1

The sun was shining on the second day that Elwin and his friends were staying in Verant City. As it just so happened there was a special event that Emerson really wanted to attend.

“The emperor’s champion is fighting today at the Coliseum!” Emerson stormed through the doors to the common room of The Griffin Tail. In his hand he brandished the newly minted broadside that was handed out by the town crier in Imperial Square. Excitedly he continued. “The emperor just arrived last night on Griffin back just to see this battle! If the champion wins, it will be the first time in forty years that a gladiator will have won twelve battles in a row. I don’t want to miss it! This is the chance of a lifetime, a historical event!”

“Seeing someone getting hacked to death for entertainment is not the chance of a lifetime,” Anna said distastefully. “I assure you!”

“Nobody said you had to go!” Emerson retorted.

“I would rather go to the Forum and see the horses. That’s all,” Anna said in a high voice. She folder her arms known that she had lost this battle.

“Are you daft girl? Didn’t you listen?” Emerson questioned. “The emperor will be at the games. Don’t you want to see him? We might not get another chance.”

“Fine, have your way,” Anna may have submitted, but it was not going to stop her from sulking about it.

“I’m in,” Elwin had to admit he wanted to see the splendour of Coliseum. “The games are a vital part of city life.”

“Bread and circus, that’s what the posters around the city proclaim,” Rith added.

Rith was right. It had not gone unnoticed that people like to advertise and graffiti on everything in sight. It was a strange practice to see. Alleyway walls might have a poster advertising local stores or military recruitment center. In the main streets were billboards plastered with imperial posters. Most were advertising new laws, news and information, and various games being held. Mostly they explained who was fighting, when and the odds. Along with the gladiators, the chariot and horse racing with odds for all the horses were also listed. Gambling was a thriving business in the new and improved Empire. Bread and circus days were declared by the emperor on a weekly basis it seemed. The posters were everywhere. According to the advert, it was a day when people were invited down to the games, when all the best warriors would compete and the whole elite of the city would come out to watch the spectacle. The emperor himself usually went to the events. And outside the Coliseum on the grounds bread was given away to all the poor who had come to watch. It was a brilliant political policy that made the emperor very popular with the people.

2

Later that morning they had reached the gate to the Public Quarter. The sea of people was intimidating. They had never seen tens of thousands of people gathered in one place. There was every type of person from all walks of life going to the games that day.

Someone was handing out pamphlets as they approached the grounds of the Coliseum. Anna grabbed it and began reading. It contained various facts about the Coliseum, its construction, history and restoration.

“So, what does it say?” Rith asked as the reach the line ups for the bread. The lines went quickly. They were impressed by how well the event was prepared and planned.

“Quite a lot actually,” Anna explained. “It says that the Upper Bowl is a single silver coin per person. The seats are wooden benches. The Lower Bowl is one gold coin and the seats are padded with leather. The Houses all have their own boxes. The emperor’s box is at the west end of the arena right in front.”

“Oh, Lower Bowl if they still have room!” Emerson said anxiously.

They got their bread and headed for the Coliseum. The crowd was getting thick and slow. Different gates were headed by large sights above the crowd. There were twelve gates in total.

Anna continued reading from the pamphlet. “Hmm. It also says that the Coliseum can hold sixty thousand. On bread and circus days, it was always full.”

“We better move, let’s hope were not too late!” Elwin exclaimed.

They were not late when they got seats in the Lower Bowl. In fact, the opening ceremony had not even begun yet. They had to sit twenty rows back from the arena wall and people were streaming in behind them filling up the bleachers. Elwin noticed that they had a good view of the emperor’s box. It stood in the center on the west side. It had its own shade cover and was draped in the Imperial colours of purple and gold. The pillars of the awning were covered in a white gossamer curtain that made ghost-like movements in the gentle breeze. The emperor had not arrived yet. His box stood empty, but it had enough seating for two dozen people. Spread out around the emperor’s box were all of the Aristocrats private boxes. Each one looked like it could hold about a dozen people. They all lined the far side of the arena wall, which was almost ten feet high. This was for the audience’s protection since lions had been known to leap that high on occasion. Elwin noted that the boxes were all drapes with wall hanging that depicted the various seals and crests of all the prominent families in Verant.

