Well, sorry for the mass hiatus, you guys. I'd just like to thank my three most loyal readers, Silver Draggon, Nephyths-Poison, and of course my good friend Sarah. Again, I apologise for taking so long to update. There was a major lack of inspiration and I just came through a little bit of rough ground with my emotional life, but I'm back on my writing feet, and I suppose that's all you guys care about! == Anyways, here we go, we're off to see the Romans, the wonderful Romans of… Rome.

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Gionoci inhaled sharply, looking out at the arena. It was huge, even for one of the smaller, less popular fighting stadiums. He wasn't given much time to gawk, however, as he was rushed along in the building beside it to get his armour and weapons on, along with the fifteen other gladiators that were there. Eugi hadn't been chosen for this particular event- there were no openings for a retiarius. Gionoci felt incredibly alone without him, but was too caught up in the thrill of his first real steel on steel, sweat and blood battle.

The people rushed by him, hurrying to get their equipment on. The host of the games was a rich Pompeian trying to win the public's favour- a man of small power only just working his way up the political ladder. He had sponsored the small games that were mainly beginners up against each other, but had also been able to afford some sort of big event, a finale or something- at least, so Gionoci had heard.

He pulled the heavy helmet on over his head, unused to the weight and hunching his shoulders a little. Through the echo of the metal around his ears, he heard another man laugh.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while. That helmet's not nearly as bad as some of the crazy hunks of metal that some have to wear." Gionoci squinted through the grate on the front of his helmet, trying to identify who had addressed him.

"Yeah, I guess." He replied, pulling the metal greaves on over his shins and yanking the straps tight. "Do I know you?" Through his limited visibility, Gionoci saw the man shake his head.

"Sorry- I guess you're still pretty new around here. I'm Iami." Gionoci's eyes widened, and he paused in his outfitting to eye him scrutinously through the loops of metal that protected his face.

"Aren't you like… the best gladiator in the school? Why are you at a beginner match?"

"I'm here to spice it up at the end. Keep everyone interested." He grinned, obviously pleased to hear Gionoci refer to him as the best. The blonde man finished pulling on the last of his armour, picking up his huge shield and feeling to make sure his sword was sheathed at his side.

"Optimus. I'd better get going; don't want to miss my first match."

"Felix."

Gionoci rushed to follow the last of his fellow beginners, falling in line with them and peering out into the sunlight. Bacura appeared, leading them out and giving the onlookers a speech. He introduced each of the gladiators by name, throwing in their daring deeds and titles to spice it up, getting the crowd worked up for a good show. Then they all turned and acknowledged the sponsor of the games, as they had been instructed to do earlier, and then dispersed, some returning to the building to await their turn.

Gionoci had been told to stay in the arena- he would be going first. By now, Bacura had ascended to his seat from where he could watch the fight, and the referee, sporting his distance pole, had stepped into the middle of the arena.

"From the Bacura School of gladiators- Gionoci!" The crowd cheered, the blood pulsing in the man's ears speeding up a notch. "And from the Priscus School of gladiators- Gaius!" The mob of onlookers roared, having heard of this man before. This Gaius would give a good show, beginner or not. The referee held the pole parallel to the ground, and the two men stepped forward, their chests at either length of the shaft; the starting distance. Then the man removed the pole and took a pace back.

"Pugna!"

The other man, Gaius, stepped forward, drawing his arm back and striking at Gionoci. The blonde turned his arm and met the blade with his shield, throwing him back a pace. Gaius stumbled, holding his sword raised, in case Gionoci decide to attack while he was down, and then charged suddenly. Gionoci caught this just in time, turning on his heel and noticing now more than ever just how heavy gladiator armour was. As Gaius ran by, pushed past his target by his own momentum, Gionoci slashed out with his sword and stuck at his back. Gaius grunted in pain, the blade cleaving through his shoulder.

The crowd cheered, imitating the strike and shouting out encouragement. The first blood had been drawn. Confident from this achievement, Gionoci struck again, to find his blow parried by Gaius's sword. He frowned, pushing the sword back and jumping back a foot to regain his balance. Bacura looked on from his seat beside Hoclonius, the sponsor of the game, lost in thought.

'Damn… that Gaius has more experience than Gionoci- this isn't as fair a fight as I expected it would be.' The crowd roared, some jumping up from their seats, as Gaius scored a deep slash across Gionoci's thigh. 'I counted on his brute strength to pull him through, but against someone like Gaius, he's lost any advantage right away. This might not turn out as I'd hoped… I shouldn't have put him in the stronger list of gladiators so soon. I'd better not lose him… that'll be a huge chunk out of my profit, not to mention he stood a chance of becoming a great gladiator…' Bacura glanced at the politician seated beside him, knowing that if Gionoci lost, this would be the man that decided his fate. Such was the power that sponsor of the games held… it was also a risk though- any killed gladiators had to be paid for directly from his pocket.

