Gladiators vs Zombies by Argo Sean-Michael

Author:Argo, Sean-Michael [Argo, Sean-Michael]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2014-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

THE HOPLOMACHUS & MURMILONNE

At last, thought Bricius, a primus bout. The heavily muscled gladiator had long dreamt of this moment, though truth be told he never expected to see such creatures as the golems stand in the arena. Bricius had grown up in the shadow of the Coliseum, being born into slavery as the son of a gladiator in House Ursa. His father, Pwyll, had been captured during one of the many wars fought in Gaul, a region of the empire that needed constant quelling. Pwyll had taken well to the life of a gladiator, being a hard and pragmatic man, and made the best of it he could. The former warrior fought his best, and in time was granted privilege to marry, and sire a child.

Bricius thought little of freedom, as he had been born into slavery, so knew no other life. He attended his father and the other gladiators during their training. He fetched water, bound their wounds, oiled and polished their weapons, and learned the lore of the arena from the voices of the men who lived and died upon its sands. The boy learned to value honor and glory, to protect his brothers, and yet have it in him to slay them in the arena. There was a freedom in being a gladiator, his father used to say, for us there are no nations, or gods, or gold. We fight because we must, for no cause beyond glory, and so what victories we win in the arena are pure, and belong to us. We are the glorious dead my son, Pwyll had said, gods who walk among the living for a short time, and when we leave this world it is an honorable thing. The arena is a good place to die.

Bricius took a deep breath as he stood on the ramp leading to the arena gate, standing next to his opponent Agathias, the spear wielding hoplomachus. Bricius fought in the Murmillo style, carrying a gladius and large rectangular shield, and wearing a helmet with a fish crest. Typically the murmillo fought the retiarius, for it was only natural that the fish fight the net, though for the primus exceptions were made. Bricius had distinguished himself in the arena many times over, first as a provocatore fighter in House Ursa, fighting with blunted swords against other provocatore to get the crowd excited for upcoming bouts. Then, as his skills became more honed and he grew from a youth into a man, he was purchased by Lanista Laeca.

Pwyll had died some years prior, falling before the sword of a secutor known as Black Hand. It was on the night of Pwyll’s funeral that Lanista Ursa told Bricius that he would train to take his father’s place. On that very night the Black Hand and his dominus attended the funeral, and the Hand told the boy that his father had fought well. Bricius learned in that moment the true bonds between the gladiator brotherhood, that no man died alone, for his brothers all stood with him, in life and in death.

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