Elwin looked up squinting into the sun. High above the Upper Bowl was a massive red and white striped awning that circled the entire arena. It extended out over fifty feet. It provided a bit of shade from the light, but it all depended on where you were seated and what time of day it happened to be. As the sun moved across the sky, the shade crawled across the arena.

Elwin was in awe as he looked around. The padded seats were not the most comfortable, but compared to wooden benches much further up, they would do. It was the mass of people that truly overwhelmed his farm boy mentality. He could see tens of thousands of people all taking and laughing with each other. Their section alone had more people in it than all of Salome Hallow! He mused.

Anna continued to read from the pamphlet which explained that the arena floor was huge, sprawling one hundred and fifty yards long and almost a hundred yards across forming an oval shape that allowed everyone to have the best view possible. The ground was covered with white sand imported from the southern coast. It formed a layer a few inches thick on top of solid hardwood. Beneath the arena floor was a network of corridors where everything was prepared. They can bring animals and people up through the floor or from the gates at each end of the arena.

Anna broke away from the reading. “I wonder what we’ll see today?”

“The Imperial Champion, he is the main event,” Elwin replied.

“But aside from that, there must be more of a show,” Anna commented.

“Of course, they will have the usual events. The beast hunt, kill a few criminals and then gladiator combat,” Emerson said.

“This is going to be gory, isn’t it?” Anna sniffed.

“We can only hope!” Emerson said.

Anna went back to reading her pamphlet. “It says here that the games generate money for the city and Empire. The Imperial Palace gets a twenty percent stake of the gate, the City of Verant also receives twenty percent and a group of aristocrats who helped fund the restoration of the Coliseum get ten percent. The remaining fifty percent paid for all the costs to operate like employees, prize money, the free bread and other such expenses.”

“No wonder they hold them every week!” Elwin exclaimed.

It was getting close to the starting time and the crowd had filled out. The emperor still was not there yet, but some of the rich families were already filling up their boxes. Elwin looked around studying the crowd. He noticed that some people carried signs, some with very specific messages, and some in support of certain gladiators. Others had banners with various colours and crests.

3

The gate at the east end suddenly opened and a group of regal looking people march out and into the center of the arena. They faced away from the emperor’s box. There were several people with trumpets, an older man with a scroll and two men with Imperial banners of a Griffin on a field of gold and purple stripes.

The crowd collectively got to its feet and cheered so loudly that it was almost deafening. The trumpets blasted loudly and quickly the crowd calmed down to listen.

The man with the scroll began to speak. “All rise for the emperor and his family!” The man bellowed. He and the other men in the arena saluted. The banners were held up high and waved.

The emperor and his family entered the imperial box waving and smiling at the crowd. Elwin could not see much detail from their distance. He saw a middle-aged man with sandy blonde hair kept as a shaggy main like a lion. He wore golden robes that flowed like liquid. His wives and children all took seats around him.

Elwin looked around and saw many other signs were coming out now. “What’s with these signs?” He asked a strange next to him.

“This is one of the few times the poor masses get to see their Emperor. This is their chance to air their opinion so to speak!” The old man said over the roar of the crowd.

Eventually the crowd was hushed again by the trumpeters and the speaker in the arena gave the schedule for the day’s events. The morning event was the beast hunt, criminal executions at lunch. There were four of them that day. Finally, the gladiator battles, six of them in all, one team battle, two armoured combats, and two combats with weapons and shields only, then finally the Champion’s match.

“Sounds like a full schedule. Are they really going to execute people though? I’ve never seen an execution before. Is it going to be bloody?” Rith questioned.

Anna groaned slumping back in her seat. She did not feel like reading any more.

“Of course, they are going to execute people, they always do!” The old man sitting next to Elwin piped up.

“But what did they do?” Rith asked him.

“If the emperor ordered their execution and the indictments are sealed, then it’s most likely conspirators against the emperor,” The old man concluded.