Gionoci grit his teeth inside his heavy helmet, throwing his shoulder against Gaius's shield and knocking it from his grasp. Before he had the chance to get a strike in, however, the referee stepped in.

"Drop your shield- the battle shall commence with swords only, as according to the combat rules set down by the emperor." Gionoci frowned- he hadn't heard of this. Still, he let his huge shield fall to the ground with a thud, stepping back as the referee held the pole between them again, then pulled away. "Pugna!"

Both paused, their swords raised cautiously. Each were at a great loss now- they'd both been Murmillos, their shield their greatest asset. Now they could rely on skill and speed only. There was no protective leather between them; just the biting edge of a sword. Each held their swords raised, parallel to the ground, circling one another. Suddenly, Gaius struck! Gionoci inhaled sharply in pain, dropping his sword as a sudden pain shot up his arm, a long bloody gash the source of the throbbing, stinging pain.

Before Gionoci could blink, a blade was at his throat. He knew what he was expected to do, and turned his gaze to the sponsor. He lifted his right arm above his head as a sign of defeat, his heart pounding in his ears, fearful sweat dripping down the back of his neck. The eager throng of spectators hollered, the fight having been quite enjoyable, even for a battle between two novices. Hoclonius rose from his seat, glancing down at the two men in the arena- one prepared to die, the other prepared to take a life. It was the kind of thrill and rebellion against mortality that Romans loved; it was a large part of their culture, to say the least.

The aged politician held out his arm, forming his hand into a fist, his thumb protruding to the side. Should he send the crowd into a joyous frenzy and earn himself more favour? Or should he feel for this young man, admire his skill and his bravery? One way, there would be no profit. The other way, he would have to spend money to reimburse the gladiator's death. His thumb rose up to the sky, and the tension lifted. There would be other days to earn favour from the crowd, without spending so much money over needlessly spilt blood.

Gionoci sighed heavily, taking off his helmet and setting it down. After the fight, he'd quickly been escorted out of the arena and back into the building where the armour and weaponry was kept. He tugged the straps off of his greaves, kicking off the metal plates. Pain throbbed his him leg and his arm, and he just wanted to wake up and find out it had been a nightmare of some sort.

He got up, leaving his things where they were, and headed for the infirmary. Being the first fight of the day, no one else was there and the healer sat snoring in his chair. Gionoci kicked the leg of the chair somewhat spitefully, taking out his frustrations at having lost. The practitioner snorted, scrambling into wakefulness.

"Sorry. What can I do for you?" Gionoci wordlessly extended his arm and pointed to his leg, sitting down to let the man take care of his wounds. He sighed again, angry with himself for having lost so easily. He should have put up more of a fight. Still, he supposed, at least he was alive. That was one thing to be thankful of… or was it? It would really hurt his reputation if he'd hoped to become a good enough gladiator to be freed. He heard footsteps from out in the hallway, and looked up to see the man in the doorway.

"I lost my first fight too. I wouldn't worry about it- look where I am now." Gionoci grinned a bit, recognising Iami. Now that his helmet wasn't obstructing his vision, Gionoci could see him clearly. Leaning in the doorway with a small smirk, Iami made quite an impressive sight, despite the fact that he was a touch slender. His long, erratic hair made Gionoci wonder how on earth he managed to fit it all into a helmet, his deep tan giving the impression that he was from a more exotic country. The blonde decided not to inquire- there were more important things to discuss.

"Yeah… he just came at me so fast… I didn't know where he was going to strike and couldn't react in time to block him. Iami nodded thoughtfully, grinning.

"That's a useful trick- he was probably keeping his chin up so that you wouldn't be able to guess where he was looking, and planning to hit. As for speed, it's all about getting used to moving with the armour. Don't worry- you'll adjust." Gionoci grinned in return, wincing as the medic rubbed a powder into the wound on his arm.

"I guess." Iami got up from his position against the doorway, tugging on his tunic and adjusting it about his shoulders. Only Roman citizens were allowed to wear togas, but from the make of his outfit, if he had wanted to Iami could certainly afford one. Gionoci was told that money was given for especially spectacular fights- a good fifty denarii, he'd heard rumours of.

"I'm off to watch the rest of the fights. Don't lose hope." With that Iami went off, disappearing quickly into the mob that sat around the arena, the uproar increasing as a gladiator made a hit. Gionoci bit his lip, looking out the window wistfully, and hoped he'd manage to win his next fight, possibly later that month when someone else decided to hold a gladiatorial games event for the sake of popularity.

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Optimus – Excellent (loosely used in this sense)

Felix – Lucky (loosely translated, meaning, in this context, 'good luck')

Pugna! – Fight!