Chapter 2: The Spiderweb in Subura

Author's thoughts: Please read the revised Chapter 1 before reading this chapter.

With two hundred Essence now pulsing within him, Ulixes felt a cold calm. This power wasn't just for battle; it was to buy speed. He summoned the Egyptian to his dimly lit study.

"Those who survived the slaughter at Batiatus's villa," Ulixes said, his voice low. "Domina Lucretia. I want to know where she is."

The Egyptian nodded silently and disappeared into the night. Two days later, he returned with an address in Subura, Rome's crowded, noisy district, far from the luxury of the Palatine.

Ulixes came alone, wearing only a simple tunic and a dark cloak to disguise himself. The air in Subura's narrow alleys was heavy with the smell of charcoal, fried food, and poverty. He found the address: an unadorned wooden door on the upper floor of a bustling insula. He knocked.

The door opened slightly. A face he didn't recognize peered out. a middle-aged woman whose eyes missed nothing, her posture unbent. "I've come to see Domina Lucretia," Ulixes said calmly. "Tell her, a friend from Capua."

The woman stared at him for a long moment, assessing, then silently opened the door wider, gesturing him inside.

The apartment was small and cramped, but clean. The furnishings were simple, a stark contrast to the marble and silk luxury of Batiatus's villa. Near a small window overlooking the noisy alley, Lucretia was sitting.

She no longer wore her expensive gowns. Her hair was styled simply. Her face was thinner, and in her eyes was a deep weariness, but the fire within her had not died. She looked at Ulixes, and for a moment, Ulixes saw the ghost of the woman who had once been his mistress, the queen of an empire of sand and blood. By her side stood the woman who had opened the door.

"Ulysses," Lucretia said, her voice hoarse, a cold acknowledgment. "Or should I call you Tiberius Acilius now? Your story is sung even in these gutters."

"Just call me an ally," Ulixes replied. His gaze shifted to the woman beside Lucretia.

"This is Gaia," Lucretia said, her tone softening slightly. "An old friend. She pulled me from the rubble when the world burned."

Ulixes looked at Gaia. He saw a quiet strength in the woman, an unwavering loyalty in her eyes as she looked at Lucretia. This wasn't a slave. This was a partner. Another player on the chessboard.

"I didn't come to reminisce about the past," Ulixes said, getting straight to the point. "I came to discuss the future."

He explained everything. His ambition to become Quaestor. His plan to build a new Ludus. The vineyards and olive groves. His alliance with the noblewomen. He hid nothing. His [Knowledge] Intrigue & Manipulation told him that in this situation, brutal honesty was the sharpest weapon.

Lucretia listened in silence, her eyes followed his lips as he spoke, absorbing every word. When Ulixes finished, a faint, familiar smile, the smile of a strategist, began to form on her lips.

"So, the wolf once confined in a cage now wants to build his own cage," she said. "And you need an old fox to help you design the lock."

"I need your expertise, Lucretia," Ulixes said. "You understand the entertainment business and Capua's dirty underbelly better than anyone. I want you to manage my new Ludus. Not as a subordinate, but as a partner."

"And what do you offer in return?" Gaia asked, speaking for the first time, her voice firm and protective.

"Opportunity," Ulixes replied, his eyes fixed on Lucretia. "A path back to the status and power that were stripped from you. Enough wealth to make everyone who once mocked you now kneel."

Lucretia rose, pacing the cramped room. The fire in her eyes now burned brighter. "A very tempting offer," she said. She stopped and looked at Ulixes. "But alliances are not sealed with words, Tiberius. Alliances are sealed with actions that demonstrate absolute trust and commitment."

She glanced towards the slightly open bedroom door behind her, where a new young female slave, Melitta, was working silently. Then she looked back at Ulixes, her smile now full of promise and danger.

"I want to see your commitment. Here. Now."

Ulixes didn't hesitate. He understood the language Lucretia was speaking. This wasn't an invitation; it was a test. He removed his dark cloak, tossing it onto a chair, then stepped further into the dim room.

Lucretia smiled, the smile of a predator whose prey walked straight into a trap. "Melitta," she called, her voice regaining the tone of a Domina.

The young female slave, who had been standing silently by the bedroom door, stepped forward. She didn't lift her head, her eyes fixed on the wooden floor. Ulixes looked at her, and a cold recognition hit him. He knew this woman. Not from the villa's corridors, but from his deeper past at the ludus. This was Melitta. Doctore Oenomaus's wife. The woman who had once stood proudly by the gladiators' trainer. Now, she was a bowed slave, a shadow of her former self.

"Entertain our guest," Lucretia commanded in a bored tone.

Melitta knelt before Ulixes without a word, her movements mechanical, learned from suffering. Her slender, well-maintained hands began to untie Ulixes' tunic. As the fabric parted, his fully hardened penis was exposed in the flickering oil lamp light.

