather reasonable suggestions." Favius's blood went cold. Fuck. Of course those people are loyalists of the old dictator, so them rallying around Brutus... Well, Marcus was worried about this thing for a reason, I guess. Brutus chuckled.

"It shall all be obvious in due time, brothers. Be patient." His eyes met Favius's.

"And trust in the justice of Providence." Favius's eye twitched, but he looked away and did not respond. He too left for the baths while his thoughts raced. He's pretty obviously hinting that he wants me to tell them. Not necessarily where I'm from, but enough to help them… Favius let out a long breath and nodded. We'll see where this goes. He shook his head. After a quick, relaxing bath, the children walked towards the workshops alongside Brutus. The other three had remained behind.

Urania excitedly babbled about something she wanted to show Caliga and Marius, while Favius settled in next to Brutus.

"So your friends are quite..." He clicked his tongue.

"Interesting." Brutus laughed.

"That indeed they are. And we have much to talk about."

"Do we really?" He bit his tongue before Brutus even shook his head.

"You know where we will discuss such things. After all, the underworld is not just a place for horses, and the night is a time of whispers." He smirked, quoting something Sirrana was rather fond of saying. Brutus hummed as they reached the workshops. Favius studied the hubbub in the courtyard between the workshops and the main estate. Around the cluster of workshops, two Decurii of guardsmen were casually training and engaging in drills. Yet Brutus and Sirrana's training had made Favius wise to their formation.

One Decurii was running drills in half-groups around the workshops, engaging in various forms of sparring and calisthenics. The other had been split into pairs, all of whom seemed to simply linger, lounge, and gossip, while at the same time controlling every path of access to the workshops. Brutus was kind of right to insist on this. After all, having Hesnia slip a spy into that while we're already training people would have been embarrassing.

He took in the acrid smells of boiling lye, burned fat, dissolving cloth, and the oddly fragrant notes of the various herbs Urania's people were adding to the soap cauldrons. Before they entered the complex, he saw Tiro walking out of the shadow of a nearby building. He held out two wax tablets.

"Young Lord, as you ordered, the wax tablets with the..." He paused almost involuntarily, glancing down at them.

"Drawings you wanted delivered."

"Thank you, Tiro." The manservant's eyes flicked briefly towards the workshop.

"Do you wish me to accompany you, Young Lord? I might arrange for some refreshments while you are inspecting—" Favius raised two fingers.

"No, Tiro, it will be quite all right. Please, I wouldn't want to hinder you from executing your duties." He looked across the grounds towards the main estate as he said it, his tone leaving little room for interpretation. Tiro smiled and nodded.

"I thank the Young Lord." With the wax tablets under his arm, Favius walked past the perimeter.

"You're sure they can make it until evening?"

"I told you, Brutus, if you'd only announced that they would be coming, I would have pushed this faster. But now—" Brutus raised a hand.

"It's fine, it's fine." Favius took in his workers discussing their work and smiled. Well, there's no screaming and no fighting. Everything certainly looks productive. His eyes found Vibia talking with people near a series of boiling pots, and Urania joined her with the other siblings. So despite my worries, all of this is working out, though the last meeting already suggested that they want shorter rotations and that some people absolutely are not happy with being put in charge.

Maybe not everyone should be rotated into leadership roles? He shrugged. Well, I don't actually remember how Earth cooperatives did this, even if they had some form of rotating leadership and responsibility. No matter. He began mingling, especially with his papermakers, and soon found himself discussing pulping and hearing various ideas and insights. His most common response to a request was simple.

"Put it in the book of issues and see who else has come up with this." After nearly an hour, he heard raised voices coming from a side-building. He stepped closer and saw two relatively young men loudly arguing and wildly gesturing at Claudia, who returned their arguments with twice the vitriol. Favius stepped forward before pausing. They aren't fighting. They are just having a friendly shouting match, I guess. As long as it's not escalating, it's just one more data point.

I'll ask about it at the next weekly meeting and see what needs to be done. He smiled. After all, we have procedures here instead of personal heroics. That's kind of the entire idea. Turning around, Favius froze. He blinked three times, but it was unmistakable. Duran was sharing a small meal of sausages, bread, and cheese with several of the workers, gossiping and laughing with them like a long-lost friend. Favius's eyes flicked over to Brutus.

"How did that man get in here?" he hissed.