Step by step Rekk moved towards the gates, shining brilliantly with the sun behind them. He knew this brilliant sight was a lie and the dark stairway he was currently climbing would keep him alive but he had no choice. The chains around his feet and hands trailing against the stone. His mind was foggy, “How did I end up here?” he asked himself. His mind refused to give him the answers but replayed to him being chained and brought up these stairs.
He heard the gate rattling open like the bones of the dead vibrating their wish to wish to meet him. This sound snapped him out of thinking and he climbed the last of the stairs and stepped out into the light. All around him he heard cheers. He gazed up at the crowds surrounding him, surrounding the arena. “Why am I here” He asked himself again, nothing came to mind. A man appeared in front of him, dressed in a leather cuirass. At his side hung a gladius and a dagger. His features were flat and expressionless, only his eyes gave away what he was thinking. This man was amused to know that Rekk was going to die here today. The man unshackled him and moved away, Rekk’s eyes followed his. Rekk was not going to kill him here in front of everyone as he did not yet understand his situation. Although he easily could and happily would have.
Behind him a guard jabbed him with the butt of his spear. Rekk spun around to face him. The man whispered “Move to the centre” before jabbing him again in the shoulder to spin him. Rekk turned and walked towards the centre of the arena. When he reached it he heard a fanfare to his right. He turned and saw a man dressed in a rich cream silk striding towards the front of his viewing box. The crowds hushed as he raised an arm. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. We have a very special treat in store today. This man has been charged of treason, leading men against the emperor.”
In Rekk’s mind he saw him leading a battle against the Romans, his men were charging at a convoy of soldiers and supplies. He himself ran in along the front lines. He was met by a soldier in a thin leather cuirass, just like that of the man that unchained him. This man swung his sword at Rekk’s head. Rekk ducked under it and brought his own gladius up in a thrust to pierce the man’s jaw and end in his brain. The man fell heavily as Rekk pulled out his sword. By this time two more were running towards him, one held a spear the other a gladius. Rekk stood still, judging how he was going to kill these men quickly and cleanly, he took deep breaths to keep himself calm and steady. When the man with the spear was in range of Rekk he lunged his spear out towards Rekk’s stomach, Rekk ready for this flicked out his gladius hitting the spear with the flat of the sword. The spear was sent upwards and over Rekk’s shoulder, Rekk ducked again and grabbed the spear of its way downwards again, bringing it up in time to block a blow from the other soldier, this broke the tip of the spear. As it fell to the ground Rekk let go to the part he was holding and grapped the broken tip. He looked up to see the second man’s gladius coming towards Rekk’s head again. Rekk rolled backwards and stood up in time to block another lunge by the sword. The first man with the spear by this time brought out his own gladius and was running towards the two fighting men. He needed to act quickly or he would be killed. He swung his sword at the second man’s head, when he blocked the blow he threw the tip of the spear. It buried itself deeply into the man’s stomach and Rekk then finished him off by cutting his throat open. As the man fell crumpled to the ground the other man had reached him and was unleashing fury of slashes towards Rekk. Rekk was able to block each of these easily but he had no time to get his own blows in. As his attacker was pushing him back further and further he saw the glint of steel in the air behind him. Seconds later the man fell to the ground with an axe sticking out of his head. Blood splattered onto his face, and he wiped it away with the edge of his sleeve. He watched the rest of his men overpowering the last of the soldiers and they all returned back to their base with the convoy of supplies as well as the weapons and armour the dead had happily given them.