Melitta's face drew closer. Ulixes felt a warm breath on his skin a moment before the woman's soft, wet mouth encompassed him. He hissed softly. Melitta's skill was undeniable, the result of training he didn't want to imagine. Her tongue danced, her lips sucking with a steady rhythm. Ulixes closed his eyes, but what he saw was Doctore's stern, respectful face. A strange, cold sensation ran through him, a sensation of power ran through him, followed by a tightening in his gut as the image of Doctore's face flashed in his mind.

He opened his eyes and saw Lucretia, who had now shed her own clothes, observing them from her chair with a possessive, aroused gaze. She savored her power, savoring the sight of the man who had conquered the arena now being served by the wife of the man who had once trained him.

Lucretia rose and approached. She gently pushed Melitta's shoulder, motioning her aside. She took over, her more experienced and demanding mouth now replacing her slave's. She sucked Ulixes greedily, one hand tightly squeezing his testicles.

"You see, Tiberius?" Lucretia whispered between sucks. "Even in ruin, I can still give you pleasure you'll never find in the pampered bedrooms of those noblewomen."

Ulixes growled, gripping Lucretia's hair and pulling her head back. "I'm not here for pleasure, Lucretia. I'm here for a deal."

He pulled his penis from Lucretia's mouth and lifted the woman, slamming her onto the sturdy wooden table, sending several papyrus scrolls tumbling to the floor. He forcefully spread Lucretia's thighs, exposing her already wet and glistening vagina. Without warning, he plunged his penis inside.

"NGHH!" Lucretia shrieked, her back arching off the table.

Ulixes began to thrust into her with a fast, brutal rhythm, his hands gripping her hips. In mid-thrust, he gestured to Melitta. The slave woman approached hesitantly. Ulixes pulled Melitta close, forcing her to kneel in front of Lucretia.

"Lick her," Ulixes commanded, his voice hoarse.

With silent tears streaming down her face, Melitta obeyed. Her trembling tongue began to lick Lucretia's swollen clitoris, just as Ulixes' penis continued to pound in and out of her vagina.

The double sensation made Lucretia scream, her body convulsing violently as a tremendous orgasm ripped through her. That moment pushed Ulixes over the edge. With a final growl, he emptied his semen deep into Lucretia's womb. He withdrew, leaving both women lying trembling on and under the table.

{Intimacy completed. Target: Noblewoman (Category 3) & Canonical Slave (Category 2).} {Life Essence gained: +30}

Lucretia and Melitta had left, leaving a heavy silence in the small apartment. The faint scent of sex and despair still lingered in the air. Ulixes redressed his tunic, his movements calm and controlled. He didn't look at Gaia, who had been standing silently by the window the entire time, observing everything with an unreadable gaze.

"You've gotten what you wanted from Lucretia," Gaia said, her voice clear and slightly amused. She turned from the window, the dim light from outside highlighting her sharp profile. "You've shown your strength. You've sealed your alliance. Now what?"

"Now, I ensure all my allies are bound to the same purpose," Ulixes replied, looking directly into Gaia's eyes. He saw no fear or resignation there. He saw cold intelligence and calculation.

Gaia chuckled softly, a sound like silver bells. "I am not Lucretia, Tiberius. I am not broken. I don't need saving." She stepped closer, her movements graceful and confident. "I am a survivor. And survivors always choose the winning side."

She stopped directly in front of him. "The question is, are you truly the winning side, or just Crassus's strongest dog in the yard?"

Her gaze was challenging. This wasn't an offer; it was an interview. She wanted to know if she was staking her future on a lion or a sheep in lion's clothing.

Ulixes didn't answer with words. He just stared back at her, letting the silence speak. He could feel his [Knowledge] Basic Psychology working, reading the subtle tension in Gaia's shoulders, the way her eyes never blinked. She wasn't testing his strength; she was testing his cunning.

"Every lion needs a lioness to guard its den," Ulixes finally said, his voice low.

Gaia's smile widened. She had gotten her answer. "I have a gift to seal our alliance," she said. She turned and gestured towards another bedroom. A very young female slave, perhaps Greek, stepped out.

Gaia led the slave to Ulixes. "She is new. Untouched," Gaia said, her sharp eyes never leaving Ulixes' face. "Show me how you value a gift, Tiberius."

It was a game. A mirror of what had just happened with Lucretia, but with different rules. Ulixes knew Gaia was watching him, judging his every move.

He looked at the trembling young slave, then back at Gaia. He extended his hand, but not to touch the slave. He gently moved the girl aside.

"I am not interested in sheep," Ulixes said, his eyes now locked on Gaia. "I prefer to hunt with a she-wolf."

Gaia's eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then he saw her pupils dilate for a moment, a new light entering her eyes. This was the true answer she had sought. She laughed, freely this time. She pushed the slave back into her room. "Get out," she commanded.