“I thought everyone was pardoned?” Elwin questioned.

“Ah, the common soldiers, the people who followed were forgiven. The people in charge, the conspirators as the emperor calls them, are exempt and still being hunted down!” The old man said, proudly showing off his knowledge.

The men left the arena and potted trees and plants were carted out by slaves who set up a jungle like setting for the beast hunt. Dozens of people were at work and it seemed to Elwin as though it was all well planned. They worked hard and, in a few minutes, had created and little jungle in the center of the arena. An oasis surrounded by burning white sands.

Suddenly, the ground opened and two large black leopards came roaring out from the underground. They ran around the arena wildly for a few minutes before stalking around the trees and plants in the center. At the end one of the gates was raised and three people came out, two men in tunics carrying nets. The third person was a tall, tanned woman wearing animal skins and carrying a long spear. She was obviously the hunter.

It was not unusual for women to fight in the arena, but mainly in the beast hunts. For a woman to be executed here was very rare. Only a woman who had committed the highest acts of treason, like Misty of Bandor, would be executed publicly. Female gladiators were also very rare, but not impossible. They had fought on certain special occasions, usually during re-enactments which were popular. Gladiator was not a typical a woman’s vocation.

It was well known that the emperor liked to open the games with a shock for the crowd. A woman beast hunter would certainly do well enough that day.

The crowd roared and signs waved.

Elwin looked around trying to read some of them. He saw a few that quoted holy text and words from the Fire Lord calling for protection and peace for the Empire. A few more signs showed support for the emperor. Elwin saw more than a few we love the emperor or long live the emperor posters. Banners bearing the Imperial colours were also popular and people waved them high in the air.

Not everyone was happy about the emperor’s rule. Some signs had darker messages and grievances to proclaim. Some were held up by workers asking for better pay or working conditions. Elwin even saw a sign asking for women’s rights. Still another lonely sign asked for an end to slavery. He saw another asking for the reinstatement of the House of Thaine, but Elwin did not think that would happen any time soon. Then he noticed a sign that read the people of Golden Meadows are starving!

As Elwin watched on, the Thaine and Golden Meadows people began arguing with the rest of the crowd around them. Eventually, a fist fight in the stands broke out over these signs and the guards came in to break it up by brutally clubbing people. Elwin was stunned by the chaos of the crowd when he suddenly realized that he was missing the event because he was gawking around to much and settled in to watch. The woman stalked through the trees looking for the leopards which moved around eyeing her suspiciously. The two men with the nets tried to get the animals to move in a certain direction.

“This is quite a good show!” Rith said spiritedly.

Elwin thought the show in the crowd was bloodier than the one in the arena!

“I can’t watch!” Anna said covering her eyes. She laminated. “The loins are going to eat her!”

“They’re not loins,” Emerson stated. “They’re leopards!”

“How do you know? You’ve never seen a lion!” Anna snapped.

“I’ve seen them in picture books. Lions are sandy brown with big shaggy mains,” Emerson shot back.

Anna went back to sulking in silences.

“Watch the people, if you don’t like the show. The crowd is more interesting don’t you think?” Elwin said to her. She sat next to him. He put an arm around her to comfort her. For a while, it felt like he had a sister again.

Anna took his advice and watched the emperor and his family instead. She tried to make out their faces and expressions. Did they like what they saw? Were they bored? Excited?

Rith reasoned to her that there must be healers and wizard’s standing by to treat anyone who gets hurt. Many of these people could not be regular fighters if they suffered life threatening injuries all the time. True or not, Anna decided to believe him. It made the spectacle much easier to watch. However, in the back of her mind, she knew the executions would be real.

The woman hunter succeeded in defeating the leopards with only a minor injury to her leg. There was another beast hunt involving a bear and then two more where a swordsman fought a bull. They were very popular events with the crowd. The people would stand up at the exciting parts and call for blood.

“Kill him, kill him!” They would chant at these moments.

