I DO NOT OWN SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA OR THE DIALOGUE.
House Of Batiatus. Capua, Roman Republic.
Flavius and the other recruits trained hard all day until the sun went down. They had their supper which was free of piss and were then escorted back to their cell for the night. As they settled in to sleep, the guards came by and threw another man in the cell alongside them. Flavius saw that the man was a Gaul with long messy hair and an unshaven beard.
"And what name are you known by?" Flavius inquired as the man turned to him.
"Crixus..." he muttered.
"Fucking Gaul..." Indus muttered as the Gaul turned to sit.
"Another sacrifice to the Gods of the arena." Ashur teased, earning a laugh from Flavius.
"Saghirat kamra'at sakhif , hadhih." (Small as fucking woman, this one.) Dagan spat as Ashur let out a laugh of his own.
"Dagan thinks you are of a form," Ashur lied. "The odds are in your favor."
"Odds?" Crixus asked.
"Do you know where are friend?" Indus asked.
"The house of Batiatus," Crixus replied. "Trainer of gladiators."
"Yes, you stand among his latest recruits," Ashur explained. "Bound by blood, we toil under the cruel sting of Doctore's whip."
"There were 8 of us when training began." Indus said sadly.
"Now we are but 4." Ashur said solemnly.
"5." Crixus corrected as the others laughed at his expense.
"And how are we so blessed by a swelling number?" Ashur asked mockingly. "By what means do you find yourself among such storied company?"
"My own..." Crixus muttered as Flavius let out a scoff.
"A man of few words, are you?" he asked as Crixus gave him a challenging look.
"You willing present ass for fucking?" Indus taunted as Ashur stopped him.
"No...no young Indus, do you not see it in his eyes?" The Syrian asked as he stared at the Gaul's dark eyes. "This is a man with dreams of blood and glory in the arena."
"I doubt he will live to see the test." the Macedonian argued.
"Test?" Crixus asked.
"Our last trial," Ashur explained. "We must face one of the seasoned men and show the Dominus what we have learned. Live and earn the mark of the brotherhood, proving yourself worthy of the arena."
"I will stand upon its sands." Crixus vowed as Dagan laughed.
"Sakhif qazam , balkad tawil bma yakfi liaimtisas qadibiin." (Fucking dwarf, barely tall enough to suck my cock.) The other Syrian taunted as Ashur smiled at the thought of Crixus on his knees, taking Dagan's massive cock inside his mouth.
"He longs to call you brother and join you as gladiator." Ashur lied, but Crixus could see through it. Whatever Dagan's true words were, the Gaul could tell that they were not meant to flatter him.
"Tell him that the feeling is well shared." Crixus replied as he shot daggers at Dagan.
Later that night after everyone had gone to sleep, Flavius was plagued with nightmares. Images of his mother being slaughtered by Legatus Septimus Curtius Augurnus and his dear sister being forced to live at the back and call of a master and or mistress flooded his mind like water in a flood. He finally woke up in a cold sweat, thankful that the images had stopped. As he sat up, he saw that Ashur was still awake.
"You do not sleep?" Flavius asked as the Syrian turned to face him.
"Neither do you." he replied.
"The Gods will not afford me the privilege," Flavius stated. "I condemned my mother to the afterlife and my sister to slavery, I do not deserve to rest."
"You saved the honor of an innocent woman, the fault lies with Augurnus for his crimes." Ashur insisted. Flavius nodded as he leaned back against the bars of the cell.
"What was your life like...back in Syria?" the Roman asked as Ashur closed his eyes and sighed.
"Syria has a distinct beauty to it, and my days were filled with many wonders," he stated as the images of his homeland roamed through his mind like a herd of bison. "I had a home of my own...and a family to occupy it."
"Family?" Flavius inquired.
"Yes, a wife and child." Ashur clarified. "My sweet Badia, the flower of my heart; and Casildo, no man had ever had such a son."
"You are fortunate to have such blessings." Seuso remarked.
"I was, and yet...I knew that greater things awaited me in this life." Ashur continued.
"What of your family?" Flavius asked tenderly as Ashur's smile disappeared. "Do they yet live?"
"Sometime...you lose things...chasing a dream." He replied sadly.
"Was it worth it?" Flavius asked again as Ashur looked at his fellow recruit.
"See me earn the mark of the brotherhood, then ask me again." the Syrian said as the two men once again made the attempt to return to the land of dreams.
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