Chapter 5

Krista found herself curious of Artorius as she watched him in the arena. She had been around many naked and half-naked men in her time of servitude but she had never seen a body quite like Artorius's. His skin, a warm olive colour, glistened under the hot sun as small drops of sweat rested in the crevices of his abdominal muscles. His broad shoulders, small waist and well-crafted muscles made him appear as if he had been sculpted by the gods themselves.
His strides, long and purposeful, held a higher confidence to them as the women in the stands watched his powerful thighs tense with each step, and yet despite his heavy-set physique he seemed to be almost gliding above the sand of the makeshift arena as he executed his blows with swiftness and dexterity. He appeared unstoppable with his planned attacks and quick reactions.

As he turned, his shoulder-length black hair slicked back and tied at the nape of his neck, Krista looked at his face and recognised the glint of determination which flashed behind his eyes. She found that it was the same thing Lazarus said he had seen in hers when they trained. And just like Krista was interested in Artorius so was the entire crowd. The Greek gladiator with herculean strength captivated them as he drew out the fight for their pleasure, keeping them on their feet with anticipation.
His first strike had broken open the skin across his opponents, Alexander's, arm before delivering a similar blow to his thigh. He even risked a shallow swipe across Alexander's abdomen which he got. It cut his skin but it was not enough to kill him, but it was enough to make every step thereafter a torturous one for his opponent.

Alexander and Artorius had been matched perfectly. Strength and speed allowed them both to perform an excellent dance for the paying audience, and all the while they managed to remain out of the reach of the hungry tigers who prowled on the outskirts. The chains around their necks had the dual benefit of stopping them from getting too close to the gladiators and to keep the gladiators inside. Artorius even teased the poor creatures as he leapt over their backs to avoid a blow to his own body from Alexander.

Landing within the tigers reach Krista inched closer to see a tiger with a thick scar across his snout rear up onto his hind legs and take a swipe at Artorius's neck. Krista was mildly surprised to find herself hoping that the tiger would sink his claws into Artorius's neck. She was annoyed by the Greek's arrogance and hoped a strike from the tiger would wipe the smug grin off of his face but Krista's hopes were dashed when he dived to the side and the tiger thundered back to the ground defeated.

Skidding through the sand on his side, Artorius came back up onto his feet to defend a strategic strike from Alexander. A thunderous roar erupted around the wooden stacks as Alexander, with his flame red hair, swung his axe at the level of Artorius's neck, sand kicking up behind him as he planted his weight into the ground. A collective gasp rumbled the air as Artorius barely ducked out of the way in time.

Lazarus regarded her curiously out of the corner of his eye but Krista pretended not to notice. Her eyes were peeled to Artorius's impressive form as he quickly pulled himself back up onto his feet, despite the drawn out fight robbing them both of breath and strength. It carried on this way for a long period of time until an excited hush fell over the crowd as Artorius let out a guttural cry, his voice filled with some deep emotion Krista did not know he could feel, and brought his sword down towards Alexander's chest. In that moment it appeared that the fight had been won but at the last moment Artorius changed the trajectory of his blow from Alexander's chest to his arm instead. Cutting through his flesh just above the elbow, Artorius severed Alexander's arm from his body, his axe still clenched in his hand.

Before his arm could drop to the sand the crowds were on their feet and roaring in pleasure at the sight of red spurting from the top of Alexander's arm. They were cheering Artorius's name in fickle ecstasy as their champion gladiator raised his sword in the air, revelling in their favour. Alexander tried to hit out with his other arm as Artorius walked behind him but Artorius simply continued his scene of torture and sent his bloodied blade through the back of his knee, sending the defiant Alexander into the ground.

Krista took note as the crowd cheered. The extra splutter of blood as Artorius ripped his blade out of the man's flesh added to their hysteria. They were watching a man bleed to death in the most gruesome way before their eyes and yet they called out for more. Alexander's ruined body bled into the sand and the last thing he heard was not a call for dignity and relief, to let him die in peace, but a call for more pain as they chanted for Artorius to hack away at his dismembered body.

