If there was one problem that seemed to persistently plague Marius it was that he was constantly getting caught with his dick out. He was involved in numerous affairs with the wives and daughters of many visiting politicians, patricians, craftsmen and anyone who happened to leave their women unattended. He was responsible for more scandals in Neapolis then the rest of the population of the city. Like a young mongoose, he was able to duck and dodge through most of the nets weaved around him, until he went to Rome.
Lucius had sent him to stake out a possible expansion of their operation into Rome. They would have some bloody tough competition if they wanted to open a new brothel. There were already several high class establishments, the Lupena being one of the best. In all honesty Lucius had modeled his brothels after the Lupena having learned all about their operations while he was the aedile. There were thirty two brothels of varying sizes that he knew of and he left it to Marius to gauge the state of the industry in Rome and scout out a location that could directly compete with the Lupena.
While in Rome Marius did what he always did. Searched out the company of married women, except this time he chose the wife of Corellius Rufus a Praetor of Rome, a powerful man when it came to influencing government policies and edicts from the Emperor. When the politician walked in on his wife and Marius intertwined in passionate lovemaking it became a blood bath. He drew his dagger changed into the couple, murdering his wife by cutting her throat and then went after Marius who was barely able to escape with a deep slash on his back.
He fled Rome, his mission a complete bust, thinking that would be end of it, but Corellius Rufus was a vengeful man and even though his wife died at his hand he blamed the young scoundrel who dared defile his name and his house. It took him two months of investigation and bribes to find out his name but find it he did. When he learned that this whelp was Marius Petroniun he posted a bounty, 5,000 denarii, for his cock.
Marius was walking home late in the evening with his slave and bodyguard Karpos. They passed what appeared to be a homeless wretch curled in an alcove of a building and didn't even give him a second thought. As they passed the figure rose from the refuse like a shadow and noiselessly crept up behind the pair. The light from their lantern gleamed off the polished blade of a dagger in the shadow's hand. In one swift motion it stuck. He clamped one hand over the mouth of Karpos as the dagger penetrated his back, just under the ribs, in a swift upward motion, penetrating cleanly through a lung and just piercing the heart. As quickly as the dagger stabbed it was withdrawn and then sliced across Karpos throat. He dropped to ground, blood gurgling from this slit throat, his lifeless eyes frozen in a look of terror.
At the first instant Marius thought his guard had stumbled. He turned see what happened and saw the shadow leap from the corpse of his guard. Terror filled his soul as he realized what was happening. He dodged instinctively, feeling the tip of the blade graze the side of his neck. For a split second he contemplate going for Karpos' sword but he'd have that dagger in his back before he got his hand on the hilt. His best option for survival was to run. He broke into a dead sprint, shouting that an assassin was after him. If there was one thing assassins didn't like, it was attention. He looked back over his shoulder as he ran down the road to the villa, there was no sign of the shadowy figure.
He entered the villa, putting all the guards on high alert, then rushed to his father. They discussed various ideas before coming up with a solution that, while extreme, gave Marius the best chance of survival, and would also would provide him with some opportunities. He would join the legions. This would take him away for a number of years and place him in an environment that was under constant guard. With the languages he spoke, understanding of mathematics and geometry he could eventually make his way to an engineering post which would pull him from the front lines as well.
The next morning he was escorted with armed guards to the recruiter where he was enlisted. From there he was to be transported to Misenum, loaded onto a trireme with several other recruits, and placed amongst the rowers to help power their way up the coast to the Mars Fields north of Rome. There, he and eighty other young men would spend six months in training before being deployed as a new century.
Aurelia was heartbroken over the whole affair. She and Marius had grown quite close in the last few months, perhaps too close, but she was going to miss him terribly. At minimum he would be in legions for five years before any thought of a bribing the legate for and early discharge could even be considered. If the bribe failed, as was often the case, he would be obligated to military service for twenty years. She watched him go, tears streaming down her cheeks. He stopped just before turning a corner and looked back to the villa, seeing her in the window. He waved and blew her a kiss, she reciprocated, then he turned and disappeared around the corner, never to return.
The only thing he took was a small purse full gold coins. He wasn't sure how the pay worked in the army but one thing was certain his taste in women would cost more than what the army would provide him. The extra coin would be a good buffer. He was to spend the next four months at the camp near Rome for basic training. He received his armor, along with an extremely heavy wooden sword and wicker shield. That night while lying in his cot in the barracks he contemplated his situation. He was a soldier now and would dedicate himself to the task. The education he received would be a huge asset. Most of the men couldn't even read while he could read and write in both Latin and Greek. He also understood the complexities of mathematics and geometry. As soon as he was promoted from a recruit to a soldier he would put his name in to be an engineer's apprentice, he'd just have make sure he proved himself to justify the request. With these plans set in his mind he finally fell asleep.