4

At lunch time, Elwin noticed that the emperor and his family went to the back of his box out of site where the imperial family dined. They did not stay to watch the executions. He noticed that many of the ruling families had also left. Having their own boxes, they came and went as they pleased.

Elwin ate the other half of his bread that he had saved. He could understand why someone would want to leave. What happened next was grotesque. It was sick and it certainly was not sporting, he thought. The arena had been cleared once again and the white gleaming sands did not stay that way for long. The executions were more like a slaughter.

Four men stripped of everything, but a tunic with no weapons were thrown in with five hungry and blood thirsty lions trained for a murderous purpose. The floor dropped down like a ramp and the lions bound up into the middle of the arena and went to work. They had large collar with thick chains that went back to the ramp. Frightened slaves tried desperately to keep the lions in control, but it was an impossible task. The lions were powerful with their huge paws and long reach.

They took down the men with ease and threw them around the arena like a child’s dolls. One lion maul someone’s leg. Another had a man by his shoulder, with a couple powerful bites the lion ripped with all its might until the man’s arm came off. Blood gushed everywhere staining the sand crimson. The hysterical screams were horrific. A lioness closed in on his neck while the man lay in shock. She tore out his throat. It took about ten minutes for the lions to kill all four men. Then they were pulled back underground, but even that was bloody as one of the animals charged at the ramp and caught a slave pulling the chain flatfooted. The lion took him down and mauled him near the bottom of the ramp, but it was almost impossible to see what happened.

Eventually the arena was cleared of lions and people dressed as the God of Death gathered the bodies, finishing off any survivors who somehow held onto life.

Elwin took it as a harsh lesson in what an animal could do to a person. In the wilds of Verant they did not have lions, but they did have bears, wolves, kobolds, goblins, orcs and ogres to name just a few. They had already seen some of what those creatures could do, he thought. Most of the time these other creatures were smart and stayed away from people, but as an adventuring party of only four? If they came across a large group of orcs or ogres even, they easily could be killed. Their encounter with the kobold tribe and the goblin horde were fine examples of that. They were foolish and could have been killed. They had not been thinking clearly. He watched as the gladiators started their lesson.

The team battle was five anxious orcs against five well trained gladiators with better weapons and armour. The orcs had crude clothing, but no armour. Elwin thought that maybe orcs did not wear armour. He knew nothing about them. They were human-sized with dark greenish skin that was thick like leather. They had the sharp pointy ears like a goblin. They were related species after all. The orcs had simple swords of a run of the mill quality. They were smart enough to use weapons, but they had no skill next to the gladiators who slaughtered them mercilessly. Again, Elwin was left with the feeling that this was not very sporting. Having been in a few battles now, he knew what it meant to be in danger, to struggle to live. The gladiators did not struggle at all. The battle was only five minutes long before all the orcs were killed. Their heads were cut off and held aloft. The crowd was cheering, loving every moment of the gore. They were on the edge of their seats, when they actually sat in them. During the best parts, the crowd was standing and jumping while all the time shouting to “kill them!” and “we want blood!” A thought struck Elwin that most of the people in the crowd, the ones that were most fanatical, had never been in real combat before.

There was a frenzy starting to build among the crowd as the armoured combatants faced off next. They were wearing chain mail, helmets and carried shields and swords. The steel was all highly polished and shone in the bright sunlight.

Now this was more like it! Elwin thought and his heart leapt. The clang of steel rang out across the arena and the crowd quieted down watching intently. It was just as important to everyone else. These were the real events that people wanted to see. These matches were listed on the broadsides posted around the city and the gamblers had a lot of money riding on the rest of the matches.

According to Anna’s pamphlet they were Sir Aulus Celer against Sir Natta Opas, they were both disgraced knight who had belonged to the now defunct Red Dragon Army. To redeem themselves they decided to fight in the arena along with a few others from their former order. These battles often had money at stake and were usually fought until first blood, not to the death.

