>>5474134You stride forward, and pick a spatha from the pile. There’s a hint of rust on the blade, but it looks like you’re not getting anything better.
Time to make Gaius proud.
The guard just spits at your feet and shoves you down a hallway packed with another dozen men with equally shitty weapons and armor.
You try to communicate with them, but nobody speaks English or Spanish (for obvious reasons), but you finally manage to elicit a response when you try Greek.
A stocky man with a jagged scar marring his otherwise average features happens to know a few Greek words (mostly curses), but is decent conversation nonetheless.
Pretty much just confirms what you had already suspected, you’ve been tacked in with a mix of conscripts and enslaved enemies of Rome sent to be torn to shreds for the amusement of the crowd.
Eventually, the gates begin to raise and guards start herding you into the Colosseum proper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij3_VIJxd9sSome asshole with a booming voice is providing color commentary, but you have no earthly idea what is being said. For all you know, he could be treating this like a football match.
When you ask your newly-met lifeline, all he has to say is…
“It’s just the usual Roman pigshit; that we’re dying to bring glory to Rome, that we’re savage barbarians who should be honored to die for their entertainment. Bunch of cunts.”
You’re inclined to agree with his assessment.
In the harsh light of the day, you finally get your first look at the enemy you’ll be engaging.
And it doesn’t look good. There’s a dozen, so they’ve got you matched in terms of numbers. The kicker is that they’re in full legionnaire kit, like they were fresh off a battlefield.
Most of them have shields and a javelin as well.
Compared to the poorly trained and equipped scum on your side, this isn’t meant to be a fight; this is meant to be a slaughter.
Put another way, they’re sending the benchwarmers out to get gutted by the first-stringers.
Well, you’ll be damned if you don’t go down swinging.
To that end, you…
> Leap into the fray and take them by surprise. It’s bold and it’s risky, but you may just be able to deal a decisive blow in the opening strokes of the fight.> Hang back and look for an opportunity. Only fools rush in headfirst, you’ll need to apply a bit of cunning if you want to survive.> Taunt the opposition into focusing on you. It won’t be easy with the language gap, but you’ve got enough in your repertoire to pull it off. > Team up with that guy who speaks Greek. You’ll need somebody that’ll watch your back.> Other? 