The sun gleamed brightly over the Roman horizon, breathing life as light passed over the many statues that littered the Roman pavilion. Citizens gathered here usually for social matters, but today was special. Today was another day of Colosseum games, ranging from different events such as animal fights, ship battles or the most renown one of all, gladiator games. Romans began streaming through the pavilion as they paid for entry to watch. Among them was a lanky man with red hair who wore full roman battle regalia. He carefully observed the people as they waded past him to grab their seats all while shielding an old man behind him from being trampled.
"Sir, what are we doing again?" The man in armor asked the old man.
"Were waiting for the First of course, we've done this for every Colosseum event if you don't recall Tay." The older man was wrapped in a white toga, his head adorned with a laurel.
"It's Octavius, Emperor Tylis, I'm on duty, it's out of protocol to call me by my nickname." Octavius frowned at the emperor, causing the shorter man to chuckle and pat his right shoulder.
"That's quite alright lad, I'm well acquainted with you anyways. I'm sure the council won't mind." Tylis spoke, smiling genuinely at the younger soldier.
"Whatever you say, Tylis." Octavius sighed, "If your waiting for the First, she won't be coming to the arena this way. She never passed through the commoner entrance ever since she was promoted to the Praetor in the first place."
Tylis simply laughed and pat Octavius's shoulders, returning to his former state of glancing at the moving lines of people as they entered the Colosseum. Tay shrugged his shoulders and held back a laugh at the old Emperor's actions and, as he did many years beforehand, waited for the First to appear once again. He remembered when Tylis first met the First, it was in this very pavilion. It caused his lips to smile at the thought of himself as a young boy walking with the First and accidentally bumping into the Emperor. His entourage immediately pointed swords at the two of them, shouting words like, "Disrespect!" or "Lunatic!". In his defense it wasn't completely his fault. After all, it was the First who playfully pushed him into the Emperor. As any normal kid would've done, he shook with fear at the realization that he, himself, a mere child. has just bumped into the Emperor. The man that ruled over the entire Roman dominion with an iron fist. As Tylis walked over towards the two of them, he nearly lost control of his bowels. The anticipation of the Emperor's punishment scared him to the afterlife, so naturally he closed his eyes and waited for the hand of justice to rain down upon him. But to his surprise, all that came down on him was a calloused hand on his hair that slowly ruffled it back and forth. He looked over and Tylis did the same for the First, ruffling her long black hair slowly as he crouched down to meet their eyes.
"Now what are kids like you two doing in a place like this?" Tylis asked, his voice gentle and soft. He wore full Roman armor, his face hard and rugged, but a warm smile played on his lips.
Tay's mouth opened to reply, but instead a frail hand tugged at his pauldron. The movement shook him out of his flash back as Tylis attempted to pull him to the Arena. "Come on lad, were going to miss the First!" He pleaded.
"Tylis... You know the First's battle will be the very last event right?" The older man either didn't hear him, or chose to ignore as he persisted on dragging his bodyguard to the Colosseum. Tay spouted a worried look for the Emperor, knowing well that time was getting to him, but the amount of memory loss was unprecedented at this age. The man couldn't even remember that the First hasn't walked through the pavilion to enter the arena ever since she was 18, 4 years ago.
Tay quickly shrugged off the notion as Tylis walked him towards the Emperor's balcony that overlooked the entire arena. He peered off the railing that lined the end of the balcony, scanning the rows of seat as they were quickly filled by the commoners. The wealthy had the privilege to spectate the games on one of the many terraces that dotted the upper floors of the Colosseum.
"Say... How come you aren't down there Tay? Roman legionares can participate in the games too." The Emperor asked, clumsily sitting down on his gold-encrusted throne.
Octavius frowned at himself, then he painfully tried to lift his arm, able to only raise the limb past his waist. A sharp pain echoed through his arm as he stretched out the wounded muscle. "My shoulder was blasted from defending a raid in one of the southern outposts. Bandit got a lucky hit."
Tay peered over his shoulder, wondering if the old man was paying any attention, it didn't surprise him when Tylis began to to reach out and try to catch a butterfly, completely forgetting his existence. He couldn't help but smile at the old man's antics, shaking his head as he reverted back to leaning on the rail. "Let's see who you beat this time, Ivy."
Ivy Parthrax, the praetor of the first legion, commonly referred to as "The First", propped herself on her elbow, bearing a tired look as she watched the semi-finals of the gladiator tournament. One of the gladiators, a giant of a man, named "Goron The Great" was tossing the competitor around like a ragdoll. He launched the much smaller opponent across the battleground, laughing once he hit the ground.