Krista turned away from Alexander's split body and looked back to Artorius. Touring the arena, his blade thrust into the air, Krista was no longer curious of this man. She realised that he was not like the rest of them. He did not perform in this way to survive, he did it because he liked it. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Artorius approach Alexander from the back as he was knelt in the sand and brought the tip of his blade home to rest in Alexander's neck.

There was barely a pause for remembrance of the dead slave as the crowds applauded their new favourite gladiator; Artorius of Athens. The arena began to boom with the sound of one name being chanted in unison along with the stamping of their feet until it sounded as if the structure were about to fall down around them.

"Artorius! Artorius! Artorius!"

Krista watched the Greek with peculiarity as Artorius seemed to revel in the sadistic roars of the crowd. She didn't know if it was smart or cruel. Perhaps it was both but she knew Lazarus would say the former. Lazarus was not a horrible man, just a realistic one.
As she was considering this she saw Artorius turn and as he did so he caught her watching. They stared at each other for a moment before the smile returned to Artorius's lips and gave her an arrogant smirk.
Krista was almost begging to be thrown in their with him so that she could wipe it from his mouth. She watched Artorius's figure slip back through the doorway across the other side and into the darkness that led back to their tunnel-like cells.

As her own departure from the City of Danghmar approached Krista realised that they would be seeing a lot more of Artorius as his own master was in no doubt heading for the same destination as they were; Rome. But as they were crowded back into their dark cells Krista quickly glanced across the way and saw that he was there, stood leaning against the bars as if he was daring the tigers inside to try and take a swipe, whilst the other men kept their distance. She noticed the way his body tensed and his eyes looked up as she entered.

Turning away, Krista refused to look at him. Parting ways from the crowd, Krista approached the bars and looked for the tiger with the scar across his snout. She spotted him lounged out in the sun after an exhausting and pitiful time in the arena, trying to reserve his strength. Clicking her tongue quietly the tiger lifted his head and looked across at her. She felt sad when she saw the struggle it took for the tiger to rise to its paws. Sliding her hand down the bar, Krista sat on the ground as close to the bar as she could get and waited for the creature to softly pad his way across to her.

She could feel not only Artorius's hot gaze upon her but everyone else's too as the tiger pressed its head against the bar, chuffing softly, as she reached through and sunk her fingers into his thick, coarse fur. She felt her own body relax slightly as the tiger's eyes closed shut in peace for a moment before he lowered himself to the ground and rested his chin on the small stone ledge. Reaching out further she began to slowly stroke his ear and felt a hairless scar that ran across one of them. She wondered how he had got it as she leant against the bar, her feet tucked underneath her, and enjoyed a small moment of bliss in a life of torment.

* * *

Krista was glad to see the back of Danghmar as it meant that she was one step closer to the amphitheatre in Rome, and one step closer to Rome meant one step closer to her freedom. The emperor, to gain favour with the populous, was feeling grateful. If one gladiator could survive to the end of his sadistic games then they would be granted their freedom from serfdom. This prize alone had turned even the most innocent of slaves into bloodthirsty killers as they scrambled to fulfil a life outside the confinements of shackles but as they entered the capital of the mighty Roman empire Krista was about to find out that it was not only slaves that became gladiators. 

The rolling hills and serene skies of the countryside gave way to bustling crowds, stone buildings and a foul stench as they passed along its cobbled streets. The setting sun glinted off the gold that dangled from the residents necks as Krista craned her own like an excited child. Her eyes soaked everything in from the colourful robes that people wore to the communal bath houses they passed. Krista tried to remember the last time she had had a bath but she couldn't.

As they continued up the path towards the arena the walls felt as if they were closing in on them as their group were pushed closer together and Krista felt a resemblance to cattle as they were herded to the slaughter. Trying to think of something else as they progressed down the straight roads of Rome Krista could still not imagine that she was in the capital of this vast and criminal empire when she looked up to see square roofs give way to an entirely new and exciting invention. The Colosseum.