It seemed he had barely closed his eyes when the Centurion came into the barracks to rouse the men. He quickly got up when saw their commander kicking cots over of the men who were slow to get out of bed. After a hardy breakfast the men lined up in formation donned backpacks weighted with rocks and marched. The standard for the legions was twenty mille in five hours, calculated at 100,000 paces. It took them seven hours on their first day. Though the march was slower than what was expected several of men vomited from the exertion. The trek consisted of a big loop from the camp, up through the foothills and back. After the march the rest of the day was spent with sword training. He was so exhausted by dinner time he could barely keep his head up. He was asleep almost immediately when he laid down on his cot.
The next morning his body was so sore and stiff he could hardly move. Thankfully the Centurion anticipated this and wasn't terribly upset when the morning march took eight hours. This regime continued day after day, week after week. They would march their twenty mille, the packs getting heavier and heavier until they reached the required weight at which point the rocks were replaced by their actual equipment. Eventually trench digging was added, along with battle field maneuvers, swordsmanship and shield bashing. Finally, after three months they were able to make a fast march of twenty four mille in five hours then build their temporary camp complete with trench, embankment and barricade in another five hours. As a reward for accomplishing the Legions standards for field duty they were each paid ten sestertii and granted a nights leave from the camp for whores and drinking.
Marius had been looking forward to this since day one. His libido had not turned off despite the strenuous physical program of the training camp. He was getting tired jerking off or waking up to find he had cum all over his tunic in his sleep. He wanted some real pussy and tonight he and his century would be giving the brothels some good business. The centurions had the privilege of bringing whores into their quarters whenever they had the urge but as a trainee he was not afforded that luxury.
His first order of business was to head to one of the many baths Rome had to offer. The training camp did have its own bath but it was small, the water was tepid and it smelled funny. He broke off from his soldier brothers, who were going straight for the brothel, and instead went to the Thermae Suranae. It had been months since he had a proper bath and he planned to take his time to thoroughly enjoy it. He followed the prescribed routine of oiling himself down with perfumed olive oil, building up a good sweat in the yard lifting weights, scraping the grim, sweat and oil off himself and finally jumping into the cool water pool. After he had mostly washed off he stepped into the tepidarium to warm up and relax in a private warm tub.
There were several other men in here getting messages from their slaves which reminded him of home; his slaves, sister and a life of leisure. He could have been running the family business with great success but the fates had other plans for him. Letting go of the opulence he had grown up in had been difficult but life as a legionary did have its benefits. For one thing it demanded fear and respect from normal citizenry, secondly he was bigger and stronger now than he'd ever been in his life. He got out of the tub and entered the caldarium for a nice steam. He sat there naked for a while, letting the fragrant steam envelope him. He laid back on the bench and closed his eyes contemplating his future. When he opened them again he noticed a man, at the far side of the room, watching him closely. A dark skinned man with a thin, well-muscled body and cruel eyes.
Marius got up, left the steamy caldarium and took another dive in the pool to cool off, the cold water took his breath momentarily but was quite refreshing. He climbed out of the pool, dressed and left the bath. Upon exiting he mingled with some whores waiting around the bath house while also keeping an eye on the entrance. Sure enough, that same man walked out moments later dressed in flowing black robes, and loitered about. This had to be the same assassin that tried to murder him in Neapolis, only this time Marius had gladius and knew how to use it.
He randomly picked a girl and led her to one of the archways farthest from the bath entrance. He handed her a denarius which elicited a gasp from her in surprise. Normally her services only garnered a couple of copper ases. As they walked he whispered to her specific instructions.
The man in black quietly walked along the path to the last archway, there he was, the target of his employer, humping away with some nasty street skank. With dagger in hand he rushed forward intent on burying the blade deep in his back. Just he was about to strike, Marius lunged to the side, dropped to his knee and spun with his gladius in hand. Before the assassin knew what was happening the sword was thrust into his abdomen, his eyes wide with anger and regret for having underestimated this whelp.
The girl screamed as Marius withdrew his sword and plunged back into the man at a steeper angle, cutting through his vital organs. The man slowly fell to the ground, dead. Marius thanked her for her service, wiped the blood form his sword on the man's robes and left to find himself a girl with a little more class.
He decided it would be best to stay away from the married women and headed to the Lepana, the brothel he had meant compete with until he was chased away from Rome. It was a luxurious place with an abundance of exotic girls, located near the Forum Augusti and designed with extravagance. The entrance was flanked on both sides by statues of Priapus with his giant erection pointing skywards and on the door hung a large knocker in the shape of a phallus. He grabbed the metal member and banged the balls against the door. A large man opened the door, scrutinizing Marius.