"You think you can challenge me? Goron The Great! I'll rip your fucking head off!" The giant of a man bellowed to the fallen warrior.
His opponent, a man clad in leather armor, didn't even have the strength to stand, much more fight, anymore. At the sight of a gladiator in a incapacitated state, the announcer called the fight to a halt, addressing both the winner and the loser.
"The victor of the semi-finals is Goron, The Great! Emperor Tylis will now decide the fate of the loser." With that, he turned around, gesturing towards the Emperor who was sitting diligently on his throne. Tylis looked at the fallen warrior, studying him, as if he was reading a book. After about 2 minutes or so, Tylis suddenly shot up a thumbs-up gesture accompanied by a wide smile.
"The loser is to be spared." the announcer's voice leaked with disappointment, causing Ivy to scrunch her features in disgust. She hated to see somebody die over a simple game like this. Although the sport as a whole has progressed in the way of non-lethal methods of ending a fight, but it really depended on the Emperors judgement. The only few exceptions were a fight ending in "accidental" kill-shots, but other than that, Tylis preferred the bloodshed to be at a minimum, a quality she would always respect about her current Emperor. The warrior that was left standing spat onto the sand, clearly annoyed as he walked back to his respective gate, the latter was cautiously carried out of the arena.
"Someone seems bored." A masculine voice behind her spoke. She answered his assumptions with a simple nod, her eyes remaining trained on the field before her.
"Shouldn't you be with the Emperor, Tay?" Ivy asked her childhood friend, before she looked over her shoulder to peer at him. The fourth praetor simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Tylis was called to a meeting with the council, the messenger explained that it was urgent. The Second will be his standby for now." Octavius mentioned, noticing her visibly stiffen up at his words.
"Rex? Why him?" Ivy angrily asked, "You know how he is, he's obviously going to ask the winner to land the fatal blow. For what? Enjoyment?" Ivy never was good friends with Rex. To her, he was too unpredictable, dangerous and hungry. He always lusted for more power, a trait a good Roman Praetor shouldn't have. The Second would jump at any chance to climb higher in the ranks, he was even rumored to kill previous Praetor of the 2nd legion. Of course, judging from him still retaining his title, the rumors have long died out, but Ivy still could never trust the man.
"The winner? You act as if you have no idea who's winning today, Ms. I-Have-Won-Every-Tournament-Since-Day-1." Tay chuckled, causing Ivy to grin wildly.
"I've learned to not assume," She began, flexing her biceps, "But it is pretty obvious isn't it?" Laughter quickly filled the air, she always liked having Octavius around, he seemed to always know what to say to cheer her up. The Fourth glanced outside, pointing towards the entrance to the arena. The announcer began to walk to the pedestal, shuffling his papers to get ready for another speech.
"Looks like you're up, good luck and all. Not like you need it." Octavius winked as he turned around and walked out the room. Ivy tried her best to contain the smile as readied herself, she quickly found her shield and strapped it on to her back. It was a round, hunk of metal, though not offering as much protection as the traditional square-like shield the Legionare's would carry to battle, it was much lighter and more effective in a one-on-one fight. It was her preference anyways, it allowed her be much more agile, rather than slow her down. Once the shield was slung over he shoulder, she picked up her sword. The blade was etched with the roman numeral "I" down the center, it was much longer than the standard Gladius, but weighed virtually the same. Octavious forged for her as a gift during her 1st Colosseum victory, the name engraved on the handle spelt, 'Thorn'. She thought the name as stupid at first, but soon grew attached to it as the years went by. The blade itself allowed Ivy to either use it with her shield, or use it as a quick two-handed sword. What Ivy liked most about the weapon was the momentum it gave her when she swung, the length of the blade giving more strength when she struck, but it didn't impede her mobility.
"-Versus the Champion of Rome, The First! Ivy Parthrax!" Once the announcer spoke her last name, the gate in front of Ivy escalated, revealing the woman clad in iron armor. The deafening roar of the crowd shook the arena to it's core. Ivy smiled at her fellow Romans, raising her sword over her head, a gesture she'd always done ever since she started the gladiator games. The Romans around her were dripping with excitement, Ivy has been the fan favorite ever since her 3rd win in a row. Her main supporters were the women in the crowd, to them she was the symbol of equality to men in Rome, where patriarchal society ruled. Showing that not only men can hold their own in a fight, but women as well.
Ivy casually walked over to her opponent, Damn it I forgot his name. Gorgon the Gambler? Gorgon The Grape? She thought. As if to answer her, the 7 foot giant spoke.
"This is your champion? Ha! This is merely nothing but a woman!" He roared to the crowd, gaining some boo's from the ladies that occupied the seats of the arena, but it was overwhelmed by the amount of cheers given by the men.