Elwin watched intently as the long swords swept in wide arcs. They flashed as they whirled, struck out and counter moved. One man stepped in close and slammed with the handle against the others chest knocking him down. Cries arose from the crowd about unfairness and cheating. Elwin was unsure of the exact rules, but he figured that fairness must be important in knight battles. The man got up while to other waited and the match continued. More clashing of metal, it rang so loud and sharply that Elwin found it bother his ears. The crowd got to its feet in celebration. Sir Natta Opas won after pinning his opponent against the ground with his sword against the man’s throat.

“Some people must have won a lot of money, look at this crowd!” Emerson shouted above the noise. He was very excited by the performance as was most of the crowd.

Neither of the men had been killed, nor did they appear seriously injured. They were wearing a lot of heavy armour for protection and Elwin figured that whatever minor injury they suffered in the combat would surely heal fast. They probably have healing potions already standing by for the combatants, he thought. Elwin did not understand magic very well, but he had heard of such things which he was sure regular fighters had access.

The second armoured combat was again between two knights who fought for honour and prize money. These were real knights, not disgraced warriors playing the role of knights. They wore full plate armour and they carried huge two-handed swords that shimmered menacingly in the light.

“A victory is worth a hundred in gold for the winner!” The announcer bellowed. Next to Elwin the old man stood and hollered. The crowd were on their feet cheering for their favourite knight. Elwin saw signs waving. Some proclaiming Sir Silus the greatest knight, others supported Sir Regulus. In a nearby section of the crowd Elwin saw a large Imperial banner spread out that took up several rows of seats and could be seen from anywhere in the Coliseum. The crowd was being whipped into a patriotic fever.

As swords clashed and rang out, people were shouting out slogans like “Verant! First, last, forever!” Elwin watched the knights welding the polished swords. They had no shields and held the swords with both hands. They swung with wide arcs and threw their bodies behind the momentum. They would start with the high stance holding the sword above their heads and swing down to the right or left, clash and counter swing. Sometimes they stepped in closer using the momentum to throw the opponent off balance.

Sir Regulus proved himself the better. He slammed his opponent to the ground so hard he knocked the knight’s helmet clear off. It rolled across the sands glittering in the bright sunlight. He took a bow and waved to the crowd. His supporters, as well as gamblers who bet on him, went wild with excitement. They whistled, cheered and shouted down his opponent’s supporters.

There were only two matches left and Elwin felt they would be the best ones. The first consisted of two strong and powerful men dressed in simple army issue tunics and no armour. They carried small shields and short swords of a typical army quality.

Elwin knew there was going to be blood. Someone may even die upon the white sands. The men looked grim as if this fact was not lost on them. They stepped to the center of the arena, bowed to each other and then with swords gripping tightly, they started with a few quick jambs. In rapid succession the thrusts were easily blocked and deflected, but they got a feeling for each other’s style and started to get more aggressive. Soon the swords were flashing wildly and the blood was flowing, a cut on the arm and then a leg. The cracking of a bone, the hilt of a sword slammed into ribs, the crimson red blood spreading out across the white sands. One warrior lost his shield. It was knocked from his hand. Meanwhile the other man was on him in an instant, sword at the ready.

There was uproar from the crowd which demanded blood. They were on their feet shouting “Kill him! Kill Him!” It was an insane frenzy of bloodlust. The warrior in control looked to the emperor’s box. The emperor stood up and extended his hand. The crowd collectively held its breath waiting for the answer. The emperor gave a thumb down signal and without hesitation the sword was rammed through the opponent’s throat killing him instantly. The crowd erupted in cheering, whistling and banner waving.

Elwin noticed that Anna looked pale. She shrank back in her seat covering her eyes.

The second match went just the same way, but the men fought very well. The battle lasted almost twenty minutes and at the end, the emperor gave the thumb up signal sparing the life of the warrior who had lost.

As the old man next to Elwin explained. “The emperor only spares them if he feels they fought well enough to deserve a second chance.” Out of the Champion’s eleven opponents, only two had been spared. The other nine were killed.

5

The Champion’s match was the grand finale. A cleaning crew came out and the bloody sand was removed or covered over with fresh white sand making the arena spotless and new again. Large incense bowls place every so many yards around the arena walls were lit and the smell of cedar and pine filled the air covering over the scent of death and blood.