A hush fell across everyone in their party, soldiers and slaves alike, as they beheld the pure beauty of it's brilliant architecture.Krista, who would soon fight upon its sand, was equally amazed by its appearance. Roughly elliptical in shape, the Trertine building held three vast floors of arcades with large bronze statues under each arch. A final fourth level held rectangular windows and supposedly a retractable roof. She had heard that it could hold more than fifty thousand people but she could barely fathom that number let alone that many people - and they would all be watching her. 

Their party slowed to admire the Colosseum as they walked around the fifty metre tall amphitheatre. She could not peel her eyes off the gigantic building which made her feel small and insignificant and yet she felt humbled to be one of the first few gladiators to be fighting in its walls. Surely, she would now be a part of history. She could not imagine so strong and vast ever being brought down. 

But they bypassed the Colosseum and headed for a small and yet still vast building barely a few hundred yards from the amphitheatre.

The words 'Ludus Magnus' were carved into marble above a large arch which they passed under and out of the crowded piazza of Rome.

"Gladiator school?" Krista whispered to Lazarus with confusion.

She had never heard of such a place; Krista had learnt to fight with fellow slaves. They had never been taught to fight.

Everything in Ludus Magnus expelled newness with its perfect white marble pillars and arches along the arcades that ran around a vast elliptical patch of green that matched the shape of the arena.

The sun, still high in the sky for the summer evening, beat down through the ceiling-less courtyard, lighting up an already vast population.

Men, and very few women, lounged on benches eating a variety of food whilst others fought with wooden swords.

What were they doing here? This couldn't be a place for slaves, Krista thought as she saw the smiles of content on the people's faces.

Lazarus with his dry cracked lips and gorgeous chocolate skin was just as confused by their sudden arrival in the new gladiator school but neither would allow their hopes to rise up.

The Commander obviously had another friend to provide them with cheap accommodation. He couldn't mean for them to train here, surely.

They progressed through an inner door which was quickly shut behind them and a bar was pulled across the gates.

"OUT!" A guard shouted as he wrenched the door open at the back of their cramped cage.

Nearly a dozen of them pushed inside had to crouch to fit back through the low door but soon feet, bound by chains, fell into a straight line immediately.

Krista's joints ached as she stretched when Commander Niclaus suddenly appeared with a much smaller and older man whose wide stomach spoke of wealth.

With thick black locks and a striped toga which did nothing to hide his rotund stomach, Krista's eyes fell upon the golden laurel wreath which adorned his crown.

"You had a good journey I trust." The older man smiled pleasantly as he strode down their line beside the commander, looking like a dwarf next to Niclaus's tall, stern figure.

"Very well, Senator Magnus." Commander Niclaus bowed to his higher counterpart as the man inspected the new gladiators to be welcomed into his school.

"You have some good fighters here." Senator Magnus nodded with appreciation.

Niclaus remained silent as the Senator stopped beside her thinly clad body; his eyes taking in her tall length with confusion.

But he said nothing, his eyebrow arching interestingly, before he moved on, "I think we shall make some good fighters out of them-"

"Gratitude." Niclaus bowed his head again, interrupting the Senator's sentence.

"-For a price," Senator Magnus continued with a smile.

Krista couldn't help but smirk at the old man's words; Niclaus loved nothing more than money and squeezing his purse would hurt him more than any punch to the jaw could.

"Marcus," The Senator called out suddenly and Krista glimpsed a man in plain clothing dart forward to his master's side, "Take them to their rooms."

Krista saw Lazarus's head turn slightly to the side in front of her; he had heard the same word she had.

Rooms. Not cells, rooms.

As their line started to move forward down a fire lit corridor, with arches stretching out down on their right, Krista wondered what sort of place this was.

Well, Krista thought as she was led towards her room, she was about to find out.