Gladiator of Rome (#1 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 5

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.