As the door closed, Gaia turned to face Ulixes. "A wise decision," she hissed.

She shed her clothes with slow, deliberate movements, every inch of her pale skin exposed, her eyes never leaving Ulixes'. She was naked, her firm, round breasts challenging before him. She approached, pressing her warm body against Ulixes', her hands tracing the muscles of his abdomen.

"Now," she whispered, "let's see if you're worthy of my loyalty."

She pushed him against the wall, their lips meeting in a rough, demanding kiss. Their tongues clashed, a fierce battle.

"Nghh..." The first groan escaped Ulixes' throat as Gaia's cool hand gripped his already hardened masculinity through his tunic.

"Afraid you can't keep up, Tiberius?" Gaia teased between their kisses, her breath ragged.

"Mmm... never," Ulixes countered, his voice hoarse. His hands squeezed Gaia's firm, rounded buttocks, lifting her slightly until her legs wrapped around his waist. He ground himself against Gaia's core, making her gasp.

"Ah!" Gaia sighed against his lips.

With one motion, Gaia pushed him towards the bed, forcing him to sit. She knelt before him. "A king... mmm... must be worshipped first," she whispered, her hungry eyes on Ulixes before her warm mouth swallowed his penis.

"Oh... God..." Ulixes groaned, his head leaning against the wall as Gaia began to move. The wet sucking sounds filled the room's silence. "Nghh... Gaia..."

After an eternity, Ulixes pulled her up. "A queen... huh... deserves the same," he countered. He laid Gaia down and spread her thighs. The natural scent of Gaia's arousal greeted him, an intoxicating aroma. He lowered his head, his tongue sweeping over Gaia's swollen clitoris.

"AH!" Gaia's muffled scream was a mix of surprise and pure pleasure. "Oh... yes... mmm... there..." Her back arched, her fingers kneading the sheets. Her moans became longer and more pleading. "Oh... yes, yes, yes... keep going... don't stop..."

Just as Gaia neared her peak, Ulixes stopped. Gaia opened her eyes, looking at him with a hungry gaze. she took control. she moved onto Ulixes' body, straddling him, and slowly lowered herself onto his erect penis.

"Sssshhh..." she hissed as she felt him fill her hot, wet vagina. "Ah... perfect fit..."

"Ngh..." Ulixes growled, feeling the tight grip around him.

"My turn to lead," Gaia whispered, her eyes glinting. She began to move her hips in a slow, deep rhythm. Her supple breasts swayed before Ulixes' face.

"Oh... ah... oh... ah..." Her moans became regular, following the rhythm of her movements.

"Mmm... yes... like that..." Ulixes countered, his voice deep and heavy with arousal.

Suddenly, Ulixes' hands gripped Gaia's hips and with one strong motion, he flipped her over. Gaia was now kneeling, her back to him.

"Now... you follow my rhythm."

Before Gaia could answer, Ulixes' tongue traced her spine, descending to the curve of her rounded buttocks, and found her tight anal opening.

"Tiberius! Ah!" she shrieked, her body trembling violently.

Ulixes didn't stop. Then, without warning, he slammed into her vagina from behind.

"NGH! OH, GOD!" Gaia shrieked.

"Hah... hah... hah..." Ulixes' breathing rhythm was now one with his deep, powerful thrusts. The sound of their sweat-slicked skin slapping together echoed in the room.

"Deeper... ah! Yes! There! Keep going!" Gaia pleaded, her voice hoarse and desperate.

Just before they both lost control, Ulixes pulled out and laid Gaia on her back. Sweat drenched their bodies. He re-entered her, this time with unifying movements. Their lips met in a desperate kiss.

"Ah... ah... keep going..." they moaned together, a chaotic chorus.

"Gaia...!" Ulixes growled, feeling his climax approach.

"Ulixes...! I... I... AKH!"

With one last deep thrust, he released himself. He felt a hot gush within her womb, while her vagina contracted violently around Ulixes' masculinity. Both trembled, screaming in total release.

{Intimacy completed. Target: Noblewoman (Category 3).}

{Life Essence gained: +20}

There was only the sound of their ragged breaths. Gaia opened her eyes, looking at Ulixes. Respect. Passion. Loyalty.

"Welcome to the partnership, Tiberius," she whispered, her voice hoarse with satisfaction. Their alliance was now forged in fire.

{Name: Ulixes (Tiberius Acilius Ulixes)}

{Title: - }

{Essence Stored: 250}

{Active Legacies: [Talent] Rapid Adaptation, [Knowledge] Basic Psychology (Tier 1), [Talent] 360-Degree Awareness, [Knowledge] Roman Military Tactics (Tier 1), [Knowledge] Economics & Trade (Tier 1), [Knowledge] Intrigue & Manipulation (Tier 1), [Hero Template: Achilles (Early Stage)]}