After slaying the corrupt merchant and his band of thugs, Marcellus was quick to purchase a few slaves to help restore his villa. His actions, while brutal, had secured his position as the leader of the stronghold and the village that surrounded it. Weeks had passed following these events, and the Villa that Marcellus stayed in was fully restored to its former glory.

During this time, Marcellus had been busy overseeing the training of his new army. It became abundantly clear very quickly that these part-time warriors were severely lacking in physical fitness, protective equipment, and even the fundamentals of combat that made a unit strong.

Every day after the soldiers finished their work in the fields, Marcellus would host a training session where the men were forced to do pushups, situps, pullups, and squats. They were also required to do a five-mile run, with rucksacks that had been filled with rocks.

After they had completed this exercise, the soldiers would drill formations and basic combat commands, turning the unarmored infantry of the limitanei into a cohesive fighting force. Though it had only been a few weeks, the extensive training the men were put through formed unshakeable bonds as they endured the torment of their general’s commands.

A few soldiers of note proved themselves to be more reliable than their peers. Shockingly, one of these men was Ordius. A man who had Marcellus had served with years prior. In the past, Ordius had proven unreliable and had committed certain acts that resulted in severe punishment.

Marcellus did not know what the man had endured these past few years, nor was he aware of how he made his way to Castra Regina, but it would appear the man had gotten his act together and become a diligent soldier of the Empire. It was because of this that Marcellus had promoted the man to the position of his right hand. At the moment, Marcellus and Ordius were having a conversation as they made their way to the village blacksmith.

“You really think this design of yours will have a major effect on warfare? Aren’t you being a bit too hopeful?”_.

Despite the commander’s skepticism, Marcellus was undeterred. If his strange dreams were in fact visions from the gods, then this device would be revolutionary to how warfare was conducted. Now that he had some free time, the young general had commissioned a new saddle, which included a set of stirrups; he had already contacted a local tanner who had agreed to his request. The next part of his plan included commissioning a set of iron loops to secure his feet.

“If my theory is proven correct, these stirrups will change the course of warfare! We will soon be able to raise cavalry at a fraction of the cost, while allowing them to be more efficient in their attacks.”

Ordius had seldom seen Marcellus as excited as he was now. However, it was not like the man was using the funds of the settlement’s treasury to fund this little experiment. Thus, Ordius could care less about what the wealthy bastard used his personal fortune for.

Eventually, the duo made their way to the local blacksmith’s shop. The man in question was large and muscular, with a full beard and dark hair. He appeared to be working on the manufacture of a set of horseshoes while Marcellus approached. Though the man saw that the new Dux was visiting his shop, he did not halt his activities and greet him. Instead, he acted indifferently as he continued to hammer away at the horseshoes. Ultimately, Ordius spoke up on his General’s behalf.

“Catus, you old bastard, are you really not going to show respect to the new Dux?”

The old man simply grunted in displeasure as he continued to batter away at the iron horseshoes. Upon seeing that the man did not care in the slightest about Marcellus’ position, the young general decided to quickly get to business as he pulled out his blueprint of the iron stirrups.

“I need you to create this for me. I promise I will pay you a fair price for your work.”

Upon seeing that the Dux had approached him with a business proposal, the man looked at the blueprint and nodded his head in silence before raising five fingers. Marcellus could clearly understand what the man meant. The man was clearly asking for five hundred nummi. The nummus was the lowest quality coin in the Empire, and was generally made of copper. In comparison, one Solidus, which was the most valuable coin of the empire, was worth 7200 nummi.

Marcellus had no problem affording such an expense. After all, his father had left him a treasury filled with Solidus coins. If he so desired, he could bathe in the amount of gold coins he had access to. He quickly reached into his coin pouch and pulled out one miliarense, which was a large silver coin worth approximately 600 nummi. He tossed the coin over to the blacksmith, who quickly caught it and gazed upon the General with suspicion. Marcellus responded to the man’s expression with a simple phrase.

“You can keep the change.”

After witnessing the General’s generosity, the man nodded his head in silence, however his stoic expression appeared to have lightened a bit, as if he had a more favorable impression of Marcellus. With the price paid, the young general quickly inquired about the timeframe where the product could be delivered to him.

“How long will it take to complete it?”

The man was decisive with his response as he raised three fingers, each one representing a day. It became apparent to Marcellus that the blacksmith named Catus was not the most talkative person in the world. However, he asked for clarification to ensure he was understanding the man correctly.

“Three days?”

The blacksmith nodded his head in silence before returning to his work. Marcellus was satisfied with the time frame that was given to him for delivery and thus walked back to his Villa with Ordius by his side.

“So Ordius, now that today’s work is over, are you going to visit the local brothel?”

The man wore a bitter smile as he shook his head before responding to his General.

“No sir, those days are behind me. In the past I could not wait to spend my coin on women and wine, but nowadays I have found my purpose in defending this settlement from the threat of the Goths. You never know when they will try to cross into our borders and raid our lands.”

Marcellus nodded his head as he heard these words. It was true that on the eastern border of Castra Regina; the Goths lie in wait, preparing for their invasion. There was only so much time in the world before the peaceful days that Marcellus currently enjoyed were drowned in a river of blood. He had to spend every moment preparing his troops for that eventuality. Fierce resolve filled Marcellus’ olive green eyes as he asked the question on his mind.

“When Alaric finally shows his face, do you think we will be able to stop him here in Castra Regina?”

Ordius gazed into the direction of the village and sighed heavily before answering.

“Before you were assigned here, I would say we were destined to die bloody. However, the changes you have made to the soldiers’ training just might be enough to keep us from drowning. Though I won’t lie, it will be a difficult task…”

“Marcellus sighed and nodded his head before responding to this claim.

“It would appear I am going to have to invest in more than just time in my army if we wish to survive. Perhaps I should buy some proper equipment for the men. Once they have proven their resolve, that is…”

Ordius raised his brow when he heard this. He had never expected Marcellus to be so generous with his wealth. Just what was the man planning if he was willing to invest in arms and armor for a bunch of limitanei?

Somehow, the idea of being supplied with such expensive equipment did not fill the veteran soldier’s heart with relief, but rather worry. He could only think of one reason that Marcellus might be willing to waste such a fortune, and the thought sent shivers down his spine. Marcellus did not take notice of this hesitation and instead continued to his villa. The moment he made it back home safely, he bade the commander farewell.

“I will speak to you further tomorrow. There is much we need to discuss about the continued training of our soldiers. Until then, enjoy these peaceful days, for I fear they will not last much longer.”

Ordius saluted his general before departing, where he quickly returned to his quarters within the stronghold. He knew that if anyone were capable of deterring the Goths from sacking Castra Regina; it was Marcellus.

Whether they could truly survive the coming days. Ordius did not know, but he had to do everything in his power to convince the part-time soldiers of the region to stand in fight. Thus, while Marcellus relaxed in his villa, Ordius was hard at work at the local tavern, raising the morale of the soldiers.