Once again, the announcer came out into the arena, flank by two people holding up Imperial banners. “It’s time now for the champion match! The main event for today’s performance!” The crowd hushed as they listened. “I present the challenger, coming out of the east gate!”

The gate wrought iron rose and tall frightening looking man stepped out into the light. His shield was battered but looked strong. He gripped the sword menacingly. “He is the Monster of Devonport! At thirty-two years of age, he has been the Devonport Champion for five years winning large cash prizes and defeating all opponents. He currently has seven victories in this very Coliseum and is rate as two-to-one odds against the Emperor’s Champion. He is the one and only, Severus Atilia!”

He was promptly booed, by anyone in the crowd who did not have a wager riding on him. Elwin thought that was most of the crowd. Betting against the Emperor’s Champion was not a good idea.

“And from the west gate!” The announcer said pointed wildly at the west end of the arena. “Hailing for Palantine, winner of eleven matches in this very Coliseum! I present the Emperor’s Champion, Lucius Bestia!” The wrought iron gate rose. It was hard to hear as the crowd roar with enthusiasm. Sixty thousand people were on their feet. The emperor stood clapping his hands. Elwin could see hundreds of banners supporting the Champion. Standing six foot six and dressed in the Imperial colours, Lucius Bestia stalked into the arena his eyes transfixed on his opponent. He raised his sword to the cheering crowd that went insane with shouts. Elwin thought they might go deaf from the thunderous applause. He could not hear the old man talking even though he was right next to him.

The Emperor’s Champion stepped to the center and faced his opponent who actually looked a little bigger than him. The announcer and banner holder quickly left the arena. Both warriors bowed to each other than turned and bowed to the emperor. They took a step back from each other and readied their swords.

In a flash the match began with the ringing of steel on steel.

Elwin thought it was absolutely incredible! He’d never seen two people fight with such grace. They had such well-trained fluid movements that looked almost like a dance. Swords whirled around clashing repeatedly. They tried to get inside each other’s guard, but they were both too good defensively. The shields proved very effective at deflecting the blows. Elwin studied them both closely. He watched how they moved and swung, how they used the shields to block and when to use the sword. They both fought long and hard looking for weaknesses in the other’s defence. The match dragged on, first five minutes, then ten. Neither one had been cut yet, but the crowd roared whenever a good blow was struck.

People in the stands got very rowdy. They started to argue among themselves. Elwin even saw a few fights in other sections. He looked around his own section wearily. People were loud, but no fights yet. The crowd took this match very seriously.

Then suddenly Lucius broke through his opponent’s defence, there was the flash of steel followed by blood. Severus stumbled. The Champion came at him, but Severus was not done yet. He spun and used a bit of sand to blind the Champion. Boos and screams of anger followed from the crowd, who demanded fairness. But Lucius was used to such tactics He came up blocking with his shield out of instinct. He blocked the blow from Severus. He used his shield to charge, smashing into his opponent and catching him off guard. Severus hit the ground, but Lucius remained standing and kick his opponent repeatedly in the ribs before disarming him completely. With a blow from his sword so powerful, Severus sword flew nearly twenty yards away. Kneeling in with his sword raised, he looked to the emperor.

The emperor had stood the entire time cheering for his Champion in a very animated way. The entire day he had sat back and watched. Now he stood at the Arena wall and held out of hand.

He gave a thumb down and with a violent thrust Lucius finished the match.

The dying body of Severus Atilia writhed in death throws upon the ground. The blood fanned out in a grotesque pattern. The Champion held his sword high for the twelfth time. He had the support of sixty thousand screaming fans.

Elwin and Emerson stared on excitedly, but Anna and Rith appeared completely exhausted. They looked green, like they might be sick.

Emerson showed his usual lack of compassion. “If you want to be an adventurer, you have to get use to sight of blood! This is what we do now!” He said pointing at the arena.

She glared at him and said nothing.

Despite Emerson’s heartlessness, Elwin agreed with him. An adventurer could not afford be squeamish.