Asshole. Right, his name was asshole. Ivy scowled at the challenger before her. Although she loved Rome and all it's glory, she hated the idea of women being subjugated to men. It was one of the reasons she joined the Legion in the first place, to prove people wrong.
"Let the finals, begin!" The announcer shouted, quickly blowing into the horn which marked the start to the final battle of todays Colosseum games.
Ivy quickly rolled to the right to dodge the giant hammer swung by Goron, recovering her stance. She blew the ebony bangs that covered her eye to the side as she equipped her shield. Steadying herself, she awaited the next attack. Unfinished, Goron twisted his body, swinging his massive bludgeon towards Ivy. She hastily deflected the hammer, then sent a quick stab toward his thighs, sending shots of pain to her opponent. Unfazed, Goron continued the offense, swinging his hammer skywards. The First spun to her right, goading him to attack again. Once Goron finished his first swing, he transferred the momentum into another, hurling the giant weapon at her once again. A smirk played on her lips, once the hammer closed in she spun again smashing his chest with an iron shield.
The strike was strong enough to knock the air out of Goron. The First then switched her style, throwing her shield at her opponent, hastily trailing the flying object with an impressive amount of speed. The shield smacked dead against Goron's chest, not giving him a second to recover, Ivy sent a flurry of slow, but powerful strikes to her opponent. She gripped her sword with two hands, increasing the strength of her blows. The giant backpedaled, attempting to deflect the metal tornado in front of him, but defense came at a cost when using a giant hammer.
Ivy continued relentlessly, smashing her sword into his hammer with overhand strikes. The sheer set of impacts buckled Goron's knees. Ivy quickly noticed this, then in one fluid motion, she spun, kicking the hammer of his hand, then pointed the iron weapon at his throat.
The silence that enveloped the Colosseum was replaced by a huge uproar, celebrating the victor.
"A mere woman huh?" She poked her sword closer, the tip prodding his skin, " Wanna rethink that theory?" She flashed a brilliant smile at her opponent, replacing the blade with a hand. The giant took it and was heaved up by the much smaller figure.
"The victor is Ivy Parthrax!" The crowd exploded into fits of screaming and cheers, drowning the sound of the poor announcer. The now 4-time champ raised her arm triumphantly, adding her own voice to the chaos, smiling wildly.
"SILENCE!" A new voice broke through the constant uproar, causing all eyes to be locate themselves to the Emperor's balcony. "I would like to congratulate our very own First Praetor, but the tournament isn't officially finished." Rex's lips broke into a harrowing grin, aimed directly towards Ivy. He raised his fist in front of him, then twisting it sideways to show a 'thumbs-down'.
The First growled inwardly, glaring at Rex who simply smiled in return. Her head snapped towards her former opponent who shared her confusion. Suddenly the ground underneath him started to glow a fiery red, engulfing him in a crimson light. Goron tried to leap away but was quickly stopped in place as obsidian chains erupted from the ground, clamping onto his wrist. A painful shout was emitted as the fiery chains encircled his wrist, the molten iron burning into his skin as it reeled him onto his knees. Ivy rushed to his aid, slamming her blade down on the chains, only for the force to be bounced back at her, jolting her blade back. She cursed to herself, remembering the chains are virtually impossible to break. A blessing given to the children of Mars.
"What are you doing? Release him at once Rex!" The First shouted, pointing her Gladias at Rex. The son of Mars grew a smug look as he leaned further on the railing.
" I'm tying the boar for slaughter, isn't it obvious?" He malicious grin served to anger the woman even more.
" I command you to let him go!" Ivy commanded, " I am the First Praetor, and you will listen to me Second, or I swear by the Gods I will rip that grin straight off your face." A scarlet aura began to irradiate from her body, causing her to glow a bright red.
For a split second a spark of fear appeared in Rex's eyes, but quickly vanished as he kept his grin, "I'm playing Emperor this evening, Ms. Parthrax, normally I'd listen o' so diligently," He stroked his chin, " But now you're going to listen to me, and I want you to slaughter the livestock. We Romans have no room for weakness, you should know that very well."
Ivy grunted in frustration, then looked at Goron. His forearms were almost completely seared from the chains, his face contorted in a look of sheer agony. Ivy gripped Gladias hard and shot a death glare towards the so called 'Emperor', then averted her eyes back toward her opponent. Goron looked up at her, tears rolled down his cheek, clearing the dust that caked on his face. Ivy took one last look at his pleading eyes while she raised her sword above her head, then brought the blade downwards with both hands.
A flash of crimson, then a repulsive thud, and the death of a fellow Roman.